Farewell, Mekkawy

With profound grief and little ability to grasp the loss, Al Manassa mourns our colleague Ahmed Mekkawy, who joined our team as a digital security advisor in 2022. For many years before that,  alongside his expertise in digital security, we knew him as a digital rights activist and avid advocate for free and open-source software.

We will miss your gentle unassuming, beloved presence. It pains us that your your reassuring, optimistic smile is gone from our days, and that we will no longer enjoy your calm and kindness, or hear you offering help before we ask for it, checking on our needs both technically and personally.

In his early days, Mekkawy, an introvert geek in spite of his sprawling network and personal warmth and charm, was known as “Linuxawy,” an unmistakable nod to how central spreading knowledge about open-source software and setting people free from the monopoly of tech giants was for him.

He was not only active with the Egypt GNU/Linux User Group (EGLUG) or at Linux install-fests for free on young people’s computers in the years building up to the January revolution. He was a firm believer in decentralization that he helped found the Wikimania group in his beloved city of Alexandria, where he volunteered and recruited others to support Arabic content on Wikipedia, in addition to supporting Linux groups in other governorates.

Mekkawy (June 9, 1980—Oct. 13, 2025) was active with the Arab Techies community since 2008, and his support and relationships extended to digital rights organizations across the Arab world.

Alongside his many activities and his voluntary contributions to training and protecting numerous individuals and institutions, Linuxawy ran his own company, Spirula, through which he provided cloud engineering, information technology and strategic planning services. By his colleagues’ accounts, Mekkawy was among the most distinguished techies in Egypt and across the region. He made significant, defining contributions to many national projects, including  developing the first website for the Supreme Electoral Commission, and the National Association for Change. He also helped develop prominent news websites, including Al-Akhbar’s, Sasa Post, Al-Masry Al-Youm, and Al Ahly Sporting Club’s website.

Mekkawy loved the Mediterranean, it was no surprise that he took a dip in October. But we never expected it to be his final swim. What consoles us is that he was joyful shortly before he left this world at the news of war-end in Gaza and the release of his companion in struggle, Alaa Abdel Fattah—two tragedies that had weighed heavily on his heart.

“I seek collaborating with entities that best utilizes both my technical and non-technical skills to maintain and encourage free access to the internet, software and all knowledge for the public benefit.” That is how he described himself in his résumé, and that is how he lived.

This is a profound loss for us, his comrades, and for the rights and tech communities in Egypt and the Arab world.