The 2012 Cairo Islamist Campaign Against ‘Satanic’ Symbols at the Great Sphinx

Record summary

During Egypt's post-revolutionary political climate, reports circulated that Islamist figures or campaigns sought to remove or alter the Great Sphinx and other pharaonic monuments because they were pagan or satanic. The precise speakers, statements, and institutional status of these claims were disputed, making the episode useful for studying rumor transmission and the politicization of antiquity. Researchers should distinguish verified public remarks from fabricated social-media reports and satirical or mistranslated material. The Sphinx itself is an archaeological monument, not evidence of occult activity.