Amr Moussa: “An enjoyable piece of work telling you a story of success, determination and the history of the nation.”
Al Najjar: “So thrilled by Maher Makalad’s work as it tells you about Abu-Ghazaleh's journey.Al Feqqi: “I read a challenging life’s journey that calls for pride.”
Abu- Ghazaleh: “I am proud of being an Arab, and I am also proud that this book is launched by the cream of Media, Al-Ahram, in the home of Arabism, Egypt.”
Special to ag-IP-news Agency
CAIRO - Attended by members of Egyptian society influential in the fields of politics, economy and media, and sponsored by H.E. Dr. Amr Moussa, former Secretary General of the Arab League, Al-Ahram Center for Publishing organized an impressive ceremony to announce the release of the book of Abu Ghazaleh: Climbing the Summit, written by the journalist Maher Makalad, editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram Newspaper.
The ceremony was attended by Ahmed Al Sayyed El-Najjar, Chairman of Al-Ahram Foundation, and the Arab thinker Dr. Mustafa Feqqi. It was also attended by senior writers from the prestigious foundation, in addition to a large number of public and media figures in Egypt. H.E. Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh made a special trip from the United Arab Emirates to attend the ceremony held in the historical hall named Mohamed Hassanein Heikal at the Al-Ahram Foundation premises.
The ceremony included touching words of praise for Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, and recognition of his professional and human message, reflected in his overall achievements over several decades.
In this context, Ahmed Al Sayyed Al Najjar, Chairman of Al-Ahram Foundation, said, "The book, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh: Climbing the Summit, is the type of book that no official publishing house would hesitate to publish. It is a book that narrates a great success story, and reveals a strong spirit in maintaining the success by perseverance and in spite of challenges.
added that the book includes an important element, which is the charisma of the subject of the biography, Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, who is considered one of the influential figures in the Arab world. He has an honorable professional history. Indeed, he embodies the spirit of overcoming challenge typical of a determined Palestinian.
H.E. Dr. Amr Moussa, the patron of the ceremony, highlighted the profound values that the book, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh: Climbing the Summit represents as an image of Arab pride instilling both hope and pride and attracting the reader.
He said that he was keen to patronize the launch of the book once he had read its contents and the author's description of the personality of Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh. He is overwhelmed by the achievements in Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh's career and the extent of his pride in his Arabist spirit, in addition to his respect at all times for the values of work and perseverance. All of this enabled him to reach the highest ranks and posts which made every Arab proud of the prestige and responsibility he embodies.
In his speech, Dr. Amr Moussa shed light on certain momentous milestones in Dr. Talal's Abu-Ghazaleh journey, particularly the era chronicling his forced displacement from his beloved Palestine in 1948 and his stay in Sidon in the southern part of Lebanon. It was in that stage of his life that he excelled in education and work. He undertook immense tasks even in childhood.
Dr. Amr Moussa showed pages of the book to the audience and read some of its statements. He then quoted some statements from the book, including the statement of the pillar of Arabic literature, Taha Hussein, "knowledge is like water and air; it is a force in all the stages of Abu-Ghazaleh's life." He narrated the story of Jumana, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh's daughter, and her journey to Jaffa to visit her grandfather's house and her father's stand in relation to the Palestinian cause. He added, "I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to talk about the success of the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization as one of the major professional organizations in its field worldwide."
Dr. Mustafa Feqqi said, "Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh's life itself is a success story and the book unequivocally reveals it. He deserves credit as a patron of the Palestinian cause, which is seen as Egypt's major cause as Egypt is a neighboring country and shares direct borders with Palestine”.
He underscored the fact that he had known Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh for a long time, and was keen to attend this ceremony despite his busy schedule. He was so happy to be present at the ceremony and commended the efforts of Mr Makalad, the author of the book. He added that the book is a message for Arab youth who aspire to change their life despite all the obstacles they face.
The author, Maher Makalad, said that he enjoyed a pleasant journey for the more than eighteen months which it took him to prepare the book. During that period, he was privileged to be introduced to the positive energies in Talal's Abu-Ghazaleh character which are symbolized by his goodness, benevolence, acceptance of challenge and refusal to accept half-solutions.
Makalad called for every Arab and every person living in this world to read the book to learn of an unprecedented success story which derived strength from weakness, success out of mediocrity and turned suffering into a blessing. This statement is the slogan used by the subject of this biography and he always repeats it as evidence that nothing in life is impossible and that the way to success is through work and struggle.
The author showed that Dr. Talal's Abu-Ghazaleh biography was not an attempt at writing to illustrate a success story and show superiority. It is an immortal human story, a history of overcoming major difficulties and the perils of life, including the loss of his homeland, Palestine. He maintains the hope of regaining the right of return and faces opponents in all fora armed with the weapon of knowledge, science and fortitude. Add to all of that, he has held top posts though nominations made by recognized decision-makers and acknowledged authorities.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, H.E. Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh pointed out that not only does he himself keep a unique and cherished place in his heart for Egypt and the Al-Ahram Foundation, but that it is shared by every Arab. Similarly, he underscored his close relationship with the late Muhammad Hassanein Heikal and the Al-Ahram Foundation and he underlined the importance of creating knowledge. He described the ceremony as a historic day in his life journey and emphasized his pride in his close relationship with the key Egyptian public figures, Mustafa Feqqi and Amr Moussa. Following his speech, H.E. Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh opened the book signing event.
H.E. Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh also expressed his gratitude to the Al-Ahram Foundation and Al- Ahram Publishing Center for publishing his biography and for organizing the ceremony. He talked about his ambitions, saying, "I had the great ambition to have the largest company in the world. Ambition is so important but success can only be achieved through planning, willpower and specialization. Indeed, we have already become the largest translation company in the world and also the largest intellectual property protection company in the world."
"I suffered greatly to become what I am now and achieve great accomplishments at the intellectual and knowledge level through a large organization with many branches in the world, exactly like the Al-Ahram Foundation."