Mariam Abou Zahab (February 1952—November 2017) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

, sociologist, and scholar of Islamic studies. She was an expert in the

Politics of the Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, particularly

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. She was also a humanitarian aid worker in Afghanistan.

Early life and education

Zahab was born Marie-Pierre Walquemanne in

Hon-Hergies Hon-Hergies () is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. History The village of Hon existed in the 9th century and then became famous for the adulterous loves of L ...

in February 1952. She attended secondary school in

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

, and completed her university studies at the

Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (; ), abbreviated as INALCO, is a French Grand Etablissement with a specializing in the teaching of languages and cultures from the world. Its coverage spans languages of Central Europ ...

and the

Instituts d'études politiques Instituts d'études politiques (; ), or IEP's, colloquially referred to as Sciences Po, are ten publicly owned institutions of higher learning in France. They are located in Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Paris, Rennes, Strasbou ...

in Paris, graduating in 1972.

Career

Abou Zahab was a professor at the Instituts d'études politiques in Paris, and the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales. She was also a researcher at the Centre de recherches internationales ( Fr), and worked with the Cahiers d'études sur la Méditerranée orientale et le Monde Turco-Iranien on subjects relating to contemporary Afghanistan and Pakistan. She spoke Arabic, Urdu, Persian, Pashto, and Punjabi, and in addition to scholarly works she published works detailing her travels through Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and India. These included time spent in Bangladesh during

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( ; ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (''Man's Fate'') (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed ...

's involvement with the Bangladesh Liberation War, liberation movement there, and she was in Beirut during the 1975 advent of the Lebanese Civil War, around which time she converted to Shia Islam. Abou Zahab spent several years in Pakistan and Palestine as a militant, first taking the side of Bengali nationalists in East Pakistan, and then aligned with Yasser Arafat in the Palestine Liberation Organization. This latter activity drew the suspicion of French intelligence services. Abou Zahab also worked with the non-governmental organization Afrane (:fr:AFRANE, Fr), and was involved in several aid missions during the Soviet–Afghan War. All of Abou Zahab's scholarly works were published in the last 15 years of her life. She died in November 2017.

Selected works

*''Réseaux islamiques : la Connexion afghano-pakistanaise'', with Olivier Roy (professor), Olivier Roy (2002)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahab, Mariam Abou 1952 births 2017 deaths French political scientists 20th-century French women writers 21st-century French women writers American women political scientists 20th-century French non-fiction writers 21st-century French non-fiction writers French women non-fiction writers French expatriates in Pakistan People from Nord (French department)