Quiet patriots
Several Egyptian universities and public organisations have
recently honoured Mustafa El-Sayed, who immigrated to the US more than four
decades ago, for his outstanding achievements in nanotechnology and its
promising applications in the treatment of cancer. President Bush honoured
him two months earlier by decorating him with the Medal of Science, the first
scholar from the Middle East to receive this distinguished award. Similarly,
other Egyptian expatriates were equally honoured and celebrated in Egypt,
notably Ahmed Zuwail, who won the Nobel Prize for science a few years ago.
It is indeed commendable that Egypt has
recognised and honoured these distinguished scholars. But there is a hidden
message in these celebratory events, implying that only those who leave and
excel in foreign lands are honoured. Those who stay in Egypt and struggle for
excellence are neglected or eclipsed, despite demonstrating their patriotism,
immersing themselves in teaching thousands of students, or undertaking
research with meagre facilities, limited resources, constricting bureaucracy,
and a stifling atmosphere. They are not recognised and honoured like those
making their careers outside.
One hopes that young aspiring Egyptian
scholars do not misinterpret these celebratory gestures towards distinguished
expatriate scholars as encouragement to them to follow in their footsteps and
work abroad, believing that scholarly achievements on the home front will be
inconsequential. Although the ministries of scientific research and culture
offer a variety of annual prizes for outstanding scholars in the fields of
the arts, humanities and sciences, nominations and the selection process are
invariably imperfect and sometimes tainted with nepotism, political
favouritism and underhandedness.
It is high time that all distinguished
scholars are treated equally, or even with a certain tilt towards those who
persist in working and struggling on the home front, in order that they
become beacons and models for others. Given a chance, our home front scholars
can unleash new horizons of future achievement as well as inspire a truly
challenging research environment bolstered with ample resources, good
facilities and enticing incentives that make up the necessary infrastructure
of research and culture across the modern world.
This week's Soapbox speaker is
professor of urban planning at the University of Alexandria.
