The 15 Most Viral Videos of 2015 in the Arab World
2015 was definitely the year of viral videos. So many different things went viral; from music videos that got people arrested to parodies of Adele’s Hello, there was always a new video to watch this year. Let’s take a look back at some of the most iconic ones.
15. Reham Saeed Sexual Harassment (27,782 views to date)
Speaking of sexual harassment, another video that went viral this year was Reham Saeed telling a victim of sexual assault that she deserved what she got since her clothes were ‘too revealing’. Luckily, most people saw the absurdity of her argument and protested until her show was eventually cancelled.
14. Canadian Prime Minister Welcoming Syrian Refugees (83,123)
After months of displacement, a group of Syrian refugees have been invited to immigrate to Canada. Upon their arrival, Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau was present to welcome them and even helped pick out their coats and handed teddy bears to the younger refugees. This video is definitely one of the most heart-warming of the year and is definitely an uplifting watch.
13. Ramez and Paris Hilton (43,719 views to date)
Ramez Galal was under fire this summer when he featured Paris Hilton on his prank show where he takes celebrities on a plane and then has the pilot pretend to crash . The American socialite even threatened to sue Ramez for the trauma he inflicted on her.
12. Sahla W Basita (129,944 views to date)
Wanting to spread positivity, Hisham Kharma ft. Hany Adel, Nesma Herky, May AbdelAziz and AbdelRahman Roshdy released a melody a few weeks ago, that quickly went viral from the fusion of magnificent vocals to the simplicity and positivity of the lyrics written by Kharma’s executive producer Nesma El Shazly. Whenever you’re feeling down, this song is definitely worth a listen.
11. Tawfik Okasha’s ‘Ana Homar’ (252,732 views to date)
Tawfik Okasha appeared on his channel ‘El Fara3een’ in February and scolded the entire Egyptian population for not watching his show. He then went on a five minute rant where he criticized every single aspect of Egyptian society and told Egyptians that they would never move forward in life or achieve anything. He also called himself an idiot multiple times for having faith in Egypt and its people. Way to spread positivity!
10. #ThisIsEgypt (563, 026 views to date)
One of the most shared and discussed video of the year was the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism’s promotional video #ThisIsEgypt, highlighting Egypt’s top tourist locations. The video made a huge splash in Egyptian society. Despite its good intentions, the video suffered from severe backlash with people using the hashtag to point out Egypt’s inadequacies.
9. Bassem Youssef Calls America Out (786,341 views to date)
Comedian and TV personality Bassem Youssef appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart earlier this year where he criticized America’s involvement in the Middle East and gave hilarious suggestions as to what the U.S could do instead.
8.Sexual Harassment Police During Eid (921,022 views to date)
There’s no question that sexual harassment is a serious issue in our society. That’s why Egypt went crazy when videos of a league of policewomen arresting catcallers during Eid surfaced on the media.
7. Ahmed Moussa Video Game Mishap (1,065,059 views to date)
Egyptian TV news anchor Ahmed Moussa came out on his show criticizing America’s apathy toward ISIS and praising Russia for launching airstrikes against the terrorist group. He then played a clip of the alleged air strikes. Little did he know that the clip was actually taken form the popular video game ‘Apache: Air Assault’. The video instantly gained mass exposure and was even featured on the Washington Post.
6. Seeb Eedy (1,749,993 views to date)
While this song wasn’t as big a success as ‘Mafesh Sa7eb Yetsa7eb’, it was definitely a popular topic of discussion after its release due to its provocative nature. The video became even more controversial after its creators were arrested for debauchery.
5. Muslim Woman Beaten in Public Experiment (4,347,565 views to date)
Egyptian-American YouTuber Karim Metwaly (AreWeFamousNow) conducted a social experiment where he pretended to beat a woman in a park in NYC. People around them were quick to defend the woman and make sure she was safe. He then returned to the same park and pretended to hit a woman again, but this time the woman was veiled. Unlike the time before, however, no one rushed to defend the woman. Instead, they walked idly by and minded their own business. The video is extremely thought-provoking and is definitely worth watching.
4. Noel Kharman-Hello-Adele/Fairouz (4,498,963 views to date)
Noel Kharman, a Palestinian singer, took the internet by storm when she fused Arabic and Western culture with her timeless mashup of Adele’s ‘Hello’ and Fairouz’s ‘Kefak Enta’.
3. The Holy Quran Experiment (6,823,676 views to date)
Dutch YouTube duo ‘Dit Is Normaal’ released a video recently where they disguised a Bible as a Quran and read some of its most gruesome verses to people and then asked for their opinions. The majority of the interviewees responded by condemning Islam and deeming it a brutal religion. The interviewers then revealed that the quotes actually came from the Bible and not the Quran and the interviewees were floored. The video shows the real-life effects that the media has on people and their opinions.
2. Lama Teb2a Ga3an (7,957,851 views to date)
While Shady Srour has made countless viral videos this year, his most popular one has been his “Lama Teb2a Ga3an” video released in February which depicts his adventures in the kitchen in a comedic way.
1. Mafesh Sa7eb Yetsa7eb (33,287,042 views to date)
Mafesh Sa7eb Yetsa7eb is definitely one of the most successful Arabic songs of the year, if not the decade. It’s hard to believe that the song was only released in August since it has very quickly become a sha3by classic.
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