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Bassem Youssef has reactivated his account on X, formerly known as Twitter, after easing concerns for his family's safety.
The Egyptian-American comedian has posted a statement across his social media channels, offering further insight into why he deactivated his X page.
“Two reasons: I received concerning messages that gave me and my team the impression that my account has been hacked with potential of being doxxed,” he wrote. “Also there were potential safety issues concerning people I know.”
Youssef said he then began looking into whether the threats were legitimate. “This was consuming all my time, plus I was dealing with personal and health issues,” he said. “My family members were under a lot of pressure so I had to deal with that. This caused a major burnout to all of us.”
Even after security concerns were alleviated, Youssef said he chose not to return to social media for some time, saying his priority was to be with his family. It was a decision that had financial repercussions he said, “but it was all just too much to handle”.
Youssef was surprised by the “level of chaos” spurred by his account’s deactivation. The comedian also said he would be releasing a new video soon, and that he is now “back and posting as usual on all platforms, including X”.
Youssef deactivated his X account hours after an August 19 post that criticised the use of the term anti-Semitism as a fear tactic to “shut down conversations” and “intimidate people”.
Initially, there was speculation that one of Youssef’s last X posts could have resulted in a suspension. The comedian was evidently referring to discussions surrounding Israel’s attack on Gaza when he posted: “anti-Semitism was an accusation that used to freeze the blood on people’s veins.”
However, as speculations began to circulate, Youssef made a subsequent post on his Instagram denying rumours that his account had been removed by X.
“I don't want to falsely victimise myself using this,” he wrote. “When safety issues concerning my loved ones are alleviated, I might consider coming back,” he wrote, adding in a separate post that he was not sure when that might be. “I wish to deal with this away from the media. I will still be posting my content on TikTok, Insta and FB.”
He told his followers to be wary of any users on X claiming to be him, saying “any other account posing as me on Twitter is fake”.
Youssef went viral last year after interviews with Piers Morgan in which he used dark humour to point out the brutality of Israel’s war on Palestinians.
“Those Palestinians, they’re very dramatic. ‘Ah, Israel is killing us,’ but they never die,” said Youssef in one widely shared clip from the interview.
“I mean, they always come back. They’re very difficult to kill, very difficult people to kill. I know, because I’m married to one. I tried many times. I try to get to her every time, but she uses our kids as human shields.”
In the October 2023 episode, Youssef made several references to his wife, who is half-Palestinian and still had family in Gaza.
“We haven't been able to communicate with them in the past three days. Communication has been lost, so we don't know how they are doing, but we are used to that,” he said.
Weeks later, Morgan interviewed Youssef again, this time in Los Angeles. The comedian brought up the differences between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism during the interview.
“I think there is a rise of anti-Semitism in the world,” Youssef said. “This is very dangerous. As a Muslim who has been through events where there were terrorist attacks somewhere and that [was] reflected back to us. I can completely feel that.”
He said that since the war began on October 7, he had had several messages from Jewish friends asking whether his wife’s family were safe.
“I think it is very important to agree on the language because the word anti-Semite has been used and abused, and most of the time not in the interest of the Jewish people,” Youssef said.
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.
4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
The permutations for UAE going to the 2018 World Cup finals
To qualify automatically
UAE must beat Iraq.
Australia must lose in Japan and at home to Thailand, with their losing margins and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
To finish third and go into a play-off with the other third-placed AFC side for a chance to reach the inter-confederation play-off match
UAE must beat Iraq.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
