Since a short clip of an Egyptian woman lambasting Barack Obama in a television interview appeared online in March, social media users have had a field day mimicking, mocking and celebrating the woman. Known as the “Shut Up Your Mouse, Obama” woman, because of the way she mispronounces “mouth” during her anti-Morsi tirade, the TV interview has been remixed into dance tracks and the woman’s face, wearing a bright green hijab, has been used on T-shirts and websites.
Now the woman – still unnamed – has become something of a political campaigner, appearing at pro-Sisi rallies and giving interviews in which she very solemnly talks about how the Muslim Brotherhood “is all liars” and urges Mr Obama to stop supporting them. Egyptians have taken her and her sometimes shaky grasp of English to their hearts, indulging rather than mocking her.
There is something pleasing about the way this woman has become a celebrity in the age of social media. Too often, fame is offered to those who can sing, dance or model. Here is a woman doing nothing but talking politics and she has become famous for her words – even if many aren’t entirely sure what those words are.
