Fouad Al-Hashim is a prominent Kuwaiti writer and journalist, considered one of the most prominent pens in Kuwait and the Arab world. He is known for his sharp, biting satirical style that always stirs controversy. He is also known for his liberal tendencies and his strong criticism of political Islamic groups and corruption.
Basic Personal and Professional Information:
- Full name: Fouad Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz Al-Hashim.
- Date of birth: April 17, 1952 (73 years old in 2026).
- Profession: Daily column writer titled "Exclamation Mark!" in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Watan.
- Start of career: He began writing journalism in 1981 in the university magazine "Afaq", and has a wide audience.
- Tendencies: Liberal, an advocate for women's rights, and a fierce critic of religious currents in the National Assembly, corruption, and merchants.
- Family: Brother of former MP Safaa Al-Hashim. He has children including Farah (director and artist), Abdul Rahman, and Abdul Aziz.
His Controversial Statements Over the Years:
Fouad Al-Hashim regularly stirs controversy due to his sharp and symbolic criticism of political and social conditions. Some of his positions have led to legal penalties and temporary exile.
- His positions on Qatar: In 2017-2018, he attacked its leadership in tweets and articles. As a result, he was sentenced to 7 years in prison in 2018 on charges of abuse (in absentia). He emigrated afterwards (UAE then Europe), and declared he would not return, but returned around 2024.
- Criticism of Israel and normalization: He rejected normalization in interviews, but stirred controversy with comments on the positions of Arab countries.
- Masonic lodge visit: He mentioned visiting a lodge in New York out of journalistic curiosity, which sparked rumors (without official proof).
The Latest Crisis with Egypt (March 2026): The "A Dog Short of a Quarter per Citizen" Article
The article sparked widespread anger in Egypt. It was originally published in February 2026 (around February 8) on an obscure website called "Link News", but spread enormously in March after another tweet in which he criticized Egypt's silence over an Iranian bombardment of Gulf states, connecting it to describing Egypt as a "stepmother" rather than "Mother of the World".
Full text of the article (compiled from quotes published in multiple sources, without material modification):
I returned to Cairo a few days ago, hosted by a friend in his apartment in the Mohandessin area — it was the first time I had stayed inside an apartment since 1971, as all my accommodation over the past half century had been in specific hotels, either Sheraton, Hilton, or Holiday Inn!
When I left the building's front door heading to the car that would take me to the airport for the return trip to Kuwait, there was a group of dogs — some lying down and some standing — led by a massive dog the size of a small calf, with enough meat beside it for more than 3,000 shawarma and hawawshi sandwiches.
The new phenomenon I had not seen more than fifty years ago was the large number of dogs in Cairo's streets. Newspapers there say their number has reached 14 million male and female dogs, while the population of Greater Cairo — which includes Giza and Qalyubia — totals about 21 million people, meaning there is "a dog short of a quarter" per citizen.
Cairo's population in 1971 was 7 million, and today it has become more than 21 million people, while the number of dogs has reached 14 million, meaning one dog for every citizen short of a quarter.
And dogs fill the streets, with some being slaughtered to be served as food in restaurants and hotels (kebab, kofta, and hawawshi for tourists!).
The military authority became mixed with the civilian prime minister's authority, so each of them expects the other to carry out a job each preferred to do himself!! So things fell apart, and there became a dog short of a quarter per Cairo citizen — oppressed!
Main Reactions:
The article provoked enormous anger in Egypt, with accusations that it describes Egyptians as hungry and eating dog meat in a humiliating satirical manner. His daughter Farah Al-Hashim publicly disowned him, saying she is completely different from her father, has nothing to do with his positions, confirmed her love for Egypt and described it as "a second homeland", and concluded with "Long live Egypt" and "May God protect Egypt from every spiteful person".
Egyptian personalities such as Mahmoud Badr attacked him (describing him as "a real dog short of a quarter"), and others considered him "despicable" and "small-minded". Some Kuwaitis defended freedom of opinion, but many rejected the style even if it was pointing to the real problem of stray dogs (a real problem in Cairo, but without numbers of this magnitude or the eating of their meat).
The article reflects his sharp satirical style, using symbolism (dogs as a metaphor for chaos and neglect), but it crossed the boundaries of criticism for many and became a direct insult.
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