Mashrou' Leila Goes Dark (Part 3)
- Julie Simmons
- 23 minutes ago
- 4 min read
By Julie Simmons | Music Journalist
On September 22, 2017, Mashrou' Leila performed their largest concert ever to more than 35,000 people in Cairo, Egypt. One of their fans, Sarah Hegazi, can be seen on film waving a rainbow, pride flag.
Founding member and violinist, Haig Papazian, recalled the image of her "gloriously raising the rainbow flag; it almost gives her wings."
In the days following that concert, Egyptian authorities detained Hegazi and other LGBTQ+ concertgoers on charges of "joining a banned group aimed at interfering with the constitution."
According to Human Rights Watch, Hegazi was detained for several months. When released on bond, she spoke out about being kept in solitary confinement, receiving electric shocks and other forms of abuse. Hegazi would eventually seek refuge in Canada.
A few months after the Cairo concert, I saw Mashrou' Leila perform in Chicago. I emailed Firas Abou Fakher, whom I'd interviewed, to see if he wanted to meet up. Understandably, he didn't reply.
The show at Lincoln Hall appeared to be sold out. I was barely able to secure a spot just inside the doors. By show of hands, I was one of about six people in the crowd who didn't speak Arabic.
At one point during the concert, in between songs, a man close to me started screaming in Arabic. Though I didn't understand anything he said, I remember feeling that his words carried very, very dark energy. Fans yelled back in Arabic. Eventually, the concert resumed though the tension lingered. The next day, I shared the experience with my Lebanese friend, Serene, and she informed me about what had happened a few months before in Cairo.
According to Human Dignity Trust, same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under Egypt's Penal Code 1937 and Law 10/1961, which criminalizes acts of "indecency," "scandalous acts," and 'debauchery." Knowing how many Middle Eastern governments operate under similar Islamic (Sharia) and civil laws, I was curious how Mashrou' Leila - and specifically, Hamed Sinno (singer) - avoided "getting caught" for so many years.
Serene reminded me that singing in Arabic might have played a role.
Serene: Hello, my friend. Uh, yes, to answer your question. In the Early Ages, when a male, Arab poet wanted to write about a woman, he would use masculine grammar because, obviously, if he used the feminine it would mean that he had met her and had seen her which, at that time, was a very big no-no. So, whenever a male would write about a male in Arabic, it wasn't interpreted as male love. It was about keeping the gender of your beloved ambiguous which ended up appealing to everyone. I haven't thought about this too much, but I think that's why, in the beginning, Mashrou' Leila was able to get away with Hamed singing about men. Hamed never denied who he was, it's just that many didn't catch on until later. I think the true followers of the band knew from the beginning though and, for them, Mashrou3 Leila became a voice of freedom.
Serene sends me another voice memo as night drops its cloak over Beirut. She whispers to avoid waking up her husband, "So, this song, 'Shim El Yasmine,' is a break-up song. He's using that traditional male grammar, but his desires are feminine. He's saying, 'I really wanted to cook for you. I really wanted you to meet my parents, but it was impossible.' That was one of their most iconic songs because he was really singing about being someone's housewife."
A few years pass.
Serene and I stayed connected and took up other topics. Hegazi (the fan from the Cairo concert) started working in Toronto as a software developer and activist. But almost three years after her incarceration, Hegazi took her life at the age of 30; death by grief, as some have described it.
In response to her passing, Haig (again, Mashrou' Leila's founding member and violinist) submitted an Opinion piece in the New York Times:
...through our music and the people it brought together, we ended up building a community, one that transcends the tribal identities that have long held us back. What we do share is a belief in the possibilities of fairer, brighter and more resilient futures. While I never met Ms. Hegazi, I feel I knew her. A photo from that night immortalizes her, the same one that would seal her fate when it went viral.
“I decided it was enough," Hamed shared passionately on the podcast, Sarde After Dinner. "I also felt that each member of the band had a huge amount of stress on them. And this is not a normal life to have 100,000 people telling you on Facebook that you must die."
And so, the night project, Leila's project, was officially put to rest.
When Sarah Hegazi took her life, it was as if she took the band with her. Not intentionally. That's just what happens when artists connect with fans symbiotically.
The last song Mashrou' Leila would record together was a track called "Ha'oud (I Will Return)" which can be found on Yo-Yo Ma's 2021 album, "Notes for the Future." If you listen carefully to Hamed's voice - even if you don't know Arabic - you can hear all the shifts and changes it took to get to that moment.
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Afterword: According to recent interviews, the four core members of the band all moved on to pursue other interests. Hamed earned a master’s degree in digital music at Dartmouth College and remains in the U.S., composing and performing music. Haig is currently based in New York City, working as a creative consultant and composing music for short films. Firas became an award-winning composer, producer and director for a production company he co-founded. And finally, Carl Gerges (drummer) launched his own architecture studio in Beirut.
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