President El-Sisi Performs Eid Prayers, Attends Celebration with Martyrs’ Children in New Capital

Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi performed Eid al-Fitr prayers at Al-Fattah Al-Alim Mosque in the New Capital.

Spokesman for the Presidency Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy said the President was received at the mosque by Prime Minister, Dr. Moustafa Madbouly; Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense and Military Production, Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem Zaher; Minister of Religious Endowments, Dr. Osama Al-Azhari; ministers as well as a wide attendance from the state’s leadership.

President El-Sisi listened to the Eid sermon delivered by Sheikh Dr. El-Sayed Hussein Abdel Bari, who extended Eid greetings to the President and to the Egyptian people on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr. In his sermon, he lauded the security, stability, and development that Egypt is experiencing under the President’s leadership. Following the prayers, the President exchanged greetings with the attendees on this auspicious occasion.

President El-Sisi, accompanied by Dr. Madbouly, Minister of Transport Lieutenant General Kamel El-Wazir, and Chairman of the Administrative Capital for Urban Development Company, Engineer Khaled Abbas, proceeded to the recreational center in the Green River area aboard the monorail. This marked the inauguration of the East Nile Monorail and the Green River zone in the New Capital, which encompasses the largest central park in the world. On this occasion, the President joined children in their celebration of Eid al-Fitr and offered them gifts to mark the blessed holiday.

Later, the President joined the attendees for breakfast and delivered the following remarks:

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”

Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.

I wish to speak to you about you, the Egyptian people: the youth, the families, and the new generations.

In 2012, Egypt was passing through difficult days and challenging circumstances… I speak to you about yourselves, because you are of great importance to us and to affirm that we shall never forget the profound debt owed to the families, who offered Egypt their martyrs and wounded during those difficult times. I say this as a human, not merely as an official who lived through that difficult period. There were those who sought to bring down the state, yet those who sabotage cannot build, and those who ruin cannot create.

It was a difficult period, marked each day by incidents and terrorist operations; a hard war that lasted for ten years, paid for by the sons of Egypt. By the grace of God, and through their sacrifices, we are able to sit here today. It was a fierce war, and people asked whether it would ever end or whether it would continue indefinitely, since past experiences suggested that the war against terrorism never truly ends.

You are held in the highest regard. Every martyr and wounded hero who gave of himself during those difficult times is forever honored. The price they paid is what has brought us to where we stand today, after a long and trying period. There were those who sought to discourage us, to extinguish hope, to insist that there was no tomorrow. They spoke it, and they acted upon it.

My colleagues and I, across all state institutions in Egypt, in the armed forces, the police, and the judiciary, each in their own position, were resisting and striving to ensure we could overcome this difficult phase.

I sensed in some reactions a feeling that this stage might never end, but I had unwavering faith in Allah the Almighty that He would grant us strength and see us through.

To every father, son and mother, who has offered a martyr or an injured loved one, I say: walk in this land not only with your head held high, but also with pride in yourself and your country.

A country of 120 million people, including guests, living in safety and security by Allah’s grace and thanks to you… and because of what the martyrs and the injured have offered.
We have not forgotten that the price was immense … thousands of martyrs and tens of thousands of injured… some of whom lost parts of their bodies and continue to suffer, alongside their families.
This is not merely a wound that will heal; it is the price you honorably offered so that all of us in Egypt can live like this, so we can live, build, and develop.

I was confident that we would succeed, even though it was a long battle that could have destroyed and ruined countries…
It was a test from Allah for us and for the families who gave their sons, fathers, and husbands, knowing nothing about them except that they were martyred…

I tell you: never think that people don’t appreciate you… what truly acknowledges your sacrifice, by Allah’s grace, is the current state of our country.

It is our reality, not my words, not the media, nor songs or TV drama, that is the lasting witness to your sacrifices…
Our stability, granted by Allah, is the permanent witness to your sacrifices; it is our current condition, our stability, and where we stand today.

In 2022, I said we had passed this phase, and by Allah’s grace, I declared that terrorism was over.
I also noted that we had not yet celebrated in a manner befitting this war.… It was an incredibly harsh conflict. Just because we didn't bring the country to a standstill didn't mean it wasn't a ferocious war.…

We had two choices:
First, to declare a state of war, adopting war-time policies and economics and halting everything until we finished, only then starting development.

Although war spending is huge, I never publicly stated exactly how much it cost us—though every martyr and injured person is priceless, the financial cost was over 30 to 40 million pounds per day from 2012 to 2022, totaling approximately 120 billion pounds.

So, the choice was to either focus solely on the war and delay development, or do both.
We chose to walk both paths simultaneously: the path of fighting the war and the path of achieving development.

By Allah, what they did had nothing to do with Islam and does not please Allah… killing, sabotage, and destruction never please Allah.

And I remind our young people that we did not start this, we tried to avoid reaching the stage of internal fighting; we never initiated aggression or destruction. They thought they could destroy the state and bring it down.

I was certain this would end by Allah’s will because we were never conspirators… and Allah is the one who sees into the hearts of people and their actions. We did not conspire; we wanted to protect our country.

And I hope we can always do that.

I was sure the war would end because we did not conspire and we did not start it.

They said they would establish an Islamic state… but what are we then?
I’ve said this many times…

Back in 2011, I met with officials who asked who would rule Egypt. I used to say the Muslim Brotherhood would take power… and then they would leave, .. because Egyptians do not like anyone forcing them to go pray in a mosque or in a church.

In Egypt, no one is forced into a mosque or a church against their will…

I don’t want to take too long…

I wanted to honor the blessed memory of every martyr and injured person…
This is a badge of honor for every family, and its impact is visible in the life we are all living now. … May Allah grant us continued peace and security and help us against the wicked.
All gratitude, respect, and appreciation to you.

Allah’s willing, these sons and daughters will grow up to be proud of their fathers and say, "We are the ones who provided the life you are living now."

Many happy returns.
Thank you very much.

May Allah’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.