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Tarek Heggy ( ar, طارق حجى, ; born October 12, 1950) is an
Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
, political thinker and international petroleum strategist. Heggy is one of
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 ...
’s more prominent authors on the subject of Egypt’s need for political reform. His extensive writings advocate the values of modernity,
democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...
, tolerance, and
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
– advancing them as universal values essential to the region's progress. He has lectured at universities throughout the world and various international institutions and think tanks, such as the
Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...
, the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with operations in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Middle East as well as the United States. Founded in ...
, and the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
. Heggy's main themes are the need for economic, political, cultural and educational reforms in
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 ...
and the Middle East. He emphasizes respect for individual rights and the power of human reason to drive the sciences forward. He is an advocate of creativity and the arts, gender equality, free markets, non-sectarian public administration, and the utilization of modern management techniques. Tarek Heggy’s two books (published just before the Arab Spring), The Arab Cocoon (2010) and The Arab Mind Bound (2011), examine if and why the Arab world is resistant to Western forms of progress. Heggy puts forth that it is
Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
culture, broadly construed, that is holding the region back. He believes that neither U.S. foreign policy nor the existence of
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
are the primary reasons for this. Nor does he believe
European colonialism The historical phenomenon of colonization is one that stretches around the globe and across time. Ancient and medieval colonialism was practiced by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Turkish people, Turks, and the Arabs. Colonialism in the mode ...
, the global capitalist system, or the league of autocratic rulers who clung (and in places, continue to cling) to power thanks to oil revenues or outside military aid are the causes. Heggy draws on his cosmopolitan background, business experience, and discussions with public intellectuals of every persuasion to critique
Arab culture Arab culture is the culture of the Arabs, from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast. The various religions the Arab ...
. The mindset Heggy describes is prone to a literal, politicized version of Islam, which is a major contributor to the Arab malaise. The core of Heggy’s most important contention is encapsulated by this metaphor in The Arab Mind Bound: Arab culture is “shackled with two heavy chains”: attached to one is the species of Islam promulgated by Saudi
Wahhabi Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, an ...
s and to a lesser extent, the
Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ( ar, جماعة الإخوان المسلمين'' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan ...
; attached to the other is a dysfunctional educational system that perpetuates the “defective thought processes, intellectual distortions and negative delusions” that yield endemic stagnation in every sphere. It follows that no attempt to address the myriad political and economic problems facing the Arab-
Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...
world will be successful without religious, cultural, and educational reforms. According to
Bernard Lewis Bernard Lewis, (31 May 1916 – 19 May 2018) was a British American historian specialized in Oriental studies. He was also known as a public intellectual and political commentator. Lewis was the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near E ...
, a Cleveland E. Dodge Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Studies at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
, Heggy is a "courageous and distinctive voice from Egypt" and provides "a candid and provocative inside view of the current problems of the Arab world." Heggy has participated in the BBC/Doha Debate on the Separation of Mosque and State.


Early life and education

Heggy studied law (LL.B & LL.M) at Ain Shams University in
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
, followed by higher degrees in Modern Management Techniques from the International Management Institute of
Geneva University The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...
. From 1973 till 1979 he was associate professor of Law at Constantine University/Algeria and the University of Fes/Morocco.


Career

In July 1979, Heggy joined a major gas and oil company as an attorney (1979–1985) and went on to become deputy to the Chairman of its Egypt branch (1985–1988). In 1988 he became its Chairman and CEO, from which he resigned on July 1, 1996. Heggy participated in establishing (in 2000) the "Chair of Coptic Studies" at the
American University in Cairo The American University in Cairo (AUC; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة, Al-Jāmi‘a al-’Amrīkiyya bi-l-Qāhira) is a private research university in Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs ...
as well as the Tarek Heggy Graduate Scholarship for Jewish-Muslim Relations at the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
. Heggy received the 2008
Grinzane Cavour Grinzane Cavour is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about northeast of Cuneo. Grinzane Cavour borders the municipalities of Alba and Diano d'Alba. Original ...
Award for cultural and literary achievement as well as the Tenth Anniversary Award Recipients/Arab World Books' Writers.


Bibliography

Since April 1978, Tarek Heggy has written 19 books In Arabic (plus 15 in English, French & Italian). Books in English: * ''On Management and Petroleum Industry''. 1991 * ''Egypt's Contemporary Problems''. 1992 * ''Critique of Marxism''. 1992 * ''Egyptian Political Essays''. 2000 * ''Culture, Civilization & Humanity''. (Published in the UK and US by Frank Cass) 2003 * ''The Fall of Socialism''. 2009 * ''The Arab Cocoon''. (Published by Vallentine Mitchell in the UK, US) 2010 * ''The Arab Mind Bound''. (Valentine Mitchell Publishers, UK and US) 2011 * ''Islamism and Modernity: an Unconventional Perspective''. (FEEM press publisher, editor Guilio Sapelli). 2014 * ''The Plague of Radicalism''. (Roznameh Publisher) 2016 Books in Arabic: * ''Marxist Ideas In Balance''. 1978 * ''Communism And Religion''. 1980 * ''My Experience With Marxism''. 1983 * ''What is to be done?'' 1986 * ''The Four Idols''. 1988 * ''The Trinity of Destruction''. 1990 * ''Egypt between two Earthquakes''. 1991 * ''The Fateful Transformation''. 1993 * ''Reflections on Egypt 's Realities''. 1995 * ''Critique of the Arab Mind''. 1998 * ''Culture First and Foremost''. 2000 * ''The Values of Progress''. 2001 * ''On the Egyptian Mind''. 2003 * ''Margins on The Egyptian Mind''. 2004 * ''Modern Management in the contemporary Arab Societies''. 2006 * ''The Prisons of the Arab Mind''. (Merit Publishers, Cairo) 2009 * ''Our Culture Between Illusion and Reality''. 2009 * ''DANAT''. (Dar al Horryiah Publisher, Cairo) 2012 * ''The Plague of Radicalism'' (Akhbar-el-Youm publisher) 2019 Books in French: * ''L'inéluctable Transformation''. 1991 * ''Le Djinn Radical''. (Published by L'Harmattan, Paris) 2010 * ''L'esprit Arabe Enchaîné'' (Published by L'Harmattan. Paris) 2012 * ''Peste du Radicalisme'' (Édition Roznameh) 2016 Books in Italian: * ''Le Prigioni Della Mente Araba'' (translated by Valentina Columbo). (Published by Marietti 1820 - Casa Editrice Marietti, Milan Italy) 201


See also

*
Lists of Egyptians The following is a list of some of the notable Egyptians inside and outside of Egypt: Actors Male actors * Abdel Moneim Madbouly * Adel Emam * Ahmed Zaki * Ahmed El Sakka * Ahmed Ezz * Ahmed Helmy * Ahmed Mekky * Ahmed Ramzy * Ali Mans ...


References


Further reading

* * * * * * * * *


External links


Tarek Heggy interviews

Almuslih articles on Islamism, Progress, and Modernity

Reform and Modernization in the Arab and Muslim World


{{DEFAULTSORT:Heggy, Tarek Egyptian journalists Egyptian writers People from Port Said 1950 births Living people Ain Shams University alumni University of Geneva alumni