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numerous literary magazines [5]. His intellectual life was also turbulent, as he was removed on numerous occasions from leadership academic posts, only to be rehired [5]. He ultimately became Egypt’s Minister of Education in 1950, which earned him the designation of “Pasha” [5]. More importantly, he tireless devoted efforts to promote literacy across Egypt.
Whereas Abdel Halim Hafez was a close personal friend of Nasser (the president of Egypt between 1954–1970), such was not the case with Taha Hussein due to the latter’s liberal views [5]. Hussein wrote prolifically on almost all aspects of Egyptian and Arabic life and history, including Islamic history and commentary and the influence of Jewish scholars living in Arab lands [5]. Hussein was a strong proponent for modernization of the interpretation of the Islamic heritage and Islamic religious texts, as demonstrated in his famous book, Pre-Islamic Poetry, which was considered controversial and even banned for a time; he was even threatened with arrest [5]. He was also considered a great literary critic and theorist. Taha Hussein’s wife Suzanne was a lifelong friend and mother of their two children. Upon Taha Hussein’s death, she wrote a moving book about their literary marriage entitled Avec Toi (“With You”).
- Concluding Statement
It is difficult to say precisely how NTDs influenced the life and work of these two individuals. Possibly, in the case of Abdel Halim Hafez, his impoverished upbringing and experience with schistosomiasis helped to stimulate his charitable giving, including his establishment of a hospital [6]. In the case of Taha Hussein, the impact of his blindness from trachoma is detailed in The Days. Given that NTDs are practically ubiquitous among the poor and can produce horrific and debilitating effects, it leaves one to wonder how many artists and intellectuals through the ages were denied the chance to lead such productive and active lives.
- References
- IMDb. Abdel Halim Hafez. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0353102/bio. Accessed February 12, 2016.
- Wikipedia. Abdel Halim Hafez. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdel_Halim_Hafez. Accessed February 12, 2016.
- Farley, J. (2003). Bilharzia: A History of Imperial Tropical Medicine (Cambridge Studies in the History of Medicine, Cambridge University Press 372 p.
- Sanghvi, M. M., Hotez, P. J., Fenwick, A. (2013). Neglected tropical diseases as hidden causes of chronic liver disease: The case of schistosomiasis and hepatitis C co-infections in Egypt. Liver International 33: 165–8. doi: 10.1111/liv.12052. PMID: 23295048.
- Haaretz. Egypt’s Renaissance Man. http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/books/egypt-s-renaissance-man-1.79713. Accessed February 12, 2016.
- Wikipedia. Taha Hussein. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taha_Hussein. Accessed February 12, 2016.
