Author, journalist, and devoted advocate for peace in the Middle East, Salem is an isolated voice for tolerance in the region.

Fierce in his denunciation of Islamic radicalism, Salem is a voice for peace between Egypt and Israel, and between Israel and Palestine. In 1996 he became a co-founder of the Cairo Peace Movement and he is active in Egyptian and Israeli peace groups. He remains critical of both Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories as well as suicide bombings and entreaties for war by Arabs.

In 2000, Salem was arrested and detained by the Egyptian police after he wrote a short film encouraging Egyptians to cast their ballots in an upcoming parliamentary election. In 2005 he was refused entry to Israel to receive an honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Salem has written more than 25 plays, which are renowned for their allegorical critique of Egyptian politics and their deft combination of satire and humor.

He is the author of 15 books including the bestseller, My Drive to Israel, which he wrote after spending 3 weeks touring the country and meeting people from all walks of life in “a serious attempt to get rid of hate.”

However, he is virtually ostracized in the Egyptian and Arab media. He writes for the London-based Arab-language newspaper Al-Hayat.