Mohamed Yousry Salama, political activist and Al-Dostour Party leader, passed away on Sunday morning. He was 39.
Salama lived and died in Alexandria. He had been suffering from a stomach illness recently.
A dentist and an adherent of Salafism, Salama was born on 1 October 1974. He participated in the 25 January 2011 uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, at a time when Salafi preachers condemned the protests.
In the aftermath of Mubarak’s ouster Salama joined the Salafi Nour Party and for a time was its official spokesperson. He resigned in August 2011 over differences with party leaders.
Salama then joined with Nobel laureate and opposition leader Mohamed El-Baradei alongside other political figures to form Al-Dostour Party, drawing the criticism of many Islamists.
Although a Salafi, Salama’s writings indicated he believed Shari’a could not be applied from the top down and should only be pursued after Egypt’s economic, political, and social problems were solved.
“May God have mercy on Mohamed Yousry Salama and afford him a place in paradise. His love for his country, his strong moral fibre, his selflessness and his fighting for the freedom and dignity of all Egyptians is an example to all of us,” ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account.
Funeral prayers will be held on Sunday in Alexandria’s Al-Amry Mosque after Asr prayers in the afternoon.
