Mohammad Salim Al-Awa (born December 22, 1942) is an Egyptian Islamist thinker, widely considered to belong to the moderate Islamic democratic strain. He is the former Secretary General of the International Union for Muslim Scholars based in London, and head of the Egyptian Association for Culture and Dialogue, a member of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo, an Advisor to the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States - KSA 1979–1985. He received a PhD in Comparative Law from the University of London 1972. Al-Awa has been called one of the few Islamic thinkers who has made a "serious attempt" at "defining what

Islamism Islamism is a range of religious and political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system is superior to communism ...

would mean in a modern society," or "courageously delved into the realities of Islamic history and experimented with new interpretations." He is considered one of the symbols of the modern trend in Islam, and his thought is characterized by moderation and focus on dialogue rather than conflict between the Islamic world and the West. He is also an advocate of dialogue and rapprochement between

Sunnis Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any Succession to Muhammad, successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr ...

and Shia'tes. He defended several members of the Muslim Brotherhood who were imprisoned during the era of

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...

. He was one of those who strongly opposed the project of transferring power to Gamal Mubarak. On 14 June 2011, Al-Awa declared his candidacy for the 2012 Egyptian presidential election in September of that year.

Early life and education

Al-Awa descends from the Al-Awa family from

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, the majority of whose members still live in Damascus. His grandfather, Abdullah Salim Al-Awa, chose to move and reside in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, Egypt, around 1880/1881, and married a woman originally from the city of Sohag in Upper Egypt. The first nationality law issued in Egypt included Al-Awa's grandfather and father, which considered every resident on its land since January 1, 1914, to be an Egyptian national. Thus, Muhammad Salim Al-Awa's grandfather and father only held Egyptian nationality, since the grandfather was an Ottoman subject, like all those subject to the rule of the Ottoman State, which did not have nationalities based on country of birth or residence. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at

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 ...

in 1963, and obtained a diploma in Islamic Sharia and a diploma in public law. Bachelor of Laws, Alexandria University in 1963. Diploma in Public Law, Alexandria University in 1965. He obtained a PhD in comparative law between English and Islamic legislation from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in 1972.

References

External links

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iumsonline.net

'' Al Ahram Weekly'', 30 October - 5 November 2003, Issue No. 662 {{DEFAULTSORT:Awa, Mohammad Salim Living people 1942 births Egyptian Islamists Egyptian writers Members of the Egyptian Constituent Assembly of 2012 International Union of Muslim Scholars members