 |
| Clovis Maksoud |
I
knew about the death of the Arab thinker, journalist, and diplomat Clovis Maksoud
who died at the age of 90 and buried in the United States of America. I
acknowledge, along with others who are more knowledgeable and sophisticated
than me, that Clovis belonged to a group – and not a generation – of Arab
intellectuals who believed in Arab nationalism and Union and who were really
passionate about Egypt’s essential and pivotal role in the Arab nation
throughout history; past, present and future.
I
met the man for the first time at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates 30 years
ago after I used to read what he was writing in Al Ahram newspaper starting
from 1967 to 1974 and was wondering about his strange name which I wasn’t able
to pronounce at first. Our relation became stronger through time. We used to
meet at least once a year in the annual conference of Dar Al Khaleej Printing and Publishing House. It happened once that
we sat next to each other on board a plane heading to the United States. During
the long hours of flying, we exchanged our opinions regarding thought, politics
and love. I knew – and was even amazed – that after his wife Hala Sallam had passed
away he fell in love with another woman – whom I knew – and how deep and loving
emotions he had for her that he was hoping desperately to marry her.
According
to age and era, Clovis Maksoud belongs to the old leftist Arab nationalist
generation but actually he was – and remained until he left our world – a real
human thinker having a profoundly-rich culture and keeping up-to-dated with all
coming to light. He also possessed a conscious critical mentality that was able
to view the essence of the world’s rich and diverse cultures starting from
India in the east to the United States and Europe in the west. He was able to
spot – away from suffering any psychological complex of feeling inferior or
superior – the weak points in the American and European collective mentality
and attitude toward his nation’s causes. Instead of surrendering and standing
in the aggressor’s side where he lived for decades or even retreating to the
empty shell of chauvinism, he engaged actively by suggesting ideas, giving
lectures and establishing research centers addressing and mitigating speech of
both opposing sides. It was him who established the Centre for the Global South
in the American University in Washington.
I received
a message through e-mail that was forwarded to me by Mr. Sami Sharaf and which
was written by Dr. Yehia el-Sha’er about some phases of Clovis’ life. I
republished it on Facebook and I here excerpt some parts of it… this is out of
journalism professionalism that is inseparable of its scientific authenticity
counterpart.
Clovis
was a Maronite Christian of an Orthodox mother, brought up in a Druze-dominated
surrounding and got married to a Sunni Muslim woman. In the same time, he belonged
to the progressive Arab national ideology and for some time in his life he
joined the Socialist Progressive Party headed by Kamal Gunblat; his friend whom
he disagreed with despite their friendship and working in politics under his
leadership. Gunblat was of the opinion that Gamal Abdel Nasser was hasty about
his decision of nationalizing the Suez Canal while Clovis thought it was a
tremendous step on the way of Arab and Egyptian fight against colonialism.
That
mentality of Clovis reminds me of another friend; the writer and thinker Elias
Sehab, big brother of Selim – the music conductor and composer – Victor and
Samir. Elias Sehab was also of Palestinian origins, lived in and had the
nationality of Lebanon. He was also Maronite, believed in the Nasserite Arab
nationalist ideology and was interested in Arabic music to the extent that he
studied it.
Clovis met
founders of al-Baath party; Michel Aflaq[1],
Salah al-Bitar[2]
and Akram el-Horani[3]
where the first two used to go to Mass’oud café in Bab Idris and el-Horani used
to sit on Patisserie Swiss next to the Capuchin Cathedral in the same place. Clovis
wanted to move from the Socialist Party to al-Baath Party when he was advised
by Aflaq and al-Bitar to remain in the first headed by Gunblat to deepen his
Arab identity and roots. Afterwards, Clovis left
the Socialist Progressive party and didn’t join el-Baath. He became one of the
most prominent and staunch supporters of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Here,
Dr. Yehia el-Sha’er recounts some of the situations that took place between Clovis
and Nasser as the former wrote a letter protesting detention of Muslim
Brotherhood members in Egypt in the 50s when he was surprised to have an
invitation to visit Egypt from then-minister Kamal Re’fat who was chairman of
the board of Akhbar Alyoum Journalism institution. Accompanied by Kamal Re’fat;
a prominent officer of the Free Officers’ movement and leader of the armed
people resistance movement against the British Base in Suez Canal before and
during negotiations to evacuate their troops, Clovis found himself in a visit
to Nasser’s house in the neighborhood of Manshiet el-Bakri in Cairo.
When Nasser saw him, he said “so you think yourself Master of Arab nationalism
and your name is Clovis… why don’t you change your name?” Clovis replied “Mr.
President, suggest me one”. Nasser then said “what about Qahtan[4]
for example?” Clovis answered in his Lebanese accent and great sense of humor
“don’t you have something in between?”
That
funny account of Clovis’ name reminds me of another one I and others heard many
times. The one that took place between Clovis and Arab Syrian poet Omar Abu
Richa who was working as an ambassador for his country in India. He went to
welcome Clovis at Delhi airport when the latter was appointed an ambassador of
the Arab league there. Clovis said Mr. Omar took him by car and went on a ride
in Delhi. Clovis was waiting to hear the poems of the poet whom he used to read
for since he was young when Abu Richa stopped before a residential compound and
entered leading Clovis. Abu Richa reached a sitting room where an Indian man
who looked like Maharaja was sitting. Talking out loud, Abu Richa said “your
highness, let me introduce to you and your Muslim Indian followers ambassador
Dr. Muhammed Clovis ed-Din Maksoud, representative of the Arab League in
India!” Clovis said “I was shaking out of fear and once we left I blamed
ambassador Omar saying “Oh, Mr. Omar, what would have happened if those people
knew I’m Christian and that I arrogate the name of prophet Muhammed?” Abu Richa
then answered feeling angry “haven’t they found anyone to send to Muslims of India
but a Maronite Christian one like you?”
Clovis
was born in Bristow city in the American state of Oklahoma on February 2, 1926
and was named after a catholic saint. In this regard, I discovered while
searching in the history of Roman Gaul countries and the establishment of
France that the one who invaded Gaul countries and changed their name to that
of a tribe of Germanic origins – the Francs – was King Clovis I; I have already
recounted a story before citing true historic events regarding this aspect. Clovis
got married to Hala Sallam; a scion of the Lebanese family of Sallam in 1974.
It’s well known that Sallam family is an elite Sunni Muslim one.
Another
funny account of Clovis is his with Um Kulthum when she visited him in his
house in Cairo accompanied by their mutual friend Ihsan Abdel-Quddus. She said
“nice to meet you Mr. Clovis… if this is your alias, what is your real one?” Another
one was when he was paying a visit to Myanmar’s Muslims in Burma and their
emperor asked him “which tribe do you come from?” Clovis then answered quickly
“Maksoud tribe”!
Clovis left our world, not defeated by death… nor by
1967 defeat… partitioning plans or civil wars, like his friend who brought him
to write up in Al Ahram; Muhammed Hassanien Heikal. Clovis and Heikal, and all
their likes, are more authentic, rejuvenating, progressive, and updated to all
that is new compared to others who are younger in age but feeling inferior,
those who stood in line with the ferocious Western capital and are betting on
their nations’ surrender.
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
This article was published in Al Ahram newspaper on
May 19, 2016.
To see the Arabic article, go to:
#alahram #ahmed_elgammal #Clovis_Maksoud
#arab_nationalism
No comments:
Post a Comment