Egyptian Mathematician & Others.

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Hafiz
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Egyptian Mathematician & Others.

Post by Hafiz »

Egyptian Mathematician & Others.

Well almost – this one succeeded, principally by getting out.

Sir Michael Francis Atiyah (more honorary degrees and honors after his name than would fill a page) was born in the UK but brought up in Khartoum and educated later in Cairo. He survived the Egyptian education system to win the Fields Medal (the Nobel Prize for mathematicians) at a very early age. More publications than would fill five pages – and unlike the worlds greatest Egyptologist was published in refereed journals – not just coffee table books or TV shows.

Of all the honorary doctorates he has received none are from Egypt. The Saudi’s gave him the King Faisal Prize 20 years ago, so when you go off about the vulgar Saudi zealots remember they did this and ‘sophisticated’ Egypt didn’t. Egypt ceased to be sophisticated around 1952 when they threw the educated and enterprising out.

Of all his visits with heads of state no offer to visit Egypt has ever been made. In fact Egypt must be on the list of toilet countries never to have recognized him.

Atiyah believes that knowledge and innovation best comes from open multi-culturalism and debate – so leaving Egypt was probably a good idea and staying away a better one. http://www.sgr.org.uk/events/islam-and- ... erspective

Like several dozen score of Egyptians who have done very well – being driven out and loosing all your assets was the very best thing to happen. The alternative might have been an Egyptian tertiary education and working in Nasser’s one-party socialist state.

Interestingly, for several hundred years the Muslim world led humanity in mathematics and algebra – but that was a long time ago. The Cordoba Caliphate was a high point of culture and tolerance with Jews and Christians in top positions – including Grand Vizier. In Spain and the Middle East they preserved and studied classical Greek learning – something that is now taboo in Egypt for sexual perversion reasons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_A ... nd_honours and https://www.maa.org/external_archive/de ... 08_02.html

His family story is that like many non-Egyptians of this period (his father was Lebanese) Nasser’s nationalism and ‘Egypt for the Egyptians’ drove them out and took their assets. Tens of thousands were tossed out – although some stayed, Omar Sharif (born Syrian/Lebanese Michel Dimitri Chalhoub who converted from Catholicism to Islam to be legally ‘permitted’ to marry his wife), and the highly acclaimed ‘Egyptian’ filmmaker, Youssef Chahine (Melkite Catholic from Assiut) stayed for a while until they worked out they weren’t welcome.

I think that Atiyah’s lack of recognition by Egypt is also not unconnected with his religion – he is not Muslim.

Sharif had problems when the Nasser government imposing travel restrictions on him because be starred along side a ‘horrible’ Jew – Barbara Streisand – and they banned Funny Girl in Egypt. Nasser expelled him from Egypt for 10 years. He also acted for horrible Jew directors/producers/financiers/scriptwriters. After this Sharif went into exile although al Ahram has always denied this absolutely and accused Sharif of lying. He didn’t lie but someone else did. Sharif received no Egyptian state awards although he was the greatest living Egyptian actor in the world and at his funeral in 2015 there were no representatives of the state. http://www.vulture.com/2015/07/unlikely ... harif.html

That one son married a Jew and the existence of a gay and out grandson probably didn’t make him fashionable in Egypt.

Here is his funeral at the new Hussein Tantawi Mosque. The pall bearers look humble and the funeral small:
Image

He might have been raffish but he had style and class – unlike many others. Unlike the current generation he was loved and emulated. There has been no Egyptian before or since who did more for Egyptian PR but the idiots in control couldn't see this and use it. If ever there was a person who could have attracted rich stylish people to Egypt for holidays it was Omar but the Ministry of Tourism knew better and went for tat.

Why this new and very expensive Tantawi mosque is named after a corrupt Mubarak field marshal is a question you might ask an Egyptian Muslim leader. Leaked American documents are explicit on this matter. Sharif might have turned in his grave at the location of his funeral.

The new military mosque didn’t lack access to taxpayer funds (I don't think churches get a penny although Copts do pay taxes) but might have avoided a the cost of an architect:
Image

Could be a concrete example of the job creating usefulness of the new borrowed $US

It contains basement car parking for 300 cars and is located in the 5th Settlement the richest of the ‘new cities’ – about 20k’s east by south east from central Cairo. Its not like a church It's hard to get in - indeed its hard to get into the suburb. Paradoxically Tantawi himself was there when it was first opened by Sisi but following Tantawi’s death Sisi went back and re-opened it as a memorial to his friend. Only in Egypt.

I wonder whether the state pays for the building of mosques in poor areas? Does the State pay for the building of churches? Should the UK have a Churchill church or the US the same with Roosevelt? Maybe an Eden church for concealed incompetence and failure?

Chahine (multiple awards at Cannes, Berlin and other cities) also went into exile in 1964 to Lebanon because he couldn’t take any more. Although the world regarded him the greatest Arab film director the Egyptian state ignored him, wouldn’t fund him and he died without official comment or dignity with the al Ahram obit. hiding all his troubles with the state, his attacks on corruption and his ambiguous sexual themes and ambiguous private life (The police missed a big opportunity of something they love - daily rectal examinations of an 80yo).

His films are now ignored – but only in Egypt (his films recently appeared in a serious 12 part TV series about the best World Cinema - no other Egyptian or anyone from the region was mentioned so he was one out of 300 million). The so called Cairo International Film Festival (a state controlled body) has always ignored him whilst it has worshiped the worst Hollywood garbage. He was a man that longed for the return of the tolerance and diversity that had been a part of the Alexandria of his youth – alas it was gone forever. http://www.aljadid.com/content/chahine- ... ia-trilogy Chahine was a Christian which may be not irrelevant to those that ignored him and his final film ‘What A Mess’ in 2007 about a corrupt police officer probably didn’t make him many friends.https://www.opendemocracy.net/article/a ... ld-of-film

At his funeral his coffin was covered with an Egyptian flag – something that would have made him turn in his grave:
Image

Driving talented people out is not a new thing but probably a good one – that is if you want to avoid all change or dissent and maintain control. In any event Egypt is for Egyptians and all outsiders and misfits should be tipped out or locked up. Getting rid of talent also provides openings for remaining second and third raters as well as opportunities for re-distributing the financial spoils of those tipped out. Egypt is a sort of equal-opportunity heaven – the unqualified get equal treatment to the qualified – they might even get preference. I think a lot of it goes back to 1952 – so its worked ‘well’ for 70 years as the society and economy has collapsed or not progressed with others under a series of military leaders.


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