Egypt's Sisi Calls for Protecting Youth from 'Radical Ideologies'

Sisi poses for a photo with the youth and sports ministers. (Egyptian presidency spokesman)
Sisi poses for a photo with the youth and sports ministers. (Egyptian presidency spokesman)
TT

Egypt's Sisi Calls for Protecting Youth from 'Radical Ideologies'

Sisi poses for a photo with the youth and sports ministers. (Egyptian presidency spokesman)
Sisi poses for a photo with the youth and sports ministers. (Egyptian presidency spokesman)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on Saturday for protecting Arab youth from radical ideologies.

He proposed declaring 2023 as the year of Arab youths to help them confront wrong and extremist ideas.

He made his remarks during a meeting with Arab ministers of youth and sports on the sidelines of their Council’s 45th meeting in Cairo.

Sisi said the youth are vital for Arab national security, underscoring the importance of developing their understanding and awareness in order to boost stability, security and peace and provide factors of progress and success.

According to a presidency statement, Sisi underlined the need to engage Arab youths in the digital transformation process, programming and rapid technological progress, which have a high impact on future job opportunities.

He cited the modern technological universities that Cairo has recently established for this purpose.

Sisi and the Arab ministers exchanged views on the various Arab experiences in youth work and means of benefiting from them to support youth dialogue and provide consultation to develop visions that would address the challenges they face.

The Arab ministers hailed Egypt’s interest in youth and sports under Sisi’s leadership.

They highlighted the various youth initiatives the country has adopted, as well as the national, regional and international events and conferences in this regard, which reflect the youth’s pivotal role in Egypt’s national development strategy.



Pope Calls Situation in Gaza 'Shameful'

Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
TT

Pope Calls Situation in Gaza 'Shameful'

Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

Pope Francis on Thursday stepped up his recent criticisms of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful.”

In a yearly address to diplomats delivered on his behalf by an aide, Francis appeared to reference deaths caused by winter cold in Gaza, where there is almost no electricity.

"We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians," the text said, according to Reuters.
"We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country's energy network has been hit."

The pope, 88, was present for the address but asked an aide to read it for him as he is recovering from a cold.

The comments were part of an address to Vatican-accredited envoys from some 184 countries that is sometimes called the pope's 'state of the world' speech. The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See was among those present for the event.

Francis, leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts.
But he has recently been more outspoken about Israel's military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas, and has suggested
the global community should study whether the offensive constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.
An Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff in December for that suggestion.

The pope's text said he condemns anti-Semitism, and called the growth of anti-Semitic groups "a source of deep concern."
Francis also called for an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia, which has killed tens of thousands.