The University Council (Consu) of Unicamp approved this Tuesday (29/3) the granting of the title of Professor Emeritus Post Mortem to Mohamed Ezz El-Din Mostafa Habib. The retired professor from the Institute of Biology (IB) passed away on January 26, 2022, due to cancer.
"Professor Mohamed Habib's academic, professional and personal history, his unique dedication to our country, to Unicamp, to teaching, to scientific research and to extension activities, in particular, his commitment to scientific quality, to ethics in relationships human rights, with social and humanitarian causes and his behavior as a Brazilian citizen, make him an example to be followed by our university and our young colleagues", highlighted the opinion issued by the Special Committee that analyzed the proposal. It was composed of professors Ítala D'Ottaviano, Christiano Lyra Filho and Guilherme Henriques, and chaired by professor Julio Hadler Neto.
Throughout his career in biological sciences, Habib stood out in the areas of environmental preservation, agroecology and sustainable development. In university management, he brought innovations in university extension, getting closer to social causes. Fernando Coelho, Pro-Rector of Extension and Culture, highlighted his leading role in the creation of the Forum of Pro-Rectors of Extension of Brazilian Public Higher Education Institutions (Forproex). "He had great leadership in the formation of the group that today discusses and formulates the country's main extension policies", he commented.
The rector of Unicamp, professor Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, recalled the recent award of the Professor Emeritus diploma to Carlos Joly, also a professor at IB, and highlighted their commitment to environmental preservation and society. "There are interesting links in the careers of these people. In addition to being excellent teachers, researchers, people trainers, they had the ability to speak to society, to represent our civilizing connections with Brazil", he pointed out.
Distinguished career in human and environmental causes
Mohamed Habib was born in Port Said, Egypt, on January 25, 1942. The fifth of nine children of Faika Bohran and Mostafa Mostafa Habib, he entered the University of Alexandria at the age of 17 to study Agricultural Engineering. From the same institution, he obtained a Master's degree in Entomology in 1968, with an emphasis on biological control. Between 1965 and 1971, he was a researcher at the National Research Center in the city of Cairo.
After the death of Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, in 1970, the country experienced a succession of political crises that made Habib, then 31 years old, decide to leave Egypt. The new homeland chosen was Brazil, where he arrived in August 1972 in search of an opportunity at Brazilian universities. Welcomed to Unicamp by Zeferino Vaz in October of the same year, Mohamed Habib was admitted as professor of Entomology at IB in March 1973. At the University, he completed his PhD in Biological Sciences in 1976 and obtained the title of Associate Professor in 1982, making him became Full Professor in 1986.
Throughout his career at IB, he stood out in the areas of entomology, applied ecology, biological control, agricultural pests, agroecology and environmental education. He also played an important role in national and international bodies, such as the State Department of Agriculture of São Paulo, State Council for the Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Embrapa, Amazon Research Institute, CTNBio and the World Health Organization. Still at IB, he was head of the Zoology Department and Director of the Unit in the 1990-1994 and 2002-2005 administrations. He has trained more than 40 masters and doctors and his scientific production brings together more than 200 works published around the world.
Habib played an important role in the institutionalization of university extension at Unicamp and in increasing the visibility of projects developed within the community. He was at the head of the then Pro-Rector of Extension and Community Affairs (PREAC) between 2005 and 2012. As pro-rector, he was responsible for conducting projects that contributed to the integration of Unicamp with society and encouraged the extensionist culture among teachers and researchers, through congresses and forums and seeking support in notices from Capes and the Ministries of Education (MEC) and Culture (MinC).
During his tenure at PREAC, the CIS-Guanabara (Cultural Center for Integration and Social Inclusion) was inaugurated, a space for preserving the railway memory of Campinas and the stage for various extension and cultural activities in the city. It also expanded dialogue between universities in the State of São Paulo in favor of extension and encouraged several social inclusion and solidarity economy programs.
Mohamed Habib was Coordinator of International Relations at Unicamp between 1998 and 2002. His defense of the culture of peace and inter-religious dialogue were important in debates about the Middle East in the 1990s and 2000s. He had a constant presence in the media analyzing Arab conflicts -Israelis, the events of September 11, 2001 and the so-called "Arab Spring", between 2010 and 2011. In the quest to expand intercultural dialogue, he was at the head of the Institute of Arab Culture of Brazil as vice-president (2008-2012 ) and president (2015-2019).
Among the various awards and honors he received throughout his life, he was recognized by the Municipality of Campinas with the titles of "Great Defender of Ecology", in 1984, and "Citizen Campineiro", in 1999. In 2000, he received the "Citizen of Campineiro" award. Personalidade Brasil 500 Anos", granted by the Cultural Business Center of the State of São Paulo. He was also honored, in 1998, by the National Secretariat for Human Rights of the Presidency of the Republic, with the medal "Human Rights, the New Name of Freedom".
