Hicham Alaoui: A Scholar of Democracy With Royal Roots
The Moroccan scholar Hicham Alaoui’s research interests include the need for of democratic and educational reforms in the Arab world.
Michel Mawad: A Pioneering Neurologist Leads the Lebanese American University
Michel Mawad took office as president last fall. Skills he learned in his medical career will help him lead the university through a period of crisis, he says.
Libyan Higher Education Minister Has High Aims but Scant Funds
Omran Al-Qeeb is striving to rebuild and improve Libya’s universities and research institutions. Lack of financial resources is the biggest obstacle to his plans, he says.
Alia Muhammad Baqer, Savior of Basra Library’s Books, Dies at 69
As Basra’s chief librarian, Alia Muhammed Baqer rescued 30,000 books and manuscripts from being lost as British forces occupied the city in 2003.
Narimane Hadj-Hamou: A Pioneer of Distance Learning in the Arab World
The founder of a center dedicated to training academics in advanced teaching methods says the role of the university is to help build a better society.
Chahinda Karim, a Scholar of the History of Islamic Architecture, Dies
Chahinda Karim is remembered as a teacher and a scholar of the history of Islamic architecture from its origins to its development across the Arab world.
Ghassan Abu-Sittah: A War-Zone Surgeon Sets Up a Curriculum for Conflict Medicine
Two Arab universities make conflict medicine part of basic medical education, using a curriculum devised by the surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sittah.
Shafeeq Ghabra: A Scholar of the Palestinian Cause Confronts Illness With Research and Hope
Shafeeq Ghabra chose research and teaching over military, diplomatic and administrative work. His writing sustains him now.
Tunisia’s Hichem Djait Dies, Leaving a Prolific Record on the History of Islam
The Tunisian thinker and writer Hichem Djait spent nearly half a century investigating Islamic history and Arab culture.
Egyptians Mourn Evelyne Porret, the Pottery Lady Who Changed a Village
The Swiss artist Evelyne Porret founded a pottery school in the Egyptian village of Tunis that helped rural women use art to change their destiny.
