Key Points
- One of the Arab world's most popular bands is disbanding after years of queer controversy.
- Mashrou Leila' were longtime supporters of LGBTIQ+ rights.
- Lead singer Hamed Sinno was targetted by online hate.
This article contains references to suicide/self-harm.
One of the Arab world's most popular bands, Mashrou’ Leila, is disbanding amid years of backlash for its support of LGBTIQ+ rights.
At its height, the indie band played to a crowd of 35,000 people in Cairo, who sang along to its hit song Kalaam in 2017.
But the band has courted controversy for its support of the LGBTIQ+ community, something that ended in tragedy with the arrest and death of one of its fans.
How a band with a gay lead singer became a hit in the Middle East
The lead singer of Mashrou' Leila, Hamed Sinno, is openly gay, but the band enjoyed enormous success in the conservative Middle East.
It was during a 2017 concert in Cairo that Mashrou’ Leila experienced one of its biggest moments, playing to tens of thousands of people.
Sarah Hegazy flying the Pride flag at the Mashrou’ Leila concert in Cairo. Source: Twitter
Sinno later wrote about the concert in an , and he felt safe, seen and loved after spotting the flag.
But the moment created controversy, with Sinno writing that Egyptian news stations reported that "thousands of perverts had gathered for a gay satanic orgy". He said Al-Azhar University issued a fatwa and 75 people were jailed.
This is not a normal life, to have 100,000 persons telling you on Facebook that you must die.
In Egypt there are no explicit laws banning homosexuality but morality laws have been used against the LGBTIQ+ community. There is overwhelming public opposition to homosexuality.
The situation in Lebanon, which is Sinno's home country, is only slightly better. Homosexuality is technically illegal but the laws are not widely enforced. Despite this, a 2020 report from the Pew Research Centre found 85 per cent of people in Lebanon said they did not think homosexuality should be accepted by society.
In the article for Frieze, Sinno explained that Sarah Hegazi had been detained for three months after the flag waving, during which time she was "electrocuted, beaten, sexually assaulted and tortured" in Egypt. After being released on bail she was granted political asylum in Canada but died by suicide three years later.
Why Mashrou’ Leila is disbanding
This week Sinno told the podcast that what happened to Sarah was "very harmful to me psychologically and emotionally".
"What happened to Sarah, up until today I still don't know how to fix," he said.
It was one of the reasons Sinno gave for why the band had decided to break up.
"I decided it was enough, I also felt that each member of the band had a huge amount of stress on us and this is not a normal life, to have 100,000 persons telling you on Facebook that you must die," he said.
"There was an incredible amount of resentment and no-one can go through this and end up normal or sane."
It also followed the cancellation of the band's appearance at the top Lebanese music festival Byblos in 2019 to "prevent bloodshed".
Clerics had called for the cancellation of the concert because some of the group's songs were deemed offensive to Christians.
Sinnos, who has now returned to Lebanon after living in New York for several years, said finances were also a factor, with the band "barely making enough of what was letting us continue" even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said he was currently writing an opera and had recently finished a master's degree in the United States.
"No-one is thinking of working together again for now."
LGBTIQ+ Australians seeking support with mental health can contact QLife on 1800 184 527 or visit . also has a list of support services.
Intersex Australians seeking support can visit Intersex Peer Support Australia at isupport.org.au.
Readers seeking crisis support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25). More information and support with mental health is available at and on 1300 22 4636.
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