Georgetown in Qatar Students Meet with Egypt’s Heikal

Renowned journalist and historian, Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, met with Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) students, at a discussion roundtable at their Education City campus today.

Dr. Mehran Kamrava, Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at GU-Q, moderated the roundtable, where students were given the rare opportunity to exchange views, and pose questions about the Arab World’s history, and projections for its future. “As one of the most prominent intellectuals of the region, Mohamed Heikal has defined the political pulse of the Middle East for generation,” said Dr. Kamrava, in his introduction.

Heikal’s simple opening remarks of “I’m very happy to be here. And I am at your disposal completely,” set the stage for an hour of student-led discussion, covering everything from Egypt’s current political landscape, to security and foreign policy issues in the Gulf, to the role of youth and social media in the region.

The roundtable forum follows last night’s public presentation at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC), where Heikal addressed Georgetown students and faculty, as well as members of Qatar’s diplomatic community, and high level Qatari officials, about the future of the Gulf region.

Talal Al-Naama, a GU-Q Junior who also attended Heikal’s earlier lecture, said of the roundtable that “Dr. Heikal elaborated on what he spoke about yesterday. He answered all of our questions regarding historical facts, and he talked about contemporary topics. It was a wonderful opportunity, and it gave me a lot to think about.”

Senior student Eman Al Asfoor, who will be graduating at the upcoming commencement ceremony on May 11th, also attended the roundtable, saying “It was amazing to meet someone with such a famous history in the Arab world, and to hear his insights on current events. It was a perfect ending to my Georgetown career.”

As a token of gratitude for his time and engagement with the university, Heikal was presented with a copy of Dr.Kamrava’s book, “The Modern Middle East: A Political History Since the First World War.”