A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Monday, June 9, 2014

Meet the Sisis

Why are these people not smiling? The head of their family is being inaugurated President of Egypt, and only Madame al-Sisi (above center) isn't looking downright glum.

Yesterday seems to have marked the first time Sisi's entire family — wife, three sons and their wives, daughter and her husband — appeared together in public.

A useful guide to the family has been all over social media:

For those who don't read Arabic:

Front row, right to left:
1. Dalia Hegazy, wife of Hasan al-Sisi. She is the daughter of Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy recently named Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.
2. Hasan al-Sisi,  an engineer.
3. Intissar al-Sisi, the President's wife (see my earlier post). I had previously noted that she is a cousin of Sisi's; this specifies that she is the daughter of his maternal aunt.
4. Mustafa al-Sisi, an officer in the Administrative Control Authority.
5. Rida,  wife of Mustafa al-Sisi and daughter of his paternal aunt.

Second row, right to left:
1. Personal name not given, but described as the husband of Ayat al-Sisi, Sisi's only daughter, and the son of Khalid Foda, Governor of South Sinai. 
2. Ayat al-Sisi.
3. Mahmoud al-Sisi, an officer in General Intelligence.
4. Nuha al-Tuhami, wife of Mahmoud al-Sisi.

I note in passing that Mahmoud al-Sisi is an officer in General Intelligence, that his wife is named Nuha al-Tuhami, and that the current head of General Intelligence is Muhammad Farid al-Tuhami, onetime superior of Sisi's. Tuhami is not an uncommon name and there may be no connection. Do any readers know if this is a coincidence? [UPDATE: at least one newspaper says Mahmoud is in Military Intelligence, his father's old service, rather than General Intelligence.]

1 comment:

David Mack said...

At least two of the younger ladies seem to be wearing pants suits. Is this an indication of the Hillary Clinton effect? While I am no expert on Egyptian fashions for women, it seems to be an innovation.