Ali Salem, who was born in 1936 and passed away Tuesday at the age of 79, was an Egyptian author and playwright known for his sarcasm and fast wit. An avid political commentator and enthusiast, Salem was shunned due to his endorsement of the cooperation between the Egyptian and Israeli government.

However, his political views mattered little when it came down to his books and plays. With 25 plays and 15 books, Salem was pioneer in the industry and a strong household name.

Many of his plays are still watched by people of all ages. Though it debuted in 1971, Salem's "The School of Trouble Makers" play is one of the best Egyptian plays of all time. Salem also went on to make a number of other very successful plays such as "The Phantom of Heliopolis," "The Comedy of Oedipus," "The Man who Fooled the Angels" and "The Buffet."

In 1994, Salem wrote a book titled "My Drive to Israel." The book told the story of a trip he took to the country and following his 23 day stay, Salem said Israeli and Egyptian cooperation was possible and should be welcomed. The book went on to sell 60,000 copies, which made it a bestseller by Egyptian standards, but it proved problematic for the prominent playwright.

Salem was ostracized by the Egyptian community and was kicked out of the Writer's Syndicate under the allegations of promoting Israel. Furthermore, Salem was not able to find a producer for his works. In fact, he had two plays and one movie script that collected dust in his study.

Following the expulsion of Salem from cultural circles, "My Drive to Israel" was adapted by Ari Roth and was made into a play titled "Ali Salem Drives to Israel" and premiered in the U.S. in 2005; it was a major success for the playwright.

With all the troubles that followed Salem after the release of the books, he never regretted that decision and he always responded to his critics with the same response: "Hatred prevents us from knowing reality as it is."

For Salem, that was the whole reason behind his trip and his book; he simply wanted Egyptians and Israelis to stop hating each other.

Salem won the Train Foundation's Civil Courage Prize due to his opposition toward radical Islam and his support of Israel. He also went on to win an honorary doctorate from Ben Gurion University of the Negev.

With his death, Egyptians are now watching his most famous play, "The School of Trouble Makers." Get your popcorn on and celebrate Eid Al Adha with Egypt's most famous playwright.

Arabella, a 14-year-old Lebanese restaurant in Sydney, Australia, was attacked Sunday morning. Racist slurs were also scrawled on the smashed windowpanes.

The attack comes after a steady rise in popularity of right-wing politics in Europe and the West, such as the National Front in France or Pegyda in Germany, due to escalating fears of ISIS-linked operations. Faced with a refugee crisis, countries such as Hungary have sealed their borders, allowed violent repression, and threatened to imprison those who illegally cross into their territories .

Mohammad Zahrour, who goes by Moey Hachem on Facebook and is Arabella's owner and chef, told the Daily Telegraph that he and his family had been receiving threats for months before the attack on Sunday. Last year, anti-Arabic and anti-Islamic slurs were painted on the restaurant's back lane.

“Last Friday someone used a key or something metal to write on my glass f*** all Arabs," he said.

Zahrour, who immigrated to Australia in 1974, said that these attacks were brought on by the current tensions in the Middle East and blamed the rise of ISIS.

He posted pictures showing the smashed windowpanes on Facebook, and wondered if the media would cover what happened to his restaurant:

[include id="12" title="FacebookEmbed"]

Talking about racist people this what happen at my restaurant (Arabella ) tonight at 130 am and they left racist...

Posted by Moey Hachem on Monday, September 21, 2015

“If one Muslim guy got attacked, no one would talk about it much, that’s why I put it on Facebook because this time, I’m tired, I want to spread it ... I want to talk it out," he later told The Daily Telegraph.