In a ceremony held this Thursday (6), Unicamp awarded the title of Professor Emeritus Post Mortem to the family of Mohamed Ezz El-Din Mostafa Habib, a retired professor from the Institute of Biology (IB) who passed away on January 26 of this year in as a result of cancer. The granting of the title had been approved by the University Council (Consu) on March 29. Friends from the university attended the event, which featured a special performance by instrumentalists from the Unicamp Symphony Orchestra, a tribute to Habib for his appreciation for music. On the occasion, Mohamed's family members were represented by his son, Nader Habib.
“The awarding of this title is not a unique achievement for my father. It is an achievement for the entire society”, stated Nader. In his speech, he thanked the tributes paid by teachers and staff who worked with Mohamed throughout his career at Unicamp and recalled lessons left by his father, such as his sense of commitment to the community. “A strong country evolves as a whole. If we don't see that individual failures are also failures of our society, it makes no sense to celebrate achievements, because neither occurs individually. Everything happens in society,” he commented.
Nader also highlighted that, even with the sadness caused by missing Mohamed, cultivating the joy of remembering the good times lived is a way of valuing the legacy he left behind. “Using the expression 'I lost someone' is something negative. To ease our hearts, we must think that we have not lost anyone. The people we love simply returned to their origins. Soon, we too will return, this is an undeniable fact of our existence.”
The ceremony's board of directors was made up of the rector Antonio Meirelles, the general coordinator Maria Luiza Moretti, the director of the IB, Hernandes Faustino de Carvalho, and Alvaro Penteado Crosta, professor at the Institute of Geosciences (IG) and godfather of the honoree.
Crosta fondly remembered his time with Habib, who called him his “little brother”, and celebrated his commitment to strengthening Unicamp's university extension actions and how much his work was guided by the good of the community. “His entire academic career, since Egypt, has had as a backdrop fundamental principles that express his concern for health, the well-being of human beings, the environment and the sustainable development of our society.” The IB director also shared his experiences with Mohamed, to whom he attributes important learnings. “I am very proud to, today, occupy the role he held for two terms. Your degree is a source of pride for the Biology Institute,” he commented.
The rector and general coordinator of Unicamp highlighted the humanity with which Mohamed carried out his actions at the University. Maria Luiza Moretti recalled the occasions when she invited the professor to speak at events that brought together foreigners from Portuguese-speaking African countries, due to his ability to connect with others. “What enchanted me about Professor Mohamed is the way he elevated human beings and how much this translated into his actions and work”, she reflected.
“The great example that Mohamed leaves us is the willingness to build ties with society, that São Paulo’s university education system plays an essential role in development and that this can be done with inclusion, with respect for people’s rights and the environment environment”, pointed out the dean. For him, Habib's example is fundamental for universities to play their role fully: “May we use all these examples to guarantee the continuity of our mission and the possibility of having new Mohameds at our university”.
Life dedicated to meeting others
Mohamed Habib was born in the city of Port Said, Egypt, on January 25, 1942. He graduated in Agricultural Engineering and mastered in Entomology from the University of Alexandria, and was a researcher at the National Research Center, in the city of Cairo. Due to political turbulence experienced in Egypt after the death of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Habib left the country and came to Brazil in 1972, looking for 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. From the University, he completed his PhD in Biological Sciences in 1976 and obtained the title of professor in 1982, becoming 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 with the IB, He was head of the Zoology Department and Director of the Unit in the 1990-1994 and 2002-2005 administrations. He 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 also Coordinator of International Relations at Unicamp between 1998 and 2002. His defense of the culture of peace and inter-religious dialogue were important during periods of great debate about the Middle East in the 1990s and 2000s. He had a constant presence in the media analyzing the Arab-Israeli conflicts, 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".
Check out the broadcast made by the Imprensa Unicamp channel on YouTube
Read more:
Unicamp approves title of Professor Emeritus Post Mortem to Mohamed Habib
Professor Mohamed Habib dies at age 80
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