Osama Anwar Okasha

Who was Osama Anwar Okasha?

Osama Anwar Okasha was an Egyptian screenwriter and journalist, who wrote weekly for El-Ahram newspaper. He is famous for writing some of the most popular series on Egyptian television, such as Layali el Helmeyya and El Shahd wel Demou, which are popular in Egypt and all across the Middle East.

His latest work, the series El-Masraweyya ("the Egyptians" or "the Egyptianness") aired in September 2007 and was awarded the Prize for Best Series that year. The series traces the history of the Egyptian people from 1914 until the present day.

Okasha was a former Nasserist who later in life no longer believed in the ideas that Nasser espoused. He has called for the dissolution of the Arab League and for the establishment of a commonwealth of Arabic-speaking countries built on economic cooperation. He was also a strongly secular intellectual who has attacked religious fundamentalism in his society. He once caused controversy when he described Amr Ibn Al-As, the Arab leader who invaded Egypt in the 7th century, as "the most despicable character in history."

He died on 28 May 2010 after a hard journey with illness .