Arabs & Arabian Records Aggregator. Chronicler. Milestones of the 25 Countries of the Arabic Speaking World (official / co-official). AGCC. MENA. Global. Ist's to Top 10's. Records. Read & Enjoy./ www.arabianrecords.org
H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, has been ranked second globally in the 2025 ArtReview Power 100 list.
She first appeared on the Power 100 in 2011 at No. 90, quickly rising to No. 11 in 2012 before reaching the top position at No. 1 in 2013.
The Power 100 is compiled by a panel of around 30 individuals from across the globe, and from all parts of the artworld, who propose those people who have shaped the art that has emerged in their locality over the past year. The criteria for inclusion are that each person on the Power 100 has had an influence on the art being made and shown now; that they have been active in the last 12 months; and that their presence stretches beyond a local scene (while many act locally, the influence of that local action can reverberate internationally).
What emerges is a means of capturing an artworld that is not purely an economic system, or an aesthetic one, but a complex social system. Through this list, ArtReview gives a portrait of the network of relationships that shaped the art of 2025.
Abu Dhabi’s newest cultural landmark earns global recognition from TIME in 2026.
Abu Dhabi has added another standout to its cultural scene. The Zayed National Museum has been named one of TIME’s World’s Greatest Places for 2026, placing it among 100 destinations that offer something truly special for visitors.
Nestled within the growing Saadiyat Cultural District, the museum has quickly become a place people are curious about. It opened its doors in December 2025 and has since drawn attention for both its design and what it represents.
Rather than feeling like a traditional museum, it leans more towards a calm, reflective space where you can spend a few hours moving through stories of the UAE’s past.
Even before stepping inside, the building itself makes an impression. Designed by Norman Foster, the structure is inspired by the wings of a falcon in flight. The shape is striking but not over the top, and it ties back neatly to Emirati heritage.
Inside, the journey stretches back around 300,000 years, tracing human life in the region long before the country we know today. At the heart of it all is the story of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose life and values shape much of what you see. The galleries are not overwhelming, which makes it easy to take your time and actually absorb what is on display.
Some pieces naturally draw more attention than others. The Abu Dhabi Pearl, believed to be one of the oldest natural pearls ever discovered, is one of those quiet highlights.
Another is the Blue Qur’an, known for its deep colour and fine detail, offering a glimpse into the artistic traditions of the Islamic world.
One of the more unexpected features is a full-scale reconstruction of an ancient Magan boat. It gives a sense of how people in this region once travelled and traded, long before modern borders existed. It is the kind of exhibit that makes history feel more real and less distant.
Places are selected through nominations from TIME’s international network of correspondents and contributors, as well as an open application process.
With several major institutions now based in the same district, it is becoming a place where visitors can easily spend a full day, or even more, exploring art, history and ideas.
For residents, it is another reason to take a closer look at what is on their doorstep. For travellers, it adds one more stop to an already evolving map of must see places in the region.
Seven days after the legendary Iraqi singer Sajida Obaid died, women sat wrapped in black veils and abayas, their faces wet at her family home in the northern city of Irbil. Some were family members and others were fans who had loved her for decades.
Bitter black coffee, the drink of Iraqi mourning, passed quietly from hand to hand. The music drifting in from outside filled the spaces between sobs.
Outside, men sat under a canvas tent in the street. A traditional band beat the daf as some of the men wiped their eyes. In Iraq, the seventh day marks a return, a final gathering before grief begins to thin into memory.
Obaid died on April 4 at the age of 68 after a battle with lung cancer. The news was overshadowed by the Iran war that had spilled over into neighboring Iraq. But for her fans, her death felt personal — the loss of a woman whose voice had given them, for a few hours at a time, something close to freedom.
A space for women to let loose
In Iraq, a woman moving through public life carries weight with her; eyes watching what she wears, how she moves, whether she is stepping too far outside the lines. So Obaid decided to hold parties only for women. Every staff member including the DJ, the waiters, the security, and the organizers was a woman. No phones were allowed to prevent photography. To protect the women in the room, their freedom stayed inside those walls.
Women who would never dream of dancing in front of male audience came. They dressed how they wanted and danced the way they had forgotten they could.
Virgin Jaji, 68, was one of them. While the Arab world traditionally begins its mornings with the dreamy songs of the Lebanese singer Fayrouz, Jaji said she has listened to Obaid every morning for years, in the car, at home, even at the gym. “Even my parrot only dances to Sajida Obaid’s music.
“In her women’s parties we danced like we had no cares in the world,” Jaji said, her eyes red from crying. “We felt free. Truly free.”
Mina Mohammed, 40, said, “The first time I heard about a women-only party by Sajida, I borrowed money from friends just to be in that hall. Her voice will always take me back to the best moments of my life.”
A quick rise to stardom
Obaid was born in Baghdad in 1957, the daughter of a Roma family. In Iraq, Roma people are known as “Kawliya,” a community long tied to music and performance, but also one that has lived for generations at the edge of society. Sajida began singing at 12, performing at parties to help her family pay the bills.
By her teenage years she was already a known name. Her voice was warm and commanding, rooted in the dance rhythms of the Kawliya and in the older, more tender Iraqi style known as mawal. By the 1980s, it had reached the most powerful and most dangerous men in Iraq.
Saddam Hussein’s security guards would pull her away mid-performance from other people’s weddings and bring her to sing. She performed at the weddings of Saddam’s children and at birthday parties for his sons and daughters. It was the complicated price of being a national star in an era of dictatorship. She traveled the world, performed at international festivals and sometimes played as many as seven shows a week.
Shrinking space for Iraqi women
But the women-only parties were always special to her, said her brother and manager, Aayed Awda.
“Those parties were something the women themselves asked for, including women from the most conservative families, because they wanted a place where they could dress freely, move freely, be themselves,” he said. “Sajida believed deeply in helping women and giving them that space.”
Obaid’s songs sometimes pushed social boundaries, like “Inkasarat al-Sheesha” (“the shisha broke”), about a woman who has lost her virginity and must now face her family. “What will I tell my mother?” the lyrics ask. In Iraq, that is not a light question. Obaid sang it with a full voice, without apology.
Many Iraqi women feel that the gains they had made in rights over the years are receding. Last year, Iraqi Parliament passed amendments to the country’s personal status law that opponents say would in effect legalize child marriage and erode women’s rights in matters like divorce and inheritance.
“Iraq feels like it’s moving backward, and the space for women’s freedom is shrinking,” said Mohammed, the fan who borrowed money to attend Obaid’s parties. She hopes that the carefree moments they brought can “be carried forward, even in small ways, like women-only DJ nights with her music.”
A quiet end
In her final months, the woman who had sung on stages across five continents lived quietly in Irbil, in the home of her elder brother’s family. She had no children. She had married twice and divorced twice. She rarely went out. She spent her days close to the people she loved and played with the children in the house.
“She was gentle and warm, and she never once caused harm to anyone,” said her niece Sahar Sabti, 38, who shared the home with her. “She took care of everyone around her.”
About four months before Obaid died, doctors found lung cancer, Sabti said. She still insisted on flying to Canada for a concert. But when she came home to receive her first chemo session, her body gave up.
She was hospitalized in Irbil, where she remained for more than two weeks before being sent home on oxygen. Her family took her to the hospital once more, and this time she didn’t come home.
Her brother recalled the 40 years they worked together, and their sibling bickering about the shade of her makeup, the cut and color of her dress, the theme of the next party.
“We disagreed on everything,” Awda said, his voice breaking. “And I miss every single one of those arguments.”
On the seventh day of mourning, as the drum outside finally fell silent and the women inside dried their faces, they spoke about Obaid the way people speak about someone who has stepped out of the room for a moment.
“For me and my friends, dancing and Sajida are the same word,” said Leila Botrus, 55. “She brought people together everywhere she went through joy, through music.”
Outside in the tent, the band played its last song of the evening. The coffee in the cups grew cold, but the women stayed a little longer together.
In that room, filled with women sitting close together, it felt as though Sajida had left behind exactly what she always gave them; a space of their own.
Egypt’s former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Dr. Khaled El-Enany, has been elected as the new Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), succeeding France’s Audrey Azoulay after securing a majority of votes in the organization’s Executive Board elections in Paris today, Monday, October 6, 2025, coinciding with the 52nd Anniversary of the Glorious October War Victory.
El-Enany won 55 votes against just two for his closest rival, Firmin Edouard Matoko of the Republic of Congo, the largest winning margin in UNESCO’s history.
His victory marks a historic moment as El-Enany becomes the first Arab and only the second African to lead the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization since its establishment in 1945.
During his acceptance speech, El-Enany said: “I have visited 65 countries in 30 months and one day. I have conducted an inclusive campaign engaging all member countries.”
He added “During my first 100 days, I promise to work with all member states to modernize UNESCO, without discrimination or personal agenda.”
In his speech following his election, El-Enany extended heartfelt thanks to his homeland, Egypt, for entrusting him with this mission, as well as to his Arab family and the Arab League for their steadfast support, and to the African continent and African Union, which had embraced and endorsed his candidacy on three occasions.
He said: “I stand before you with humility and a heart full of gratitude,” acknowledging the broad coalition of support that had propelled his historic victory.
He went on to express his appreciation to all countries that had backed his bid and placed their trust in him, asserting that their confidence in him was a gift that he would never take for granted.
He went on to express his appreciation to all countries that had backed his bid and placed their trust in him, asserting that their confidence in him was a gift that he would never take for granted.
Reflecting on his journey, El-Enany shared that over the past 30 months, his campaign had taken him to 65 countries across the world from the Pacific to the Caribbean and involved more than 400 meetings and dialogues that had helped shape his vision.
He described the experience as “the adventure of a lifetime”, expressing deep gratitude to his Egyptian team and colleagues who “stood by my side with passion and devotion to bring this dream to life.”
His message also carried a tone of unity and inclusivity. “I assure you that, if elected in November by the General Conference, I will serve all nations and peoples as a director-general for all, working together with you to build a UNESCO that is a true home for all humanity, a UNESCO for the People,” he said.
His remarks also paid tribute to the Egyptian team that had accompanied him throughout the 30-month long campaign to bring this project to life in “a dream in which we have deeply believed”.
El-Enany’s remarks were met with warm applause from the delegates gathered at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris. Leading diplomats and prominent figures described the moment as both historic and deeply symbolic, not only for Egypt but also for the broader Arab and African communities that had rallied behind his candidacy.
About the elections
The elections for the position of Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the period 2025-2029 will begin on Monday, October 6, 2025. The elections are witnessing fierce competition between Egyptian candidates Dr. Khaled El-Enany, former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and Congolese Firmin Edouard Matoko, UNESCO’s Deputy Director-General for Africa and External Relations.
These elections are of great importance, as they determine who will lead this specialized UN agency, founded in 1945 and headquartered in Paris. Its mission is to promote shared human values by strengthening education, science, and culture, setting standards and tools, and developing knowledge to find solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time. UNESCO also supports a world of greater equality and peace. UNESCO works with its 194 Member States on a range of issues, including protecting biodiversity, addressing artificial intelligence, promoting quality education, preserving human heritage, and ensuring access to reliable information.
All eyes are on who will succeed Frenchwoman Audrey Azoulay, who has served two terms as president of this organization since 2017. Azoulay’s primary goal is to contribute to peace and security by enhancing cooperation among countries in the fields of education and culture.
Two strong candidates are vying for this high-profile position: Congolese Firmin Edouard Matoko and Egyptian Khaled El-Enany. These elections are of utmost importance to Egypt, which is strongly supporting its candidate for the prestigious position. Previous Egyptian candidates include Ambassador Moushira Khattab in 2017, Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni in 2009, and former Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Ismail Serageldin in 2001.
Egypt’s intensive efforts to support Dr. El-Enany
Egypt has intensified its efforts to garner support for Dr. El-Enany, both regionally and internationally, since the announcement of his candidacy. In April 2023, Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly announced the Council’s endorsement of Dr. Khaled El-Enany, former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, for the position of Director-General of UNESCO for the period 2025 to 2029, as Egypt’s candidate.
The League of Arab States adopted a summit-level resolution in May 2024 supporting and endorsing Dr. El-Enany’s candidacy as the only Arab candidate for the position. This marks the first time a candidate has received such broad Arab consensus. This reflects the aspirations of Arab countries for an effective role within the international organization and the importance of Arab leadership for UNESCO in the coming period.
Al-Anani also received the African Union’s endorsement in February 2024, July 2024, and July 2025, which confirms the official African alignment behind the Egyptian candidacy in appreciation of Al-Anani’s competence and ability and a reflection of the African continent’s confidence in Egypt to achieve the common aspirations of African countries.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty met on Sunday, 5th September, 2025, with the permanent representatives of Turkey, Brazil, Bangladesh, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Luxembourg, and the UAE to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
This meeting took place during his visit to Paris as part of the intensive efforts made to support Dr. Khaled El-Enany, Egypt’s candidate in the elections for the Director-General position, and to garner support from various countries.
El-Enany’s Biography
Khaled Ahmed El-Enany Ali Ezz, born in 1971, is a leading figure recognized for his expertise and commitment across diverse fields including teaching, scientific research, culture, tourism, management, public service, and international relations.
A former Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, El-Enany currently holds the position of Professor of Egyptology at Helwan University, where he has been a faculty member for over thirty years. His teaching, focused on the civilization, archaeology, and epigraphy of Ancient Egypt, is not only taught in Egypt but also at prestigious international institutions. As a mentor, he has enabled thousands of students and researchers, both Egyptian and international, to benefit from his in-depth knowledge and vast experience. Through his conferences and scientific engagements across twenty countries, he has shared his expertise, enriched academic discourse and encouraged access to knowledge, while promoting intercultural dialogue. His proficiency in Arabic, French, and English demonstrates his communication skills, a key asset for fostering international cooperation. He has served as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, Director of the Open Learning Center, and Head of the Tour Guide Department. He holds a PhD in Egyptology from Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 University (France), where he has been a visiting Professor on several occasions.
He directed the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (2014-2016) and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (2015-2016). From 2016 to 2022, he served as Minister of Antiquities and then Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
He is also a member of several international learned societies. In November 2024, he was appointed Special Ambassador for Cultural Tourism by the World Tourism Organization and, more recently, patron of the African World Heritage Fund. He holds several international distinctions. He speaks Arabic, French and English.
Achievements
El-Enany has wide-ranging academic, scientific, administrative, and executive experience in Egypt and abroad. Over the course of his career, he has developed a strong international network with governments, institutions, and organisations.
During his six-and-a-half-year tenure in government he supervised numerous major projects, boosting tourism and archaeology across Egypt. More than 20 museums, including the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC), developed in collaboration with UNESCO, were opened, and work on the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), one of the largest museums in the world, neared completion.
More than 50 restoration and development projects at archaeological sites were inaugurated, and more than 20 restoration projects of historical mosques, monasteries, and churches (including five locations on the Holy Family Trail), and the Eliahu Hanavi Synagogue in Alexandria, were opened.
He inaugurated five ground water-lowering projects at archaeological sites, and the number of archaeological missions, particularly Egyptian ones, increased significantly. He also secured the return of 7,000 smuggled artefacts from more than 20 countries.
El-Enany has played a key role in strengthening Egypt’s international relations through his cultural diplomacy skills, collaborating closely with many countries, academic institutions, and international organisations.
He oversaw the Pharaoh’s Golden Parade and Luxor: The Sphinx Avenue Parade and was instrumental in mitigating the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia war on Egypt’s tourism sector.
Awards
Dr. Khaled El-Enany Anani has been decorated with several international honors. In 2025, France awarded him the insignia of the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, the official emblem awarded to recipients of France’s highest distinction for civil merit, and in 2015 he was awarded the French Order of Arts and Letters, naming him a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.
In 2020, he received the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, and in 2021 was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by Japan. In September 2024, El-Enany received an honorary doctorate from the University of Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 in France.
Annemarie Jacir’s award-winning film “Palestine 36” leads the nominations for the 10th Critics Awards For Arab Films, which were announced on Wednesday.
The annual prizes, organized by the Arab Cinema Center, have been voted on by a record 307 Arab and international critics from 75 countries this year, with the awards ceremony due to take place during the Cannes Film Festival on May 16.
“Palestine 36” has been nominated in six categories including best film, director and screenplay. It is followed by Maryam Touzani’s “Calle Malaga” with five nominations; Cherien Dabis’ “All That’s Left of You” with four; and “Yunan,” “My Father’s Scent,” and “Once Upon a Time in Gaza” with three each.
Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated “The Voice of Hind Rajab” garnered one nomination in the best director category.
“Palestine 36” is set during the 1936 Arab Revolt and follows five interconnected narratives as villages across Palestine confront British colonial rule.
With rising numbers of Jewish immigrants escaping antisemitism in Europe, and the Palestinian population uniting against Britain’s 30-year dominion, all sides spiral toward inevitable collision in a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the entire region.
“I hope people see themselves in the film,” she told Arab News in December last year. “I don’t want to teach anyone anything. There’s a lot of history in the film and there’s a lot of history that’s been erased. I hope that’s something that comes through.”
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Annemarie Jacir’s award-winning film “Palestine 36” leads the nominations for the 10th Critics Awards For Arab Films, which were announced on Wednesday. (Supplied)
Landmark study bridges history and modern scholarship
Project highlights Kingdom’s preservation of Islamic heritage
A new scholarly encyclopedia documenting the architectural evolution of the Prophet’s Mosque has emerged as a major reference work, charting the development of one of Islam’s most significant landmarks across centuries.
Published by the Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah Research and Studies Center, the project forms part of broader efforts to systematically record the mosque’s history and features through a rigorous academic framework enhanced by modern research tools, a review by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.
The encyclopedia traces the mosque’s transformation from its foundation during the Prophetic era through successive expansions across Islamic history, culminating in large-scale Saudi-era developments that have expanded capacity while preserving its architectural and spiritual identity.
Beyond historical documentation, the work provides analytical insight into key structural elements — such as arcades, domes, and minarets — examining their functional and aesthetic evolution, alongside associated landmarks that underscore the mosque’s enduring religious and civilizational role.
The initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s continued commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and safeguarding Islamic heritage through specialized knowledge projects, the review said.
By preserving and systematizing the architectural memory of the Prophet’s Mosque, the encyclopedia is expected to fill a critical gap in scholarly research, offering a valuable resource for academics, students, and those interested in the cultural and human dimensions embedded in the mosque’s design,
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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General view of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. (SPA file photo)
The 10th edition of the Aswan International Women Film Festival announced the winning films on 24 April, with the Saudi-led co-production Hijra taking the Best Film award, leading a diverse list of winners from across the globe.
Directed by Shahad Ameen, Hijra also earned Best Actor for Nawaf Al-Dhafiri.
Set against the vast desert landscape, Hijra follows a grandmother who embarks on a journey north in search of her missing teenage granddaughter, after the young girl disappears during a trip toward Mecca.
Blending elements of a road movie with a character-driven drama, Hijra explores themes of family, loss, and resilience, while offering a nuanced portrait of women’s lives across different generations in Saudi society.
The Jury Prize went to the Dutch film Treat Her Like a Lady written and directed by Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito, while The Condor Daughter (Bolivia/Peru/Uruguay) written and directed by Alvaro Olmos Torrico won Best Director.
Spain featured among the winners, with The Portuguese House (Una quinta portuguesa) by Avelina Prat receiving the Best Screenplay award.
In the short film competition, the French film We Had a Good Time won Best Short Film, while Randa Maroufi’s Al-Mina (Morocco/Italy/France/Qatar) also received the short film top award. Prior to its AIWFF success, Al-Mina scored Leitz Cine Discovery Prize at Cannes Film Festival.
Italian film The Kinepali Model took the Jury Prize, and Tunisian film Dunia scored the European Union Award.
Across parallel sections, An Unfinished Journey won Best Collective Film in the workshops competition, while A Lullaby After Sleep by Abdel Rahman Barakat took Best Film in the Films with Impact category. In the South Films competition, Distances by Liza Kamal secured first place.
Held from 20 to 25 in Aswan, the festival showcased 73 films from 34 countries, reaffirming its position as a key platform for cinema centered on women’s stories and perspectives.
Iconic Kuwaiti actress Hayat Al Fahad, widely known as the “Lady of the Gulf Screen”, has died at the age of 78 after a prolonged illness, in a loss that has reverberated across the Arab artistic community.
The announcement was made on Tuesday via the official account of the Al Fahad Artistic Production Foundation, which paid tribute to her as a towering figure in Gulf drama whose legacy will endure for generations.
Al Fahad had faced recurring health complications in recent months, which kept her away from the screen. Sources close to the family said her condition deteriorated sharply in recent days, leading to her admission to intensive care before her death.
Over a career spanning more than five decades, Al Fahad was not only an actress but also a writer and producer, known for works that explored Gulf society with depth and candour.
Born in Kuwait in 1948, Al Fahad is regarded as one of the Arab world’s most influential television and stage figures. Her career spans acting, broadcasting, writing, and producing, with celebrated credits including the beloved television series Khalti Qumasha, Ruqiya wa Sabika, Jarh Al Zaman, and ‘Ndama Tu’Gany Al Zuho.
Despite advancing age, she remained active in Ramadan productions until her later years, delivering performances marked by experience and enduring passion.
Her death marks the end of a defining chapter in Gulf television, though her work will continue to resonate across the Arab world.
Leo XIV’s upcoming visit will honour Saint Augustine’s roots and a small Catholic community that shared the nation’s suffering.
For the first time in Catholic history, a pope will make an official visit to Algeria.
From 13 to 15 April, Pope Leo XIV will begin an African tour in the Maghreb country, which will then take him to Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
His trip to Algeria will include two stops: the capital, Algiers, and Annaba, the city of Saint Augustine. The fourth century thinker is a key figure in the pope’s life and in the meaning given to this unprecedented visit.
“I am an Augustinian, a son of Saint Augustine, who once said: ‘With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop’,” Leo said in his first address as Pope to the crowd gathered in St Peter’s Square in Rome in May last year to celebrate his election.
These words sparked enthusiasm in the Algerian media, which emphasised the new Pope’s attachment to the cleric and theologian born in 354 in Thagaste, an Amazigh-Roman city known today as Souk Ahras, in northeastern Algeria.
As bishop of Hippo, the ancient name for the city of Annaba, he profoundly influenced Christian thought.
“Saint Augustine is important to the Pope because he entered the Augustinian Order at a very young age,” Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, Archbishop of Algiers, told Middle East Eye.
“From the age of 13, Leo attended a school in the United States [where he was born] run by the Augustinians,” he added.
After studying mathematics and philosophy in Philadelphia, the man then known as Robert Francis Prevost joined the Augustinian order at the age of 22 and rose through the ranks to become prior general of the order.
It was in this capacity that he made his first visit to Algeria, in 2001, to participate in the first international symposium on Saint Augustine at the University of Annaba.
Cardinal Vesco says he convinced the new Pope to visit Algeria in the early days of his pontificate.
On the agenda for his upcoming visit is a public address at the Martyrs’ Monument, erected on the heights of the capital in memory of those killed during the Algerian war of independence, followed by a meeting with the country’s highest authorities at the conference centre of the Great Mosque.
Augustine ‘was born here’
The Algerian authorities are attaching particular importance to this visit, the preparations for which are being personally overseen by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Annaba, in particular, has been transformed into a vast construction site, with asphalting, painting and cleaning of the streets along the road leading to the Basilica of Saint Augustine, which is also undergoing maintenance work.
‘Augustine is a figure rooted in North African geography and culture. Yet, this essential dimension has long been obscured’
– Abdenasser Smail, historian
For historian Abdenasser Smail, who recently published Saint-Augustin, un Nord-Africain universel (Saint Augustine, a Universal North African), the Pope is visiting Algeria and Annaba to pay homage to the philosopher of antiquity but also “because Augustine is not just a Christian figure.
A key element of Augustine’s thought was how he radically internalised the relationship with God in the depths of the self, what he calls the “inner trinity”: memory, intelligence and will.
“He is one of the major thinkers in the history of humanity. Europe embraced him. The Vatican drew inspiration from him. But he was born here,” Smail told MEE.
The pope’s visit, he added, is not only religious: “It is about historical memory.”
According to him, the tribute Leo is paying to Saint Augustine is a way of righting a historical wrong that has long obscured the theologian’s true origins.
“Augustine is a figure rooted in North African geography and culture. Yet, this essential dimension has long been obscured, both in Western representations and in contemporary Algerian national narratives,” Smail said.
In a country with an overwhelming Muslim majority, “an Algerian Muslim can be proud of this,” he added.
“Because being proud of one’s history doesn’t mean adopting another faith. It means recognising that this land has produced multiple great figures. To deny this is not to defend Islam. It is to impoverish our own memory,” he said.
An Algerian Church
Beyond the very symbolism of Saint Augustine, Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Algeria is also a tribute to, and support for, the Algerian Church, “a very small Church in a Muslim world”, as Vesco described it.
“This is the church of that people, the Algerians,” added the archbishop of Algiers, who has lived in the country for nearly 20 years and was naturalised as an Algerian citizen in 2023.
The Catholic Church in Algeria is one of the smallest in the world: barely 4,200 faithful spread across four dioceses – Algiers, Oran, Constantine and Laghouat – out of a population of 46 million.
It has about 60 priests and 100 nuns and monks, primarily from Europe, Africa and Latin America. Its most striking characteristic is its composition: the faithful are overwhelmingly foreign and of sub-Saharan origin, a reality now visible in every parish.
Native Algerian Catholics number only a few hundred; no official figures are available. The number of faithful plummeted dramatically with Algeria’s independence in 1962 and the mass exodus of Europeans from the country.
“Of course, the Church returned to Algeria with [French] colonisation, because it had practically disappeared [after the Arab-Islamic conquest of North Africa in the 7th century],” Vesco said.
However, this Church has become Algerian, he explained, emphasising the essential role of the archbishop of Algiers from 1954 to 1988, Leon-Etienne Duval, in the process.
As early as 1955, a year after the start of the War of Independence that pitted Algerians against the French occupiers, Duval denounced the socio-economic injustices of the colonial system and the torture and massacres of Algerians committed by the French army, while supporting their self-determination.
Naturalised Algerian in 1964 and promoted to cardinal, Duval succeeded in transforming the church in Algeria from a colonial institution into a church officially recognised and supported by a newly independent state where Islam was proclaimed the state religion.
“Our church remains marked by Cardinal Duval’s appeal in 1962 to priests to stay in Algeria [at the end of the war],” Cardinal Vesco said.
‘It is a church that truly serves Algerian society’
– Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, archbishop of Algiers
“This is how we kept schools, dispensaries, etc open from independence onward, because it is a church that truly serves Algerian society.”
The position defended by Duval, inherited from decades of struggle by liberal Catholics in Algeria, was supported by the Vatican and contributed to the Catholic Church’s dialogue with the Muslim world.
“By bringing the problems of the ‘Third World’ to the forefront, the Algerian experience also contributed to a profound shift in the Church’s theological and political stance toward Islam,” writes researcher Uriel Gadessaud in the journal Outre-Mers.
“It was during the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) that the Holy See underwent a true aggiornamento, under the influence of the Algerian War,” he added, referring to the Vatican’s new opening to the world and other religions.
In addition to aspirations for independence, members of the Catholic Church in Algeria shared with local Muslims the sufferings of the “black decade”, the civil war that ravaged the country between 1992 and 2002.
Triggered by the army’s halt to the electoral process in January 1992 after the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) won the first round of parliamentary elections, the conflict between armed Islamist groups and security forces killed an estimated 200,000 people.
Among them were 19 Christian religious figures killed between 1994 and 1996, including the Bishop of Oran, Pierre Claverie, and the seven monks of Tibhirine, whose abduction and murder in 1996 remain shrouded in mystery.
Declared martyrs by former Pope Francis, they were beatified in December 2018 in Oran – the first beatification ceremony held in a Muslim country. During his upcoming visit to Algiers, Pope Leo is scheduled to pray in the chapel of these 19 “martyrs of Algeria”.
Calls to address human rights
Today, the small Catholic community lives in harmony with a predominantly Muslim Algerian society, and the faith is officially protected and recognised by the authorities, even if non-Muslim religious practices remain confined to specific spaces.
“I live my faith discreetly, as required by the fact that I live in a Muslim society, but I have never received a single derogatory remark,” Simon, an Ivorian student who has been living in Algiers for three years, told MEE.
Every Sunday, he attends mass at the Diocesan Centre in Hydra, an upscale neighbourhood of the capital.
‘I live my faith discreetly, as required by the fact that I live in a Muslim society, but I have never received a single derogatory remark’
– Simon, Ivorian student in Algiers
“Beyond prayer and communion, we meet to organise charitable activities, classes for disadvantaged Algerian children and book clubs,” added Simon, who said he is “proud and happy about the Pope’s visit”.
“It’s a gift, a grace, for our little flock here in Algeria.”
However, the Christian presence in Algeria also has a dark side: the restrictions targeting Protestant worship and its evangelical branch, although freedom of worship is enshrined in the constitution.
Since 2006, a decree “establishing the conditions and rules for the practice of religions other than Islam” requires authorisation for the creation of religious associations, their practices and their use of buildings.
While the Catholic Church in Algeria enjoys the status of an approved association, and its sermons are even broadcast on public radio, this is not the case for the Protestant Church of Algeria, officially recognised since 2011 but whose activities are only authorised within its main headquarters in Algiers.
There are no longer any legally open Protestant places of worship in the country. The authorities closed them because they suspect evangelicals of conducting conversions, which is prohibited by Algerian law. Some pastors are even facing legal action.
Several Christians contacted by MEE declined to express themselves for fear that the authorities would suspect them of being converted evangelicals.
This situation is regularly denounced in the US State Department’s report on religious freedom and by human rights groups.
On Tuesday, three international NGOs urged Pope Leo XIV to raise issues of human rights and religious freedom with the Algerian authorities during his visit to Algeria.
“We ask you to call on the authorities to end discrimination against religious minorities and to respect their right to freedom of religion or belief, including the right to practice their religion freely,” EuroMed Rights, Human Rights Watch and MENA Rights Group said in a letter addressed to the pontiff.
According to the groups, religious minorities “face discriminatory legal and administrative restrictions that limit their ability to practice, organise and express their faith openly”.
In addition to Protestants, they cite Ahmadis, followers of a faith originating in India who consider themselves Muslim but are regarded as heretics by the Sunni majority in Algeria.
The NGOs also urged the Pope to call on Algerian authorities to “release those arbitrarily detained for exercising their human rights”.
“Hundreds of protesters, activists, journalists and human rights defenders have been arbitrarily detained, unjustly prosecuted and sentenced to prison terms for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” they said.
A picture taken on October 19, 2013 shows a statue of Saint-Augustin in front of the Saint-Augustin basilica after its reopening in the Algeria’s eastern city of Annaba. The basilica, built in 1909 during the colonial period, fell into disrepair before being reopened after major restoration works. AFP PHOTO / FAROUK BATICHE (Photo by FAROUK BATICHE / AFP)
“Houris” (Virgins, in English) focuses of the victims of what Algerians call the “black decade,” when tens of thousands of people were killed as the army fought an Islamist insurgency.
French-Algerian author Kamel Daoud said Wednesday that he has been sentenced to three years in prison in Algeria for his book “Houris,” a recipient of France’s most prestigious literary award.
The writer, who lives in France, announced on X that the verdict was delivered on Tuesday. He said that he was also fined 5 million Algerian dinars ($38,000).
“Houris” (Virgins, in English) focuses of the victims of what Algerians call the “black decade,” when tens of thousands of people were killed as the army fought an Islamist insurgency. The conflict erupted in 1991 after Islamists won a first round of legislative elections, prompting the military-backed government to cancel the second round of voting.
It was awarded the Goncourt Prize, France’s top literary award, in 2024.
Daoud said that he was convicted under what is known as the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, a text adopted by referendum in 2005 that offered widespread pardons to both armed Islamists and security forces.
“The text punishes any public mention of the civil war,” Daoud said. “Ten years of war, nearly 200,000 dead according to estimates, thousands of terrorists granted amnesty … and only one guilty party: a writer.”
In addition to the legal action brought by the court in the Algerian city of Oran, Daoud is the target of two international arrest warrants issued by Algeria in May 2025 and is also under threat of being stripped of his Algerian nationality.
Another French-Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal, has faced similar problems.
The author — whose works have been critical of Islam, colonialism and contemporary Algerian leaders — was convicted of undermining national unity and insulting public institutions and was sentenced to five years in prison under Algeria’s anti-terrorism laws.
He was granted a Humanitarian pardon in Algeria after an appeal by Germany’s president, and returned to France last year after serving a year in prison.
Daoud’s book “Houris” tells the story of Aube, a young girl who miraculously survives a nighttime terrorist attack in her village of Had Chekala in western Algeria, despite having her throat slit. Following the novel’s publication, an Algerian woman, Saâda Arbane, accused Daoud of “stealing” her story and using it as the basis for his book.
Arbane previously had been treated by Aicha Dahdouh, Daoud’s wife, a psychiatrist at Oran University Hospital and a specialist in trauma linked to violence during the civil war.
“Kamel Daoud and his wife asked for my permission to use my story, and I refused every time,” she said during several appearances on Algerian television, adding that it constituted “an invasion of her privacy.”
A collective of lawyers was subsequently formed in solidarity to defend Arbane, invoking provisions of the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, which prohibits even the mere mention of this painful period in Algeria’s history.
FILE – Algerian-French novelist Kamel Daoud holds his book Houris after being awarded with the Goncourt, France’s most prestigious literary prize, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)
