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OPINION 26 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 JUNE 2018 "MO Salah, Mo Salah, running down the wing … Salalalaah, the Egyptian king!" This is how fans of Liverpool FC cheer Mohamed Salah; record breaking star striker, and winner of the Premier League's Golden Boot in 2018. For young people in Egypt, though, Salah is more than just a footballer. In a country with growing unemployment and political unrest, Salah is an icon and a role model – he embodies the ideal of a young person who has achieved his dreams. Salah comes from a small village, Nagrig, in the Ghar- bia district, where as many as 10% of people live in poverty. Salah's journey began in the El Mokawloon club in Tanta; from there, he joined the same club in Cairo. Coming from one of Egypt's rural villages, at the age of 14, Salah had to take at least five different buses every day to train in Cairo. In 2012, he was spotted by Swiss club Basel, and his suc- cessful spell in the Swiss Super League attracted the attention of José Mourinho, who was manager of Chelsea Football Club at the time. But Salah's time at Stamford Bridge was not very successful; he spent much of his time on the bench. Salah had spells in Italy, with Fiorentina (on loan) and AS Roma, before his triumphant return to the English Premier League, with Liverpool Foot- ball Club. In October 2017, Salah scored the penalty that sent Egypt to their first World Cup finals in 28 years. Over the past ten years, as I have been tracking the aspira- tions of young people in Egypt, I noted how the same unful- filled aspirations – to find a job, start a family, get a good education – persisted over time. I have also witnessed how Salah's journey to success, as well as his hard work and deter- mination, have inspired Egypt's frustrated youth to overcome the obstacles that they face, and achieve their goals. Salah the philanthropist Despite his fame, Salah has maintained a close relationship with his family, neighbours and friends in Nagrig. He nurtures this relationship by supporting various development projects in his village, ranging from youth centres to schools and hospitals; and more recently a water and sewage station. At the national level, Salah donated £210,000 to Tahya Misr ("Long live Egypt") – a fund established to support de- velopmental efforts following the January 2011 uprising. For Egyptian youth, Salah's grati- tude and humbleness are the traits they admire the most. In the age of brain drain, when as many as 10 million Egyptians live abroad, Salah conveys a lesson to Egypt's migrant youth that they can serve their country – even from abroad. At a time when Egyptian society is divided, Salah unites not only Egyptian, but also Arab and Muslim youth, too. For years, young people in the Middle East have been ste- reotyped as either terrorists or refugees. So although they mobilised at an unprecedented level during the Arab Spring uprisings, these days frustrated young Egyptians are more likely to become depoliticised, pragmatic or radicalised. "Mo Salah put Egypt back on the map," said one young man on a recent Egyptian TV programme. The display of his boots in the British Mu- seum and his nickname as the "Egyptian King" are evidence that Salah has become an icon for all Egyptians. Improving Egypt's image internationally is crucial, given its stagnat- ing tourism industry and its negative global image, after the ousting of Muslim Brother- hood's president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. What's more, as a moder- ate Muslim, Salah provides a new path for frustrated young people to follow. He performs prostration after each goal, fasts in Ramadan, regularly reads the Koran and named his daughter, Makka, after Islam's holiest city. The image he con- veys of a moderate, tolerant Muslim not only challenges the dominant stereotypes about Arab youth, but en- courages them to accept each other's differences and unite behind a single Muslim iden- tity – evident in chants sung by Liverpool fans, such as "I'll be Muslim too" and "Mohamed Salah, a Gift from Allah". A reciprocal relationship The relationship between Salah and his young supporters is reciprocal. He inspires them, and in turn they support him. Salah regularly communicates with his young fans via Face- The 'Mohamed Salah' effect At a time when Eg yptian society is divided, Salah unites not only Eg yptian, but also Arab and Muslim youth, too Solava Ibrahim Solava Ibrahim is Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Anglia Ruskin University Employment part-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER MINISTRY FOR HEALTH The Ministry for Health is accepting applications for the position of a Project Support Officer For the Project "ESF 04.0084 - Reform in the public health system to maximise efficiency gains and enhance governance" More details regarding the above vacancy and application can be accessed from the Government website http://recruitment.gov.mt and Government Gazette issued on Friday, 8th June 2018. Interested persons are to submit their application, together with a detailed Curriculum Vitae, by not later than 12.00 noon (Central European Time) on Friday, 22 nd June 2018.