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He is said to have been, “One of the most prominent constitutionalists in Egypt. He was a creative orator and converser, an energetic man; an icon of good times; a contributor to many an Arab country’s legal affairs who had prepared and phrased their constitutions and main legislations.” A magistrate and a professor, he had tackled lots of lawsuits and given lectures at the Faculty of Law, Cairo University. Yet, academia was not his sole interest, as he had a relish for a politics. In fact, he wanted to do his best for Egypt. He had a strong belief that Egypt’s future will be prosperous, which was reflected in an article entitled, “A Prosperous Future Awaits Egypt”. May Dr. Yehia al-Gamal rest in peace.
Yehia Abdul Aziz Abdul Fattah al-Gamal was born on August 15, 1930 in Menoufiya. He passed away on November 21, 2016. During his lifetime, he decided to study law in spite of his love for literature. He writes, “Sixty years ago, I decided to study law, and abandon the Faculty of Arts. That day, I told myself: ‘Law will be my profession and literature my diversion.’ He was a unique blend of sense and sensibility.
Yehia al-Gamal graduated from Law School in 1952. He became attorney aide in 1953, then district attorney in 1954. Yehia al-Gamal acquired his M.A. in 1963, only to start a long academic journey which lasted for more than fifty years. He became Assistant Teacher, then Teacher in 1967, having acquired his Ph.D. He became Assistant Professor in 1970, then Professor in the same year. Later, he became dean of the Faculty of Law which he did cherish. He loved law so much that, “Law is like a maestro; believing in the rule of law is verily a standard of progress and civilization.”
Dr. al-Gamal enjoyed being with his students. He maintains in one of his articles, “… A friend asked me when I was at my best. I thought, then answered, ‘I am at my best when I read poetry, listen to Um Kulthoum, see some of my loved ones, and sit with my Ph.D. candidates at the Faculty of Law, Cairo University.”
In 1971, Dr. al-Gamal became State Minister for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of Administrative Development. In 2011, he became deputy Prime Minister for Societal Dialogue Affairs. But he resigned on July, 2011. During his lifetime, he had plenty of achievements. He is one of the prominent founders of the Arab Organization for Human Rights. He led it from 1983 to 2000.
Likewise, Dr. al-Gamal participated in founding and leading a huge number of human rights organizations, such as the Arab Institute for Human Rights in Tunisia. He also founded the Democratic Front Party in collaboration with Ossama al-Ghazali Harb, Ali al-Salmi and a group of thinkers and politicians. He presided that party. Additionally, he was member of several bodies, such as the National Council for Education and Scientific Research, International Court of Arbitration in Paris, Sixth of October University Board of Trustees, Zagazig University Board, the People’s Assembly, the law committee at the Supreme Council of Culture, as well as the Egyptian Family House where he was head of the Legal Committee.
Dr. Yehia al-Gamal has a lot of legal and political publications, such as, “Contemporary Political Regimes,” “The Constitutional System in the Arab Republic of Egypt,” “The Egyptian Constitutional System,” “The Administrative Judiciary,” “The Constitutional Judiciary,” “Pluralism in Constitutional Judiciary,” and “How Constitutional Judiciary Promotes Participation in Public Life.” Likewise, Dr. al-Gamal wrote a number of political articles in Egyptian and Arab journals. He also wrote a number of articles in literary periodicals in Egypt and the Arab world.
Due to the multiplicity of his achievements, he deserved the State’s Award of Social Sciences which he received from the Supreme Council of Culture in 1998. His life was full of:
Great Love for Egypt
Whoever read or met Dr. Yehia al-Gamal felt his deep love for Egypt and her people. He was not just a university professor. He was a politician who sensed the country’s pains, which is why he tackled her concerns in his writings. He had a bee in his bonnet about Egypt’s future, security, dignity, and prosperity.
Even at times of hardship, he focused on Egypt’s future, calling upon the people to unite and work. He said that there were two prerequisites for reaching a prosperous future, “First, Egyptians have to unite and do their best, for no pain, no gain. We have to realize that our problems have accumulated throughout several years and cannot be solved instantly. We have to understand that Egypt’s existence is being challenged. Second, we have to fix the middle administration system.”
He thought that unity and cooperation are the means of saving the country, which is why he said, “We cannot save Egypt unless we unite, work diligently, and give the lint of our money and effort: for if our country drowns, we will perish.”
Due to his preoccupation with dialogue, he wrote about the culture of difference, “In civilized communities, conversers know how to agree or differ. On the other hand, in disorderly communities, conversers hurriedly plunge into a fight whenever they differ. So, we have to learn how to differ; we have to learn the culture of productive dialogue.” He also wrote, “We are individuals who become groups. Yet, we do not know how to converse. We do not know that dialogue is an art which bases are good listening, understanding, then talking.” Many a time had he posed the question, “What do we need to unite?” In fact, he was trying to find a remedy for all sorts of conflict.
Dr. Yehia al-Gamal continuously rejected… Stories never end in Beautiful Egypt.
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
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