A military funeral for former president Hosni Mubarak was held on Wednesday at Al Musheer Tantawi Mosque, in the Fifth Settlement, in an abrupt farewell, where major heads of states were absent.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, former interim president Adly Mansour, sons of Mubarak, Gamal and Alaa, Grand Imam of Al-Azahar Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria, various ministers, military leaders, and former parliament speaker Ahmad Fathy Srour attended the funeral.
Mubarak-era businesspeople and officials Ahmed Ezz, Zakaria Azmi, and Hisham Talaat Moustafa were among those present.
Surprisingly, Egypt’s former defence minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawy missed the funeral.
Major state heads did not show up to the burial ceremony, despite Mubarak having strong regional and international relations. Delegations of several regional ambassadors were present.
A few numbers of Mubarak’s supporters were seen outside the fence of the mosque, holding posters of his photo with words written “Goodbye president,” and waving to the jet that carried his body.
Mubarak died on Tuesday morning at the age of 91 at a Cairo hospital. Later in the day, the Egyptian presidency, cabinet, Armed Forces, and parliament mourned his death, while three days of national mourning have been declared.
Leaders of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Palestine, as well as former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri offered their condolences. The UAE ordered for its flag to be flown at half-mast.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also mourned Mubarak. “President Mubarak was a personal friend and a leader who led his people toward peace and security with Israel.”
Debates were raised over holding a military funeral for Mubarak, as he and his two sons Gamal and Alaa, were convicted in May 2015 on charges of seizing public funds by embezzling money specified for the presidential palace. The court also fined them EGP125m, the amount of money seized by the defendants by forging the presidential budget in official statements. They were also forced to pay EGP21 back to the state.
Mubarak was jailed for years and was sentenced to life in prison over charges of complicity in the killing of hundreds of protesters during the 25 January revolution. However, in March 2017, he was cleared from the conviction. At least 846 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured during the popular uprising.
Mubarak’s death comes a few days after both his sons, Alaa and Gamal, were acquitted of illicit stock trading charges in 2007.
Mubarak served as the fourth president of Egypt following the assassination of former President Anwar Sadat and ruled from 1981-2011. Sadat appointed him as vice president in 1975.
Mubarak was ousted in February 2011 after 18-days nationwide protests against his rule in what was known as the Arab Spring uprisings. The Egyptians protested against the spread of poverty, unemployment, corruption, torture, and repression.
During a presidency that spanned nearly 30 years, Mubarak survived assassination attempts. Most famous of such attempts was in 1995 when gunmen ambushed his motorcade upon his arrival in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
