"If I am destined to only get a little of life, my Lord, your satisfaction is in my patience," were the last words Mohamed Yousry Salama wrote on Twitter on 16 March while he was still battling against disease.
Salama died on 24 March of a digestive system disease. He was 38 years old.
A dentist, Salama also worked as a researcher and translator. Though a Salafi, his religious beliefs and Salafi affiliations did not dissuade him from becoming a founding member of Dostour Party, which he hoped would bring together Egyptians from across the political spectrum. Indeed, Salama's controversial character won him the admiration of members of the disparate political currents.
Salama, born on 1 October 1974 in Alexandria, first became engaged with politics when the the 25 January revolution broke out, ignoring fatwas from several Salafi sheikhs opposed to the revolt. He joined the revolutionaries and remained in Tahrir until former President Hosni Mubarak's ouster.
He worked as media spokesperson for the Salafi Nour Party since its establishment but resigned after a few months due to political disagreements. Then, he helped establish Dostour in cooperation with opposition icons with different ideologies.
"Salama believed strongly in the revolution and his participation in the foundation of Dostour Party was based on bringing together the different ideologies to achieve the goals of the revolution," said Alfred Raouf, a member of Dostour Party.
On 10 March, Salama wrote on Twitter, saying, "Produce men who can lead the nation but do not burn proselytizing with the flames of politics and do not turn a political disagreement into a religious one.”
His views, as stated on Twitter, Facebook and TV, sought to defend the Islamic religion against Islamists’ practice and demonstrate his fealty to the revolution and his acceptance of those different from him.
"I will never regret the revolution or my participation in it,” he once wrote on Twitter. “It is the best, purest and noblest incident in my life. It is not our fault that we launched the revolution amid opportunists and utterly ignorant people with absolutely no awareness."
