Ibrahim Fawal (1933 - 2020) was a

Palestinian-American Palestinian Americans ( ar, فلسطينيو أمريكا) are Americans who are of full or partial Palestinians, Palestinian descent. It is unclear when the first Palestinian immigrants arrived in the United States, but it is believed that the ...

academic, former professor, and author of the historical novel ''On the Hills of God'', about the experiences of a young

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

man during the

Nakba Clickable map of Mandatory Palestine with the depopulated locations during the 1947–1949 Palestine war. The Nakba ( ar, النكبة, translit=an-Nakbah, lit=the "disaster", "catastrophe", or "cataclysm"), also known as the Palestinian Ca ...

, or "catastrophe" of 1948. He lived in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. Fawal was born in

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...

, Palestine in 1933. He later moved to the United States, where he earned a bachelor's degree from Birmingham-Southern College and a

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in film from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. He worked as an assistant to director

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...

during the filming of ''

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

'' in 1961, before returning to Birmingham, where he became a professor of film and literature at the

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a Public university#United States, public List of research universities in the United States, research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established i ...

. In 1996, at the age of 63, Fawal began working on his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in England. His thesis, on renowned

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

ian filmmaker

Youssef Chahine Youssef Chahine ( ar, يوسف شاهين, Yūsuf Shāhīn ; 25 January 1926 – 27 July 2008) was an Egyptians, Egyptian film director. He was active in the Cinema of Egypt, Egyptian film industry from 1950 until his death. He directed twel ...

, was published by the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

and

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

in 2001. Fawal's first novel, ''On the Hills of God'', was published in 1998 and tells the story of the Palestinian ''Nakba'', or "catastrophe", through the eyes of a young Palestinian man named Yousif Safi. It was the recipient of the

PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award The PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award is for U.S. multicultural writers, to "promote works of excellence by writers of all cultural and racial backgrounds and to educate both the public and the media as to the nature of multicultural work. ...

, and has been translated into Arabic and German. According to an editorial review by Patricia Keegan Holz of Washington International, Fawal was a Christian.As the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues, one would expect a natural curiosity among Americans to learn more about its origination and basis. Of the many accounts of the roots of the conflict, none may be as instantly engaging, on a personal level, as On the Hills of God. This 450-page historical novel was written in 2006 by Ibrahim Fawal, a Christian Palestinian … The book ends with the fleeing of Ardallah’s populace and the separation of Yousif and Salwa in the crowds. It leaves the reader abruptly suspended in midair, wondering how this story of love and loss will be resolved. The good news is that author Ibrahim Fawal is currently working on a sequel. -- Patricia Keegan Holz ― Washington International

References

External links

Profile of Ibrahim Fawal at the Institute for Middle East Understanding

Ibrahim Fawal: About the Author at NewSouth Books

1933 births 2020 deaths American people of Palestinian descent University of Alabama at Birmingham faculty Writers from Birmingham, Alabama PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award winners American Christians Christians from Alabama {{Palestine-academic-bio-stub