A NUMBER of military experts, army generals, historians and members of the public packed the conference hall of Kitab Al-Gomhuria to remember the late war hero Field Marshal Mohamed Abdel- Halim Abu-Ghazala, and take part in discussions on a book published about his life. The talks on the book Field Marshal Mohamed Abdel-Halim Abu Ghazala, written by author Amira Fekri, were organised under the auspices of Ali Hashem, the Board Chairman of Al-Tahrir Publishing and Printing House and the Editor-in-Chief of Kitab Al- Gomhuria. Army General Sami Diab attended the seminar on behalf of Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the Minister of Defence. The contents of the book inspired the audiences' vivid memories of the late field marshal's heroic deeds and achievements since his first days in the Egyptian Army. One of Abu-Ghazala's colleagues, General Abdel-Mon'em Khalil, paid tribute to his deep sense of belonging to his nation, and noted that the late war hero was admired by his colleagues and soldiers for his firm commitments to the time-honoured principles and values of the Egyptian military. General Khalil also disclosed that after his retirement, he had planned to publish his memoir. “But I did not make up my mind to conclude this plan until I met Abu-Ghazala, who was the minister of defence at the time. Without his help and advice, my memoir would have taken much longer to see the daylight,” he noted. Professor Assem el-Desouqi, a prominent historian and ex-dean of the Faculty of Arts, Helwan University, suggested that the life and achievements of great men, such as the late war hero, needed more elaboration and extensive research. According to him, the author of Field Marshal Mohamed Abdel-Halim Abu- Ghazala should have tracked down more information on the late war hero's education, career and his early childhood years. “The certificates, honours and quotes from friends in the book do not contribute enough to the credit this person deserves,” Prof. el-Desouqi observed. The author was also accused of overlooking the relationship between the late war hero and the Free Officers Movement (FOM) that launched the Egyptian Revolution in 1952. “It is known that Abu-Ghazala joined the FOM in 1951,” the historian said, adding that it was curious that the author did not investigate the relationship between Abu-Ghazala and late president Gamal Abdel-Nasser. “Nor did the author bother herself to examine the relationship between Abu-Ghazala and General Saad-Eddin el- Shazli [another war hero against Israel]. El-Desouqi was also unenthusiastic about the title of the book, suggesting that a more attractive title would have been Abu-Ghazala, A Tale of a Warrior. However, the author received a good measure of support from celebrated critic Medhat el-Gayyar, who appreciated the difficulties facing authors of biographies. “Authors of biographies often find it difficult to have access to substantiated information and data,” the critic said. Paying tribute to Abu-Ghazala, el- Gayyar disclosed that the late field marshal was the first to establish the Military Public Services Agency, which constructed basic infrastructures such as the landline telephone networks. “Abu-Ghazala was also admired by his soldiers for his human touch and sociability,” the critic added. Professor Mohssen Abbas from the English department at Helwan University said that Abu-Ghazala was one of the great men of Egyptian history, and added that the book would have been more inspiring and interesting if it had contained some analysis of Abu-Ghazala's character and psyche. He said: “The book should have thrown light on the social influences which contributed to Abu-Ghazala's successful career and to his decision-making. Abu-Ghazala confidently refused to give in to the aftermath of the defeat of the Egyptian Army in its war against Israel in 1967. His unshakeable self-confidence was also behind his firm decision to reject a course on Communism when he travelled to Moscow to pursue his military study.” Finally, the Chief of the Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs Moustafa el-Feqi remembered Abu-Ghazala as a simple army general who devoted himself to his military commitments and acted as a good example to his men.
