BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • Trending

#BBCtrending: Why George Orwell is trending in Egypt

  • Published
    10 November 2014
Share page
About sharing
George OrwellImage source, BBC (Elvis)
Image caption,

Orwell pictured in 1943

By BBC Trending
What's popular and why

The British author's name is a byword for the struggle against totalitarianism. Now an arrest in Egypt has led activists to embrace George Orwell as a social media trend.

It has been over six decades since Eric Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell, published 1984, his acclaimed novel about life under the totalitarian rule of the ever watchful 'Big Brother'. The book even led to a new adjective, 'Orwellian,' to describe life under oppressive state power. So when a newspaper in Egypt reported that the police had arrested a student for carrying the book, it was immediately seized upon by activists. The author's name is now trending on Twitter in Egypt.

The initial report, external in the Al Masry al Youm newspaper on Sunday claimed that a student at Cairo University was arrested "for carrying" the book. The student was also carrying material supportive of Islamic State, according to the report.

But it was Orwell's book that people on social media picked up on. The 6th of April youth movement, a group that opposes the government and has been active since before Egypt's revolution in 2011, posted the news report on their Facebook page. They added a link to an Arabic version of the book calling on their followers to read it. Their post has had over 5,000 likes.

The trend has spread beyond Egypt: George Orwell's "official" page on Facebook posted a link to the article in English. The post had around 10,000 "likes" and many Egyptians commented underneath on how embarrassing this news was for them.

There's a similar conversation on Twitter. On both platforms Egyptians drew sometimes comic parallels between Big Brother and their government. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi initially came to power after ousting the Muslim Brotherhood government that was elected following the 2011 revolution.

Others commented that it was ironic that the arrest made Orwell and his book more popular than it ever was in Egypt. Well known journalist and Egyptian author, Hani Shukrallah, tweeted "#Orwell's_1984 never more popular in #Egypt, shared left & right on FB, thanks to police arrest of student in possession of the novel"

But was the arrest really connected to the novel? In fact many doubt the credibility of the initial report. Independent news website Mada Masr quoted, external the Head of the Investigations Unit at the Giza Security Directorate, General Mahmoud Farouk saying that the novel was nothing to do with the arrest. "None of us knew anything about this novel in the first place," he is reported to have said. The charges against the student remain unclear.

You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, external

All our stories are at bbc.com/trending

Top stories

  • Watered down welfare bill passes after concessions to rebels

    • Published
      11 minutes ago
  • Slow-motion humiliation for Starmer as he loses control of Commons

    • Published
      4 hours ago
  • Trump says Israel has agreed to conditions for 60-day Gaza ceasefire

    • Published
      2 hours ago

More to explore

  • Slow-motion humiliation for Starmer as he loses control of Commons

    Sir Keir Starmer is pictured in a close-up with a backdrop of trees blurred out.
  • 'Starmer guts welfare reform' and 'Buggy useless'

    A composite image of the front pages of the Financial Times and The Sun. The headline on the front page of the FT reads "Starmer guts welfare reform to avoid defeat in Commons" and the headline on the front page of The Sun reads "buggy useless".
  • Who are the welfare bill rebels? Find out how your MP voted

    The silhouettes of two people standing in front of the Houses of Parliament
  • Will there be a drought where I live?

    Exposed reservoir bed, where grass is beginning to grow. There is only a narrow stream of water. In the background are green trees on either side, and a part blue, part cloudy sky.
  • 'They took shrapnel from my heart' – the magnets saving lives in Ukraine

    Ukrainian serviceman Serhiy Melnyk holds above a scrap of paper a small grey piece of shrapnel once lodged in his heart.
  • Dalai Lama announces clear succession plan

    Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (C) attends a Long Life Prayer offering ceremony at the Main Tibetan Temple in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala on June 30, 2025.
  • Women's Euro 2025: Groups, fixture dates and who are favourites?

    • Attribution
      Sport
    England's Leah Williamson lifts the Euros Trophy during the UEFA Women's Euro England 2022 final match between England and Germany
  • How many people cross the Channel in small boats?

    A group of about a dozen people wearing life jackets who are thought to be migrants in the sea off the beach at Gravelines, France. They are waiting to board a black and white motorboat in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Eight or nine people are already on the boat, some wearing life jackets and almost all wearing face masks.
  • Politics Essential: Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox every weekday

    Politics Essential graphic
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    Slow-motion humiliation for Starmer as he loses control of Commons

  2. 2

    'Starmer guts welfare reform' and 'Buggy useless'

  3. 3

    Bank of England to redesign banknotes - and wants your help

  4. 4

    Watered down welfare bill passes after concessions to rebels

  5. 5

    Diddy jury to keep deliberating after deadlocking on most serious charge

  6. 6

    Will there be a drought where I live?

  7. 7

    Trump says Israel has agreed to conditions for 60-day Gaza ceasefire

  8. 8

    Dalai Lama announces clear succession plan

  9. 9

    Who are the welfare bill rebels? Find out how your MP voted

  10. 10

    'They took shrapnel from my heart' – the magnets saving lives in Ukraine

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • The 1975's unmissable Pyramid Stage set

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    1975 Glastonbury
  • The making of Severance's title music

    • Attribution
      Sounds
  • Timeless hits from a 90s icon

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
  • How to avoid boredom

    • Attribution
      Sounds
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.