In medicine, we learn early that when a human being stands between life and death, many of the things that divide the world outside the operating room simply disappear. Nationality, language, borders and political differences no longer matter. A patient enters the operating theatre with only one identity: a human being who needs someone to
On August 3, Egypt’s artistic and journalistic communities celebrated the birthday of Egyptian writer and journalist Sana El Bissy, one of the most distinguished figures to have left an exceptional mark on Arab journalism. For more than five decades, she has successfully combined the sensitivity of an artist with the precision of a
On 14 July 1967, my platoon of the Sa’ka (Egyptian Commando Forces) was positioned west of the Suez Canal, approximately one and a half kilometers behind El Ferdan Bridge. Throughout the previous night and the entire day, we had been deepening our trenches in anticipation of an enemy attack. A tank was positioned several meters behind
I was assigned to travel as a military adviser to the Libyan Special Forces in Benghazi and Tripoli, to train them in everything related to parachute jumping, heavy drops, and unarmed combat techniques, as well as to translate all publications related to imported military equipment, devices, and gear from English into Arabic, and to supervise
By the grace and will of God, I have approached the middle of my eighth decade of life. I often recall moments, scenes, and people who brought me happiness, and I record some of them here.
I remember the first apple my eyes ever saw—it was large, with a bright, glossy red color. I was three years old at the time, in 1945. I was
