Sharif Abdel Kouddous

Sharif Abdel Kouddous is an Egyptian-American journalist based in Cairo. He is a correspondent for ' and a fellow at the Nation Institute.
From a prominent Egyptian family, he grew up in Cairo, the great-grandson of the prominent actress and later turned publisher, Rose al-Youssef. His grandfather, Rose's son, was the journalist and novelist, Ihsan abd al Quoddus. He attended the British International School, and left for the United States when he was eighteen years old. Kouddous attended Duke University and obtained a degree in economics with a minor in philosophy.
Kouddous worked for Bank of America as an investment banker for two years in its leveraged buyout division. He shot to international fame during the 2011 Egyptian popular uprising for his tweets and live reporting from Tahrir Square. His actions as a journalist during the revolution were a major feature in the 2012 documentary, In Tahrir Square: 18 Days of Egypt's Unfinished Revolution. He has written for prominent newspapers including Foreign Policy, Al-Ahram Weekly and Al-masry Al-youm, magazines such as The Nation, and appeared on television shows including MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, The Ed Schultz Show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, and on Al Jazeera English. In April 2012, Kouddous was awarded the fourth annual Izzy Award for outstanding achievement in independent media. In addition to Egypt, he has reported from Syria, Gaza and Bahrain.
During the 2008 Republican National Convention Kouddous was controversially arrested in Saint Paul, Minnesota and charged with suspicion of felony riot while covering the street protests. Kouddous, with Amy Goodman and Nicole Salazar, who were also arrested during their coverage for Democracy Now!, sued the St. Paul P.D. and won a settlement. In 2011 he moved to Egypt to cover the region as freelance journalist and as a foreign correspondent for Democracy Now! He remains a fellow of The Nation Institute.

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