Egypt’s First Lady Under Fire for Wearing Expensive Jewels

An Israeli buyer checks a 36,5 carat diamond valued at $1.5 million during the Internation
JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty
Ali Waked

TEL AVIV — Egypt’s First Lady Entissar El-sisi has come under fire for wearing ostentatious jewelry on Mother’s Day amid her husband’s efforts to encourage charity to the poor among the citizens.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has repeatedly discussed his family’s purportedly poor finances, and set up a charity fund called “Long Live Egypt,” encouraging his compatriots to donate.

Top journalist Moataz Matar criticized Sisi and his wife and wrote: “Wouldn’t it be better if Mrs. Sisi donated to the Long Live Egypt fund instead of Sahila [a poor old woman who did]? Are only poor people expected to donate? How much were these jewels worth?”

Social media was equally unforgiving. Amr Sayed wrote: “They tell us it’s Woman’s Year and Woman’s Day. Let’s see how many female prisoners there are, how many sad mothers, how many victims of domestic violence, and now Sisi strips the Egyptian women of their jewelry.”

https://twitter.com/amr_sayed_30/status/844777349262426112

“We are all so poor [a saying attributed to Sisi], how strange that Mrs. Sisi’s jewels are all diamond coated,” Mohammed Mobed tweeted sarcastically, referring to Sisi’s claims of poverty.

“Be careful, Egypt, lest Entissar Sisi’s jewels make you forget how poor we are, and that Sisi’s old fridge has nothing but water,” Hamas Supporter commented sarcastically, quoting Sisi’s past statements.

Ibrahim Salama wrote: “That crook takes our money so that his wife could wear expensive diamonds.”

https://twitter.com/ebraheemsalama/status/844766329739476993

“My wife Entissar can wear as many diamonds as she wants, and if you have earrings please donate them, Salam Aleikum,” Pyramid wrote, intending to ridicule the Egyptian president.

Twitter user God Father wrote, also sarcastically: “Because we aren’t suspicious or mean, we could say that these are not diamonds, they are fake Chinese gold.”

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