Tawfiq Okasha (), is an Egyptian television presenter as owner and principal anchor of the satellite political-commentary channel Faraeen (also Al Fara'een) until it was folded in 2016.Tawfiq Okasha and the amazingly appalling atrociousness of the fellahin He has been called an opponent of Egyptian liberals and revolutionary youth activists, and until late June 2012 was considered "a staunch supporter" of Egypt's ruling military council (SCAF).Tawfiq Okasha sentenced to six months imprisonment for insulting Khaled Saeed's family
Biography Following Egypt's 2012 presidential election Okasha claimed that the United States government and Egypt's ruling military council had rigged the election in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi as part of a plot to seize Egyptian oil fields and turn them over to Israel, and that the true winner of the election was Ahmed Shafik, a former general who was Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister.Military Rulers Fixed Presidential Vote to Install Islamist, 'Egypt's Glenn Beck' Says By ROBERT MACKEY| 28 June 2012 The claim was called "wildly counterintuitive"Egypt's New President Is Being Undercut by State-Run Media by DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and MAYY EL SHEIKH| nytimes.com| 13 July 2012 as both the United States and ruling military are enemies of the Brotherhood, and members of the council appeared on television to deny the report. The claim was seen as fueling a 15 July 2012 attack of tomatoes and shoes by Egyptian Copt protestors on the motorcade of the visiting US Secretary of StateUS: We did not support particular Egyptian presidential candidate| Egypt Independent| 16 July 2012The Global Reach of Conservative Conspiracy Theories Amy Sullivan| 17 July 2012
A former member of parliament for the former ruling National Democratic Party, Okasha has also been called "Egypt's Glenn Beck" (after the right-wing American television host) for his "embrace of conspiratorial thinking and hatred of political Islam".Behind Jeers for Clinton in Egypt, a Conspiracy Theory With U.S. Roots By ROBERT MACKEY| nytimes.com| 16 July 2012 In March 2012, he was found guilty of defamation and libel in lawsuit filed against him for insulting the mother of Egyptian torture victim Khaled Saeed and sentenced in absentia.
On his channel, Okasha co-hosts a popular TV show called "Egypt Today". According to Egypt Independent, "Okasha claims that "Egypt Today" was watched by more than 300 million viewers throughout the Arab world, a figure impossible to verify". Okasha's political opponents accused him of using the show to "spread lies and fantasy" about them. In July 2012, a court ordered Al-Faraeen to be shut down for 45 days.Sarah Carr, Mohamad Adam (3 Sep 2012) An audience with Okasha, Egypt Independent
On 22 October 2012, Okasha was convicted of insulting President Mohamed Morsi and sentenced to a four-month jail term and a fine of 100 Egyptian pounds (US$16.39). Okasha remained free while appealing the sentence. Amnesty International protested the conviction, calling it "a further blow to freedom of expression" and noting that the organization would consider Okasha a prisoner of conscience were he imprisoned on this basis.
He won a seat in the parliament following the 2015 parliamentary election. However, he was expelled in early 2016, as he had invited the Israeli ambassador Haim Koren for dinner at his home in Dakahlia Governorate.
In 2017, he was sentenced for a one year in prison for forging his PhD certificate from an alleged U.S. university to enter the parliament. Later on, he went to work for "Al-Hayat TV" in 2018.
See also Politics of Egypt Egyptian presidential election, 2012
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