I do not think there was anyone else like the Egyptian scientist, great surgeon and wonderful person Ibrahim Badran who took over the Ministry of Health, Cairo University, and the Scientific Research Academy. I met with this distinct personality in the early seventies when I was Egypt's consul in London, where he was on a scientific and medical mission in 1972. He visited the consulate from time to time. I was aware of his scientific and medical status. When he came to see us off before leaving London, he left me a personal thankful message reflecting his gentleness.
Days later, I met Dr Mustafa el-Diwani at a dinner in the home of the general consul Moheb al-Samra. El-Diwani said: "I turned 70, but I'm always convinced that my cousin Badran is a great man, thanks to his great role in humanity." I realized that he was also honored in his family.
Several years later, I received Badran and his virtuous wife in India, where he was on a scientific mission. The Indians were fond of him and his comments and lectures in the Indian research centers and universities. India has the largest gathering of scientists and researchers in the Third World.
One evening, Badran's wife proposed to invite an Indian fortuneteller just to have some fun. I took it seriously because I knew that the most famous Indian fortuneteller was in a hotel near my home. He came and showed us letters of thanks he received from Jawaharlal Nehru, the former Indian Prime Minister and founder of the modern state, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and Krishna Menon, the famous former minister of defense. They praised his ability to know the future.
Badran had reservations on that, saying that fortunetellers are liars. The fortuneteller told me that I would be in the presidential palace before the end of the year. This came true. Badran is an Egyptian high-ranking and unique man. God granted him good character and self-purity, so all people loved him. When his son died in a surgery, he was patient and said: "This is God's order and I cannot change it." I still meet Badran on many occasions, either at the Egyptian Scientific Research Academy or the Board of Trustees of the British University in Egypt and other scientific centers and cultural forums. He loves Egypt from the bottom of his heart and believes in scientific research. He produced enlightened ideas and initiatives. He is familiar with the latest technology and new methods in all fields of science, thought and literature.
I suffered a fit of depression several years ago when I refused to visit Israel on an official mission despite pressures. Badran phoned me then and asked me to sleep well, play sports, work hard and read the books I like to come out of this depression. I confess that the advice of this wise man helped me get out of this quandary.
Badran, the pioneer of modern surgery in the Middle East, has combined science and faith in a single personality. He is one of this country's great men and a model to be imitated by the coming generations.
