Egyptian playwright wins U.S. Civil Courage Prize

Adam Al-Gamal
For Al-Shorfa.com
2008-12-03

Egyptian veteran comedian Adel Imam (C) and actor Said Saleh (R) both played leading roles in Ali Salem’s play “Al-Mushaghibin” (School of Troublemakers). (Amro Maraghi/AFP/Getty Images).

Egyptian author and playwright Ali Salem was awarded the eighth Train Foundation Civil Courage Prize in a ceremony at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in London. The U.S. foundation’s prize is worth US$50,000.

Salem has made a name as one of the most vocal proponents of dialogue with Israel. Speaking to Reuters of the psychological importance of this prize to him, Salem said, “I cannot express how happy I am that people can see what I am doing and that there are those who value my work.” Salem considers his selection to recieve the prize as recognition for his advocacy of peace with Israel and for his opposition to fundamentalist Islam.

Salem earned acclaim in Egypt and the Arab world for his classical and satirical plays, the most celebrated of these being The School of Troublemakers, which has become a classic. His stances in support of peace and normalisation of relations with Israel and his sharp criticisms of Islamist groups have made him the subject of a protracted controversy, however.

The 72-year-old playwright has not worked in Egyptian theatre since he travelled to Israel in 1994. On his return, he wrote the widely read account, A Drive to Israel, in which he described his experiences there. He subsequently visited Israel on a number of occasions and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Ben Gurion University in 2005.

Salem’s refusal to suspend contacts with the Israelis led to revocation of his membership in the Egyptian Writers’ Union.

In comments made to the BBC, Salem declared: “I regret nothing. People shouldn’t regret doing what is right.”

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