Mahmoud Zakzouk (; 27 December 1933 – 1 April 2020) was an Egyptian politician and academic. He served as
minister of religious endowment of
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
from 1995 to 2011.
Early life and education
Zakzouk was born in
Dakahlia, Egypt, on 27 December 1933.
[ He obtained a ]bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in languages from Al Azhar University
The Al-Azhar University ( ; , , ) is a public university in Cairo, Egypt. Associated with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Islamic Cairo, it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic ...
in 1959. Then he received a master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
from the same university in 1960.[ He also received a ]PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in philosophy
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
from Munich University in 1968. His PhD thesis dealt with the comparison of the philosophical approaches of Descartes and Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...
.[
]
Career
Zakzouk was a professor of philosophy
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
and taught philosophy at his alma mater, Al Azhar University.[ He joined the university in 1968.][ From 1972 to 1976 he was visiting professor in ]Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
and from 1980 to 1984 in Qatar
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
.[ He served as the dean of the Islamic Theology Faculty at Al Azhar from 1987 to 1995.][ He was appointed minister of religious endowments (Awqaf) in 1995 and was in office until the Revolution of 2011 when he was removed.]
Zakzouk served as head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs to which he was appointed in 1996.[ He held the following posts: vice president of Al Azhar University (1995), member of the Islamic Research Academy, member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in ]Salzburg
Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...
[ and head of the Egyptian Society of Philosophy.][
In July 2016, Zakzouk received the bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot to give him a tour of Al Azhar University upon the request of ]Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
and to discuss the formal resumption of dialogue between the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and Al Azhar University.
Views
Zakzouk argued in 2006 that the Baháʼí Faith
The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...
"is 'not a revealed religion' for Muslims and thus not subject to special protection in Egypt." He also publicly claimed that capital punishment for converts, more specifically those Muslim-born persons who convert to other religious beliefs, is legal. In 2007, he called on Egyptian imams to condemn the practice of female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. Prevalence of female ge ...
.
Zakzouk frowned on the use of the niqab. He expelled a counsellor wearing the niqab from a meeting at his ministry, and stated "the religious counsellor should set an example of moderation. By wearing the niqab, this female counsellor promotes a tradition not demanded by Islam".
In 2010, Zakzouk announced a plan to unify the Adhan
The (, ) is the Islamic call to prayer, usually recited by a muezzin, traditionally from the minaret of a mosque, shortly before each of the five obligatory daily prayers. The adhan is also the first phrase said in the ear of a newborn baby, ...
, but the religious affairs committee in the parliament refused his proposal. Seven years later, actress Shereen Reda and the Minister of Religious Affairs, Gaber Tayae, relaunched Zakzouk's suggestions through a press campaign.
Personal life and death
Zakzouk was married and had one child.[ He died on 1 April 2020.
]
Prizes
* 1997: Egyptian State Prize for Social Sciences[
]
Works
Zakzouk published many scientific articles and books, including ''On Philosophy Culture and Peace in Islam'', ''On the Role of Islam in the Development of Philosophical Thought'' (1989), ''Al Ghazalis Philosophie im Vergleich mit Descartes'' (Comparison of Al Ghazali's Philosophy with that of Descartes, 1992), ''Fragen zum Thema Islam'' (Questions on Islam, 1999) and ''Einführung in den Islam'' (Introduction to Islam, 2000).[ He also contributed to ''The End of Tolerance?'' which was published in 2002.] The book focuses on interfaith origins of tolerance.[
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zakzouk, Mahmoud
20th-century Egyptian philosophers
20th-century Egyptian politicians
20th-century Egyptian writers
20th-century scholars
21st-century Egyptian politicians
21st-century Egyptian writers
21st-century philosophers
1933 births
2020 deaths
Al-Azhar University alumni
Academic staff of Al-Azhar University
Endowments ministers of Egypt
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni
People from Dakahlia Governorate