Request to exhume the corpse of legendary Sayed Darwish

CAIRO – 26 December 2017: Lawyer Tarek Mahmoud filed a request to the Public Prosecution to exhume the corpse of legendary Egyptian singer and composer Sayed Darwish to determine the reason behind his death after 94 years of burial.

In a comment to DMC channel, Darwich’s grandson, Mohamed Darwish, said that the family has always been suspicious that the British colonization was implicated in his grandfather’s death.

He added that the family learnt about that request from the media, and that it would have been better if they were told beforehand, clarifying that they do not oppose the request. Darwish recounted that the family had made a similar request right after his grandfather’s death, but it was rejected by the colonial authorities.

“The family wants to prove to the entire world that the great composer was poisoned as the colonial authorities had put arsenic in his food. We want to prove to the entire world that Sayed Darwish died for his country and for fighting injustice. Sayed Darwish died with honor,” El-Masry El-Youm reported.

Sayed Darwish, known for his popular and patriotic songs and music, died in 1923, aged 31. He is considered the father of Egyptian popular music. He composed the current national anthem. His songs and music are still popular to present, and are being modernized.Egypt was occupied by Great Britain between 1882 and 1956.