Monthly Archives: July 2013

Ali Mousa received his bachelor’s degree (First Class Honors) in mathematics from Ain Shams University in Cairo in 1953, and Ph.D. in mathematical physics from London University in 1958. He was also awarded a D.Sc. degree from Ain Shams University.

Professor Mousa’s academic career span nearly 50 years during which he rose from the status of Lecturer in Applied Mathematics in 1959 to Professor of Mathematical Physics in 1973. Professor Mousa taught theoretical physics at Ain Shams and the American University in Cairo, Kuwait University, and King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He mentored 16 doctoral students and was the Principal Investigator of a joint Ain Shams University and Stanford Research Institute Project on Applications of Modern Sensing Techniques in Egyptology, Principal Investigator in a UNESCO project entitled: Use of Visualization Techniques in Teaching Introductory Physics Courses in Arab Universities and leader of the computer group in a UNESCO project entitled Modernizing Physics and

Mathematics Education in Arab Universities. He was a Professor Emeritus of Physics in the College of Science at Ain Shams University.

Professor Mousa published around 70 papers and several books in physics and participated in numerous local, regional and international conferences and symposia. In addition to his research in physics, he is credited for having realized, since the 1970’s, the importance of computer applications in Arabic language studies. His significant contributions to the computerization of studies into the Arabic language roots have established him as a pioneer in this field. He published 5 books on the subject, in addition to studying Arabic words and consonant-vowel relations in the Holy Quran. His contributions in international meetings included many important studies such as: Entropy of Arabic Language, Compression of Arabic Text Via Arithmetic Coding, Corpus for Modern Standard Arabic: Preliminary Design and Analysis, Computer Applications in Linguistics and A Mathematical Model for the Automatic Prediction of Diacritics in Arabic Language: Algorithm of Model. He had also written several popular articles on the history and philosophy of science in Arabic.

Professor Mousa was the President of the International Association of Arabic Computing, Elected Fellow of the Institute of Physics (U.K.), Member of the Egyptian Arabic Language Academy, Egyptian Academy of Science, Egyptian Mathematical and Physical Society and Egyptian Mathematical Society. His contributions have been recognized by a number of awards, namely the Egyptian Amin Lutfi Award in Physics in 1964, the Egyptian State National Award in Physics in 1974, Egypt’s Presidential Award (First Class) in Sciences in 1976, and Arts and “Scientific Innovation Award” by the National (Ahli) Bank, Egypt in 2000.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Ramzi Baalbaki earned his BA with high distinction and Penrose Award in 1973 and an MA in Arabic Language and Literature in 1975 from the American University of Beirut (AUB), and a Ph.D. in Arabic Grammar and Comparative Semitics from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in 1978. During his academic career at AUB which spans over 30 years, he established himself as a distinguished teacher and scholar, particularly in the field of Arabic grammatical thought. He quickly progressed from Assistant Professor in 1978 to full Professor in 1989, and is currently the Margaret Weyerhaeuser Jewett Professor and Chairman of the Department of Arabic and Near Eastern Languages at AUB. He was Visiting Scholar at the Universities of Cambridge in 1988, Chicago in 1993 and Georgetown in 1998, and a scholar in residence at Georgetown University in 1999. He also served as Director of the Center for Arab and Middle East Studies from 1985 until 1990, and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1997 until 2004 at AUB.

Professor Baalbaki is one of the most respected scholars of Arabic grammatical studies. He wrote several major books and about 60 scholarly articles and book chapters on this subject. He also produced critical editions of Arabic texts in grammar, biographical writing and lexicography. His books include: Al-Kitaba aAl-Arabiyya wa-l Samiyya: Dirasat fi Tarikh Al-Kitaba ind Al-samiyyin (Studies in Arabic and Semitic Epigraphy),(1981; 424 pp); Dictionary of Linguistic Terms: Arabic-English (1990; 806 pp); Fiqh aAl-Arabiyya aAl-Muqaran: Dirasat fi Aswat Al-Arabiyyia wa Sarfiha wa Nahwiha ala Daw’ Al-Lugat aAl-Samiyya (Comparative Arabic Philology: Studies in Arabic Phonology, Morphology and Syntax in the Light of Semitic Languages) (1999; 277 pp); Grammarians and Grammatical Theory in the Medieval Arabic Tradition (2004; 354 pp); and The Legacy of the Kitab: Sibawayhi’s Analytical Methods Within the Context of the Arabic Grammatical Theory (2008; 334 pp). He also completed Al-Mawrid aAl-Akbar (2005; 2155 pp) which was started by his late father Mounir Baalbaki.

Professor Baalbaki’s editions include: Das Biografische Lexikon des Salahaddin Halil ibn Aibak as-Safadi vol. 22, Bibliotika Islamika vol. 5 (1983; 568 pp); A Study and Edition of Ibn Duraid’s Gumharat al-Luga (3 volume; 1997-1988; 1782 pp); A Study and Edition of Ibn Aqil’s Sharh ala Alfiyyat Ibn Malik (1992; 762 pp) and Al-Baladhuri’s Ansab al-Ashraf, vol 7/1 Bibliotika Islamika, 28i (1997; 672 pp) He also edited the following volumes: Arab Language and Culture, Special volume of al-Abhath (1983; 242 pp); Quest for Understanding Arabic and Islamic Studies: in Honor of Malcolm H. Kerr (co-edited with S. Seikaly and P. Dodd) (1990; 326 pp); The Formation of the Classical Islamic World: The Early Islamic Grammatical Tradition (2007; 336 pp) and Poetry and History; The Value of Poetry in Reconstructing Arab History (co-edited with T. Khalidi and S. S. Agha).

Professor Baalabaki’s insightful and coherent research and his publications (in Arabic and English) on Arabic grammar, its origins, its centrality within the wider Arab culture and its relationships and contributions to several areas of Islamic studies have brought new dimensions to the study of Arabic grammatical heritage and analytical methods of early grammarians, and significantly enhanced knowledge of early Arabic grammatical thought among Western scholars, particularly with regards to the Kitab of Sibawayh, a revered ancient scholar and founder of Arabic grammar. In view of his outstanding contributions to the study of the history of the Arabic grammatical tradition, Professor Baalbaki was chosen by the prestigious series The Formation of the Classical Islamic World to produce its volume The Early Islamic Grammatical Tradition (2007) while the Variorum Collected Studies Series reprinted eighteen of his articles under one title Grammarians and Grammatical Theory in the Medieval Arabic Tradition (2004). He was also awarded the 1999 Prize for Humanities by Abdel Hadi Al-Dibs Foundation in Lebanon. He is a member of the editorial boards of: Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics, Brill, Leiden; Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Oslo; Journal of Arabic Linguistic Tradition, Washington, D.C.; Langues et Littératures du Monde Arabe, Paris; Majallat Al-Mu’jamiyya Al-‘Arabiyya, Tunisia; Romano Arabica, Bucharest and The Arabic Historical Dictionary (Arab Language Academy, Cairo). He also served as editor of Al-Abhath from 1985 to 1996.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Abdulrahman Hadj-Saleh attended regular schools, as well as evening classes in Arabic, in his hometown. At the age of 15, he joined the Algerian liberation movement and was eventually forced to leave his country to escape persecution by the French secret police. He moved first to Cairo, Egypt, where he attended Arabic classes at Al-Azhar Mosque and the College of Arabic Language, and became profoundly interested in studying Arabic language tradition, and the difference between ancient and contemporary Arabic grammatical thought. He traveled to France where he earned a License (Bachelor) Degree in Arabic Language and Literature in 1958, a Post-graduate Diploma in French Philology in 1960 from the University of Bordeaux, and an Agrégation Certificate in Language and Literature from the University of Paris 1961. Between 1961-1962, he served as Assistant Professor at the College of Arts, Rabat University, Morocco. At the same time, he earned a Diploma in Political Science from the College of Law and attended classes in mathematics at the College of Science in Rabat. In 1979, he earned a State Doctorate in Linguistics from the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV).

Professor Hadj-Saleh joined the University of Algiers in 1962. His academic career spanned nearly half a century, during which he served as a Professor and scholar of Arabic Language, as well as Director of Linguistics and Head of the Department of Arabic Language at the College of Arts in 1962, and became Dean of the College between 1965-1968. He also served as Director of the Institute of Linguistics and Phonetics at the University of Algiers between the years 1966-1984, Director of Linguistics Technology Research Unit in 1986-1991 and Director of the National Center for the Advancement of Arabic Language Research in 1992-2006. In 2000, he was appointed Chairman of the Algerian Arabic Language Academy. During his tenure in the University of Algiers, he also founded the Journal of Linguistics, developed a Master’s Program in Linguistics, and mentored a large number of researchers and post-graduate students, who are now occupying senior positions in his country.

Professor Hadj-Saleh is renowned for his insightful analysis of al-Khalil’s linguistic theory and its relation to contemporary grammatical thought, and is considered the originator of the “modern” concept of that theory. He is also known, both in his country and in the Arab world, for his significant contributions to the study, evaluation and teaching of Arabic linguistics and his active role in Arabicization, in addition to his numerous other cultural activities. He is an elected member of four Arabic Language Academies, in Damascus, Baghdad, Amman and Cairo, and was Chairman of the Arab League’s International Committee and High Commission for the Arabic Language Heritage Project, and the Algerian National Committee for Educational Reform. He also served as an expert in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and as Member of Advisory Councils of ALESCO’s Arabicization Coordination Office in Rabat, and in Khartoum International Institute of Arabic Language and the Institute of Ancient Arabic Manuscripts in Cairo. Besides, he was the Director of the Arabic periodical: Journal of Linguistics, and was a member of the editorial board of Zeitschrift für Phonetik, Sprachwissenschaft und Kommunikationsforschung published in Germany.

Professor Hadj-Saleh is the author of many Arabic, English, and French articles and books. His publications cover a wide field of linguistics, phonetics, grammar, lexicography, rhetoric and Listening, including: Buhuth Wa Dirasat Fi Ulum Al-Lisan, Mantiq Al-Arab Fi Ulum Al-Lisan, Arabic Linguistics and Phonetics, in Applied Linguistics and Signal Processing, and Linguistique arabe et linguistique generale: essai de methodologie et d’episternologie du ilm Al-Arabiyya. Of particular importance is his work on modern concepts of al-Khalil’s linguistic theory.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Abdulaziz Al-Manie obtained his bachelor’s degree from the College of Arabic Language in Riyadh in 1966 and a Ph.D. from Exeter University in the United Kingdom in 1976. A specialist in the verification of ancient Arabic manuscripts, Professor Al-Manie pursued an academic career, first as a lecturer in the Department of Arabic Language at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah and, as of 1977, in the Department of Arabic Language at the College of Arts, King Saud University, Riyadh, where he is currently an Emeritus Professor of Ancient Arabic Literature.

In addition to teaching and research, Professor Al-Manie was entrusted with several academic and administrative responsibilities during his career. He was the Director of the College of Arts Research Council for two years, the Chairman of the Department of Arabic Language for another two years, the College of Arts’ representative in the Board of the Post-Graduate Studies College for four years, the editor-in-chief of the College of Arts Journal (King Saud University) for four years, and the Director of the Saudi Arabian Educational Office in Los Angeles, California (USA) for two years. During the years of 2006 and 2007, he was a visiting professor at Sousa University in Tunisia.

Despite his numerous obligations, Professor Al-Manie participates actively in the cultural life of Riyadh through his public lectures and literary articles. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Riyadh Literary Club. He is also a member of the Saudi Arabian Arabic Language Society, the Academic Committee of Shaikh Hamad Al-Jasir Cultural Center in Riyadh, the editorial board of Al-Arab magazine, and a consultant editor of other Riyadh-based publications, including Aalam Al-Kutub (Book World), Aalam Al-Makhtoutat (Manuscript World) and Al-Dir’iya, as well as the Jordanian Journal of Arabic Language and Literature published by Mutah University in Jordan.

Professor Al-Manie is a prolific researcher in his field of specialization. He authored more than fifteen books dealing with the verification of ancient Arabic literary works, published numerous articles locally and internationally and participated in many conferences and symposia in Saudi Arabia, Australia, the United Kingdom, India, Italy, Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan. In addition, he has been contributing for over thirty years to his Department’s weekly seminars on language and literature issues.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Mohammad Hamzawi obtained his BA in Arabic Language, a Diploma of Higher Studies in Islamic Civilization and a State Doctorate in Arabic Language and Literature from the Sorbonne University in Paris in 1960. He also studied Hebrew, Aramaic and Syriac languages at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Following his graduation in 1972, Professor Hamzawi joined the Faculty of Arts in the Tunisian University, where he rose to the rank of professor of higher studies in Arabic language. In addition, he was assigned several administrative, academic and cultural responsibilities in Tunisia including the posts of Director of Bourguiba Institute of Live Languages, Director of the Department of Higher Education of the Tunisian Ministry of Education, and Director of the International Cultural Center in Hammamat (Tunisia). He also served as professor of Arabic language in the United Arab Emirates University, Annaba University in Algiers, and Qaboos University in Oman; he worked as a consultant to the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Sciences (ALESCO), and a member of the Arab League delegation to the Arab-European Dialogue in Florence. He is the founder of the Arab Society of Lexicography, founder and chief editor of the Arabic Journal of Lexicology and a founding member of the Association of Arab Research Councils.

He authored numerous articles and close to 25 books in Arabic, English and French. Among his important books on Arabic language terminology are: The Arabic Theory of Naht (which means coining one word from two or more words); Theoretical and Applied Lexicolography: Terms and Concepts; and A Dictionary of Modern Arabic Language Terminology. His distinguished contributions were recognized by medals from Tunisia and France.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Ahmad Matloob obtained his BA in Arabic Language at the College of Arts and Sciences from Baghdad University in 1956, an MA degree in 1961, and a Ph.D. degree in Arabic Literary Criticism and Rhetoric at Cairo University in 1963. After graduation, he joined the College of Arts in Baghdad University as an assistant professor in 1963, rising to the rank of full professorship nine years later. He became Dean of the College of Arts and a member of the University Council. He also served as a professor of Arabic at Kuwait University, the Cairo-based Arab Research Institute and Wahran University in Algiers, and as a visiting professor at Martin Luther University in Germany.

Apart from these academic positions, Professor Al-Nasiri held several offices in the Iraqi government. He was the Director of the Departments of Extension, Press and Culture, and subsequently Minister of Culture and Extension. He served as a Secretary General of the Iraqi Science Academy, a member of the Iraqi Writers Union, and chief editor or member of editorial boards of several literary and cultural journals in his country.

Professor Al-Nasiri was a prolific writer in different fields of Arabic language, literature, religion and poetry. He authored or co-authored more than 50 books and editions, as well as hundreds of research papers and popular articles, and participated in over 100 national and international conferences and numerous local radio and television sessions. His scholarly studies of the evolution, organization and context of terminology in Arabic rhetoric and literary criticism have been of fundamental importance for research into this subject. His contributions include a 3-volume dictionary of the terminology and development of Arabic rhetoric, a 2-volume dictionary of ancient Arabic literary criticism, and a compilation of research in Arabic linguistics.

Al-Nasiri’s scholarship was recognized by several other prizes, medals, memberships of Arabic Language Academies, and lectureships in many Arab, African and Western universities.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Mustafa Nasif joined Ain Shams University as a lecturer in 1952 and became a full professor in 1966. He taught ancient Arabic rhetoric and literature for several decades and chaired the Department of Arabic Language more than once. Upon his retirement in 1980, he was appointed Professor Emeritus of Arabic. He was known in academic circles throughout the Arab world, having taught in many Arab Universities and the American University in Cairo. In the 1950’s, he was invited to lecture on his New Horizons in Metaphors at London University and The Theory of Meaning in Modern Arabic Literary Criticism at Harvard.

Professor Nasif’s scholastic contributions had profoundly impacted the current understanding and interpretation of classical Arabic rhetoric. He examined the subject in the light of modern concepts, exploring previously unknown aspects and raising intriguing questions about the history, development and uniqueness of Arabic rhetoric and its association with other components of Arabic culture. He suggested that it was an Islamic, rather than a pre-Islamic, phenomenon that grew within the broader context of culture and was influenced by the spiritual and political atmosphere of the time. Through his intellectual pursuits and research for more than 60 years, he was able to redefine classical Arabic rhetoric, de-marginalize it and make it a cornerstone for understanding both classical and modern Arabic culture. He also made significant contributions to other genres of classical and contemporary Arabic literature and language. He authored or co-authored around 25 books and book chapters, and numerous articles. Many of his publications are used widely as standard textbooks and references in Arab universities.

Nasif’s scholarship was recognized by several other awards and honors including the Egyptian Order of Distinction (First Class), the State Prize in Literature in 1999, and prizes from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in 2003.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Mohamed Al Omari received his Ph.D. from Mohammed V University in Rabat, where he is currently a Professor Emeritus of Arabic rhetoric, communication and discourse analysis and literary criticism. He is a member of the Moroccan Writers’ Union and editor of several journals.

Al-Omari’s research is primarily focused on examining classical Arabic rhetoric from a modern perspective. Realizing the difficulty of fully comprehending Ancient Arabic rhetoric without due consideration of contemporary rhetoric concepts, he first verified Mohamed El-Ifrani’s book The Easy Way to Explaining Ibn Sahl’s Tawashih, a major text of applied Arabic rhetoric, then translated Jan Cohen’s: The Poetic Language Structure (jointly with M. El Wali) and Henrich Plet’s: Rhetoric and Stylistics; both of which strongly emphasize the resourcefulness of classical rhetoric in developing a modern insight into the subject. He also sought to revive long forgotten aspects of Arabic culture, namely the phonetic structure of Arabic poetry and the pragmatic argumentative dimensions of Arabic rhetoric. His work on poetry phonetics was published in a series of three books: Poetic Discourse Analysis, which received the Moroccan Book Award, Phonetic Equivalences in the Rhetorical Vision and Trends of Phonetic Equivalences in Ancient Arabic poetry. His studies on argumentative dimensions of Arabic rhetoric were published in two other books: Persuasive Discourse Rhetoric and The Circle of Dialogue. In the latter, he proposed a model of rhetorical dialogue based on modern ideas. In 2001, he published a second edition incorporating both of these texts under the title Phonetic Equivalences in the Rhetoric Vision and Poetic Practice. Al Omari’s second focus of research was on the systematization and essence of Arabic rhetoric. His work on systematization was published in a book titled: Arabic Rhetoric: Origins and Extensions while his 2005 book: New Rhetoric: Fictional and Pragmatic, emphasizes the complex identity of Arabic rhetoric, defines sources from which it derived its strengths and weaknesses and elucidates many elements of Ancient rhetoric that could be utilized for constructing a contemporary view of Arabic rhetoric.

Through his grasp of modern rhetoric and stylistics research, coupled with his deep insight of Arabic language heritage, Professor Al-Oman has set an example of precise methodology and presentation of research in Arabic rhetoric.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.