Yet another culture minister: Ministry familiar Helmy al-Namnam

Six months after previous culture minister Abdel Wahed al-Nabawy took office, the Culture Ministry opened its doors Saturday to its third minister this year: writer and historian Helmy al-Namnam.

Namnam is secular in his politics and fiercely anti-Islamist, known for attacking the Muslim Brotherhood on talk shows and in writing. He is also a strong supporter of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government and projects.

No one should criticize the New Suez Canal because this is an “insult to Egyptians,” he told a talk show host Mona al-Shazly on CBC in August, adding that people can criticize the regime all they want, but they should never insult Egyptians.

Namnam is one of 16 new faces selected for Egypt's reshuffled Cabinet by new prime minister and former Petroleum Minister Sherif Ismail, who took the oath in front of Sisi this morning.

The eighth culture minister since the 2011 revolution put an end to the 24-year tenure of Hosni Mubarak-era minister Farouk Hosni, Namnam not a new face to the Culture Ministry. He has held several prominent official posts, including at Egypt's National Center for Documents (which Nabawy directed) and, under Hosni, at the General Book Authority. He was also CEO of Dar El-Hilal, one of the oldest publication houses in Egypt.

Namnam earned a philosophy degree from Cairo University in 1982. As well as writing regularly for newspapers, he has authored several books.

His Sayed Qutb wal-Thawrit Yulio (Sayed Qutb and the July Revolution, 2010) accused the late leading Muslim Brotherhood member of plagiarism. Many of Namnam's other titles also revolve around the Brotherhood and the relationship between religion and freedom. Taha Hussein wal-Suhyuniyya (Taha Hussien and Zionism, 2010), meanwhile, defends late writer Taha Hussein against accusations of closeness to the Zionist movement.

Some commentators believed that Nabawy, who was history professor at Egypt's biggest religious institution Al-Azhar, had been brought in to somehow smooth relations after the minister before him, secular figure Gaber Asfour, engaged in media battles with it.