I have been writing a series of articles, or rather personal portraits, about Egyptian, Arab and international personalities. Some people wonder about the real reason why I have done so and why I write about this or that particular person… I have spoken about my first-hand experience with them, explained some aspects that highlight their value and prestige and often sought to make justice to some of the people covered by the dust of time and the peoples' rumors. For this reason, I do not write autobiographies and I do not talk about people I have not dealt with directly. Indeed, I try to convey my experiences with those people who have left a mark on life and society whilst trying to be honest and objective as much as I can. I avoid talking about some people because I do not want to be too flattering or critical, especially as they are the ones who call the shots due to their high-ranking positions. Some contemporary and non-contemporary celebrities, I have not met them directly. I have just read something about or by them, but I have had no direct experience with them. Today, I am going to speak about a high-level international ecologist, Professor Abdel Fattah El-Kassas. He is away from the spotlights and high-up positions, although he was Shoura Council member for a few years. He is a source of pride for his country given his scientific and academic efforts over the years.
One day, I saw him leaning on his stick due to his age. I felt so insignificant in front of his history as well as his intellectual and academic prestige. He keeps up with the latest scientific theories and follows up on the latest techniques in the field of research and his field of specialization. He is the one who has lately called for moving Egypt's animal wealth out of the Nile Delta and to breed it in the desert in order to preserve Egypt's agricultural resources. Very cleverly, he also said that this way, Egyptian peasants would be dragged out of the narrow delta and would give a boost to land reclamation. He also has enlightening views about energy, food and their relation with the environment. I still remember that, when I was President of the British University in Egypt, a physicist colleague of mine, Professor Ahmed Hamza - the current president of the British University itself - always told me he was going to his teacher and one of Egypt's great pioneers, Dr. El-Kassas, to reload his scientific batteries and sharpen his mind through a brainstorming. Dr. Hamza always returned from his meetings with him cheerful, smiling and with high morale, as he had spent some time in one of those typical private meetings between scientists. I frequently talked with Dr. El-Kassas and I felt he always looked satisfied with himself, serene, concerned about the nation and abreast with its troubles. He is concerned with Egypt's worries and the future of its future generations, especially when it comes to environmental, food, energy and climate problems.
He is also familiar with agricultural sciences, the soil and weather variations and has a comprehensive view of the universe. We should all be proud of this person and his high value and international fame and I would indeed like to pay a tribute to him. We do not give our scientists and thinkers the attention they deserve, and we have so far failed to maximize the usefulness of this group of renowned scientists that Egypt must be proud of such as Ahmed Zuweil, Mostafa El-Sayed, Nishai and others.
We have not benefited, either, from the status of Mohamed El-Baradei, Magdi Yacoub and Boutros Boutros Ghali. When it comes to environment, we have another great scientist, Dr. Mustafa Kemal Talaba, the real founder of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
In all the other domains, Egypt has huge skills at home and abroad but not enough benefits have been drawn from them yet. This is a skill-repelling country which does pay much attention to its national and human resources. Here I am today, praising an internationally-renowned scientist, respected in global forums and outstanding in academic conferences. Yet, he may not be known by many people in Egypt outside the scientific community.
Dr. El-Kassas is a model we should cherish and appreciate the way he deserves given his status in our public life. Long live this scientist so that he may be a sparkling star in the sky of a country – Egypt – which has inspired civilizations throughout history.
