CAIRO - While looking forward to a new year, we're saddened by the passing of prominent figures in our region, leaving behind a lifetime of memories. But it seems that 2011 has had more than its share of artists' deaths. January 4: Tunisian protester Mohamed Bouazizi Bouazizi, 26, was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire on December 17, 2010, in protest at the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation that he reported was inflicted on him by a municipal official and her aides. His act became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring, inciting demonstrations throughout Tunisia in protest at social and political issues in the country. The public's anger and violence intensified following Bouazizi's death, leading then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step down on 14 January 2011, after 23 years in power. This year, Bouazizi was posthumously awarded the Sakharov Prize, jointly along with four others for their contributions to ‘historic changes in the Arab world'. February 10: Military leader Saad el-Shazli El-Shazli was Egypt's chief-of-staff during the October War, playing a great role in the liberation of the Sinai Peninsula from Israeli occupation. He is considered the main architect of the attack on Israel's Bar Lev defensive line, although the history textbooks have always focused solely on the air strike carried out by Hosni Mubarak, then Chief-of-Staff of the Egyptian Air Force. El-Shazli passed away at the age of 88. April 17: Nasser al-Kharafi, the Kuwaiti businessman Al-Kharafi's company, M.A. Kharafi & Sons, has achieved sales of $4.3 billion. His net worth increased because of rising share prices of several holdings, including the Mobile Telecommunications Co., the National Bank of Kuwait and Americana, that operates US fast food chains. Al-Kharafi was also linked to many other chains such as Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, TGI Friday's, Hardees and thousands of others. He also held a major stake in one of the biggest telecom companies in the Middle East and Africa, Zain. May 2: Osama bin Laden, Saudi founder of al-Qaeda Bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organisation al-Qaeda, which was responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets. He was killed in Pakistan by a US special forces military unit. The raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan was launched from Afghanistan. After the raid, US forces took bin Laden's body to Afghanistan for identification, then buried it at sea within 24 hours of his death. He was 64. July 30: Hikmat Abu Zayd, politician Hikmat was the first female cabinet minister in Egypt in 1962. Her tenure as Minister of Social Affairs set a precedent. Afterwards, it became common for women to head that ministry. An avowed advocate of Nasserism, Hikmat had a major impact on Egyptian Law and policy in the areas of social affairs and insurance. August 8: Popular actress Hind Rostom Egypt's Hind was known as the ‘Queen of Seduction' and the ‘Marilyn Monroe of the East'. She decided to retire in 1979 because she wanted the audience to remember her at her best. She died at the age of 82 and hundreds of artists and fans mourned her passing. September 9: Novelist and writer Khairi Shalabi He wrote 70 books, including 20 novels, critical studies, historical tales, plays and short story collections. Shalabi is widely regarded as having written novels ‘of the Egyptian street'. October 20: Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed leader of Libya Gaddafi died at the age of 69, during the Libyan uprising. He was captured alive after his convoy was attacked by NATO warplanes as Sirte fell on October 20. He was then beaten and killed by National Transitional Council (NTC) forces. Western leaders welcomed the death of Libya's Gaddafi, a tyrannical, despotic dictator, who ruled this North African country for more than 40 years. Gaddafi was buried in a secret desert location to prevent his grave becoming a shrine for any remaining followers of his in the oil-rich North African country. October 21: Prominent writer Anis Mansour Egypt's Anis wrote more than 170 books on many subjects, some of which have been translated into French, Dutch and Russian. He also translated about 200 short stories and more than 20 plays into Arabic, introducing Alberto Moravia to Arabic literature, as he was the first to translate his works into Arabic. October 22: Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Sultan bin Abulaziz, who was thought to be aged about 86, had been heir to the throne of the Kingdom since 2005 but was a central figure in Saudi decision-making since becoming defence minister in 1962. Sultan's health had declined in recent years and he spent long periods outside the Kingdom having medical treatment. November 1: Double agent Ahmed el-Hawan Egypt's Ahmed el-Hawan worked for the Israeli Mossad from 1967 until 1973. He provided the Israelis with false military information with the help of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate. In January 1976, while collecting some info for the Mossad under the supervision of Egyptian Intelligence, an army vehicle hit el-Hawan. His right leg was seriously hurt and he always said that it could have easily been cured, had the doctors been more competent. The injury was followed by damage to his right eye as a result of using invisible ink. His request for retirement was approved by President Sadat in December 1977. November 20: Politician, lawyer Talaat Sadat Talaat Sadat was the nephew of late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. Following the January 25 revolution, even though he joined in demonstrations calling for the dissolution of the National Democratic Party for its corruption of Egyptian political life, he was selected as the party's new chairman following the resignation of ousted president Hosni Mubarak from the party. However, on April 16, the NDP was dissolved by the courts and its assets were ordered to be handed over to the Government. He died of a heart attack at age of 64. December 11: Journalist and writer Ahmed Bahgat Egypt's Bahgat, famous for his 'Sonduq el-Donia' (Life Box) column in the semi-official newspaper Al-Ahram, wrote more than 20 books, including God's Prophets, The Best Stories and The Way to God. In 1979, Bahgat was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Radio & TV magazine. He died at the age of 79.
