Ismail Sabri Abdullah, also known as ''Ismail Sabri Abdallah'', (; 1924 – 6 November 2006) was an Egyptian economist and politician who held some cabinet posts in the early 1970s. He was the cofounder of the Communist Party and was imprisoned several times due to his Communist activities and views.

Early life and education

Abdullah was born in Mallawi,

Minya, Egypt MinyaAlso spelled '' el...'' or ''al...'' ''...Menia, ...Minia'' or ''...Menya'' ( ) is the capital of the Minya Governorate in Upper Egypt. It is located approximately south of Cairo on the western bank of the Nile River, which flows north ...

, in 1924. He was a graduate of the Faculty of Commerce at

Cairo University Cairo University () is Egypt's premier public university. Its main campus is in Giza, immediately across the Nile from Cairo. It was founded on 21 December 1908;"Brief history and development of Cairo University." Cairo University Faculty of En ...

. He also graduated from

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University () is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to the Middle Ages in 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon as a constituent college of the Unive ...

with a PhD in

political economy Political or comparative economy is a branch of political science and economics studying economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and national economies) and their governance by political systems (e.g. law, institutions, and government). Wi ...

Career and activities

Abdullah joined the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...

while studying in Paris. He was a cofounder of the Communist Party which he headed with Fuad Mursi. Following his graduation, Abdullah joined

Alexandria University Alexandria University () is a public university in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1938 as a satellite of Fouad University (the name of which was later changed to Cairo University), becoming an independent entity in 1942. It was known as ...

where he worked as a lecturer between 1951 and 1954. He became a faculty member of Cairo University in 1954 and worked there until 1956. One of his pupils at Cairo University was Hazem Bablawi. Abdullah was an advisor to the Economic Development Organization from 1957 to 1959. Then he headed the Dar Al Maarif Publishing House between 1965 and 1969. He was named as the director general of the Institute of National Planning in 1969 and was appointed minister of planning in 1971. During his tenure he also headed the Institute of National Planning. He was made minister of state for planning in 1972 which he held until 1975. Abdullah was removed from office due to his inability to present a well-established plan to the foreign investors. One of his main activities during his ministerial term was the negotiations about the American aid packages. Abdullah was the last member of the Egyptian leftist technocrats serving in the Egyptian government. After leaving office Abdullah joined the

National Progressive Unionist Party The National Progressive Unionist Rally Party (, commonly referred to as Tagammu, meaning "Rally" in English) is a socialist political party in Egypt. Originally known as the National Progressive Unionist Rally Organization, it was established ...

. Although he was assigned to many public posts, he was imprisoned several times between 1955 and 1964 under the presidency of

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...

due to his Communist political leaning. Abdullah was again arrested in September 1981 and was released later. Fuad Mursi was also imprisoned with him in the latter incident. An appeal was issued by the Association of Third World Economists in protest over their and others' arrest. Abdullah founded the

Third World Forum Third World Forum (Forum Tiers Monde) is an international network of research centers. Third World Forum was established by the Egyptian economist and politician Ismail Sabri Abdullah in 1975. It is based in Dakar. It was among the organizations t ...

in 1975 and headed it for a while.

Work and views

Abdullah published books on economy and new world order. His books were mostly published by a publishing company headed by Mohamed Fayek. During the 1970s and 1980s Abdullah analysed the Chinese economic model to offer a solution to the economic development of the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

Personal life and death

Abdullah was married to Gulpery Aflatoun whom he met in Paris during his doctorate studies in the 1940s. He died on 6 November 2006.

Awards

Abdullah was the recipient of the Order of the Republic (1974) and of the French Order of Merit (1975).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdullah, Ismail Sabri 20th-century Egyptian economists 1924 births 2006 deaths Planning ministers of Egypt Academic staff of Alexandria University Cairo University alumni Egyptian prisoners and detainees People from Minya Governorate Academic staff of Cairo University Recipients of the Ordre national du Mérite Egyptian political party founders Sorbonne University French Communist Party members National Progressive Unionist Party politicians