Jailed Former DePauw Professor Honored with Award, Profiled in Documentary

November 21, 2001

November 21, 2001, Greencastle, Ind. - There are several new developments to report on Saad Eddin Ibrahim, who taught sociology at DePauw University from 1967 to 1974 and remains jailed in Egypt for his work to bring democratic reform to that country. Convicted in May, Dr. Ibrahim, who is incarcerated with his associates from the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies, is serving a seven year prison sentence.

The group Democracy Egypt reports the European Union sought the permission of the Egyptian government to send an EU representative to visit Dr. Ibrahim and his colleagues in prison. Permission was granted, and the meeting took place last week. "It was both an important signal and morale lifter to all the six defendants in prison. In addition an official letter will be transmitted from the EU to the government of Egypt in response to the courts verdict of 21 May," reports Democracy Egypt.

Meanwhile, BBC World, which can be seen internationally via satellite, is airing a documentary this weekend on the situation in Egypt. The segment of the Correspondent program, entitled "No Compromise," will highlight legal assaults on freedom of expression and features the recent cases of Dr. Nawal Saadawy (who was taken to court to try to forcably separate her from her husband) and Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim. It will be shown in two parts over the next two weeks, with several repeats. Part one will first air Friday, November 23 at 9:30 p.m. (all times GMT), with repeats Saturday at 7:30 a.m., Sunday 2:30 and 11:30 p.m., Monday 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and Tuesday at 1:30 and 5:30 a.m. Part two debuts Friday, November 30 at 9:30 p.m., with replays scheduled at the same days of the week and times as the repeated showings of part one.

The jailed professor, who was remembered by his DePauw students and colleagues with a "teach-in" over Alumni Reunion Weekend in June, continues to see support from people and organizations around the world. The Middle East Studies Association of North America's (MESA) Board of Directors has established the MESA Academic Freedom Award, in recognition of sustained contributions in support of academic freedom in the Middle East and North Africa. The first recipient, announced Monday, November 19, 2001, is Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim. MESA recognized the professor for "his dedication to the promotion of democratic rights and civil liberties through his teaching and scholarship, and his commitment as a public intellectual to the principles of free expression and the free exchange of information and ideas." The award announcement continued, "In further recognition of his endurance of persecution and harassment by the government of Egypt, and personal attack by state-affiliated media, and on account of his tireless advocacy of fundamental rights for all Egyptians, MESA dedicates its first Academic Freedom Award to Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim Professor of Sociology, American University in Cairo and founding director, Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies."

In June, when asked by the New York Times Magazine why he had been arrested, the professor said, "In a pyramid, which we perfected 4,000 years ago, when even one stone is removed, the structure faces the danger of collapse. So it is not so much that Saad Eddin Ibrahim is a threat per se, but rather, he is an example that could be emulated, one stone at a time."

Dr. Ibrahim taught at DePauw from 1967 to 1974. He is married to Barbara (Lethem) Ibrahim, a 1971 graduate of DePauw University.

Back