CAIRO - Following the January 25 revolution, Egypt has had to denounce the sycophancy, flattery and political hypocrisy of the unethical system that prevailed during the 30-year reign of former president Hosni Mubarak, say observers. Dozens of professors at Cairo University, the nation's biggest public university, have recently filed a suit to withdraw an Honorary doctorate that had been awarded by the university in September 2010 to Mubarak's wife Suzanne Thabet, in respect of her societal activities during the last three decades. Following the toppling of Mubarak on February 11, Mubarak, his two sons and his wife have been accused of wasting and squandering public funds. “Granting an Honorarydoctorate to Suzanne is an insult. The awarding represents the humiliation and the exploitation of the name of the Cairo University in one of the manifestations of political hypocrisy,” Sobhi Saleh, a member of the Constitutional Amendments Committee, said. “The simplest principle that a university should abide by in creating scientific and academic honours is not to grant such Honorarydegrees to holders of power," Saleh, a senior Muslim Brotherhood figure, told the local newspaper Al Messa. On February 26, demonstrations erupted at Cairo University, where its administration was accused of wasting public money. The protesters claimed that that doctoral award ceremony for Suzanne cost LE6.5 million (around $1 million). However, Hossam Kamel, the President of Cairo University, insisted that the Central Auditing Agency [CAA], in a report issued in 2010, stated the ceremony had not cost the university more than LE200,000. Saleh, who is a former member of Parliament, alleged that officials of the now-defunct State Security Agency controlled appointing Egypt's universities' heads and boards. “The detained former minister of information Anas el-Feqi and Hani Helal, the former minister of the higher education, pressurised Kamel into granting Suzanne the degree,” he claimed. “In fact, the State Security Agency officials are the 'real' granter of the doctorate,” said Saleh, who described the suit filed by 50 Cairo University professors as “a legitimate demand and a national duty”. “If the professors prove that Suzanne had no effective social or academic activities and work, the court will justly investigate the case,” said Ayman Mohamed Abdel-Hakam, a judge at Shoubra el-Kheima Criminal Court, Qalubia Governorate. The university lecturers argue that awarding such degrees has clear rules. “The majority of any university's board members have the right to approve or refuse the granting of Honorarydoctorates to 'deserving' persons, who have made prominent societal, scientific or academic studies or contributions,” said Hassan Nadir Kheiralla, a former president of Alexandria University. Abdel-Salam el-Mahgoub, an ex-governor of Alexandria, developed and beautified the governorate's streets and facilities and participated actively in advancing the governorate. “However, Alexandria University's board members refused to grant el-Mahgoub an Honorarydoctorate during his reign in office. The members wished to avoid any accusations of sycophancy or flattery,” said Ahmed Hendi, former dean of the Faculty of Law at Alexandria University. “The board members of any university have the right to grant or withdraw the Honorary doctorates giving clear reasons,” he added. “In the case of proven sycophancy and political hypocrisy, Cairo University's board members have the right to withdraw the doctorate degree from Suzanne Thabet without resorting to the judicial authorities.”
