Renowned Egyptian Thinker Murad Wahba Passes Away at 100, Leaving a Legacy of Enlightenment and Resistance to Extremism
Dr. Murad Wahba, a prominent Egyptian philosopher, passed away today at the age of 100, leaving behind a significant intellectual legacy that has shaped contemporary Arab thought.
Dr. Wahba served as a philosophy professor at Ain Shams University and was the president of the International Averroes Association. He was a leading advocate for enlightenment and secularism in Egypt and the Arab world.
The Minister of Culture, Dr. Ahmed Fouad Henu, expressed his condolences, noting that Dr. Wahba's extensive philosophical career profoundly impacted the promotion of dialogue and scientific thinking, enriching the intellectual landscape over decades.
Known for his courageous stances against extremist ideologies and political Islam, Dr. Wahba founded a philosophical school that acted as a bulwark against fundamentalist movements for over seventy years.
His intellectual project focused on revitalizing averroism, inspired by the philosopher Averroes, emphasizing critical thought and enlightened reason as essential for humanity's future.
Dr. Wahba was a staunch proponent of secularism, arguing that it does not oppose religion but rather separates the "absolute" from the "relative" to prevent the exploitation of the sacred in political conflicts.
His book, "The Angel of Absolute Truth", presents a unique intellectual legacy, identifying the belief in possessing absolute truth as a significant source of terrorism and extremism, and addressing the "paradox between reason and fundamentalism," which he engaged with throughout his life.
Born in Asyut, Egypt, in 1926, Dr. Wahba earned his bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Fouad I University in 1947 and later obtained a Ph.D. in contemporary philosophy from Alexandria University in 1959.
He served as a professor and later as an assistant professor of philosophy at Ain Shams University, held lectures at various Russian and Western universities, and led the human studies unit at the Middle East Research Center.
The passing of Dr. Wahba signifies the conclusion of an era of enlightened thought and the continuation of his intellectual battles against extremism, ensuring his legacy as a symbol of secularism and rationality in the Arab world.
