THE AMBASSADORS
Health Supplement

MEGASTARS

Volume 1, Issues 3
November 1998

The Ambassadors' new MEGASTARS section will specialize in reporting the contribution of eminent and established specialists in a diverse range of fields from art and biomedical sciences to economics and law, and from philosophy to sports. This section will also feature the contributions of international agencies, UN organizations, research centres, universities, museums and publications. The objective of this section is to create an avenue whereby youth can acquire knowledge about those who have strived and succeeded. The Ambassadors hopes its readers can learn from the accomplishments of those whose lives have been so influential.

A Word from Egypt
The Life & Times of Prof. Louis K. Meleika

By Adel Iskandar & Essam Farag

In the 1999 issue of the "MARQUIS WHO'S WHO," America's leading biographical encyclopedia, Prof. Louis Kamel Meleika's life-long journey of accomplishment will be etched in world history. Meleika's life is considered by many to be a textbook of accomplishments. In 1953, as a young man, he was the first practicing psychologist in Egypt and helped establish the first psychology department in the vast 22-nation Arab world. Perhaps one of the fore-fathers of psychology in the Middle East, to this day, Meleika's psychotherapy license still reads "Registration serial #10."

"Meleika has made an important original contribution to the quest for cumulativeness in the area of psychological testing," explains a chronicler of psychology in the Arab world.

The pioneer psychologist was born on July 5, 1921 in Akhmim, a town in the Egyptian province of Sohag. Following his graduation with a Bachelor of Science from Fouad University in 1943 (now Cairo University), he completed his Diploma with distinction from the Higher Institute of Education two years later. While at Fouad University, Meleika was instructed by Prof. Mustafa Mosharafa Pasha, one of Einstein's associates in researching relativity. He was then sent on a government mission to study clinical psychology at Stanford University, where he completed his Masters degree in 1950 and a Ph.D. two years later. From that time onwards, the student Meleika's interest in both the sciences and arts created a unique hybrid in him.

In July 1952, Meleika returned to an Egypt far different from the one he remembered only a few years earlier. A country long burdened by the tyranny of colonialism, post-revolutionary Egypt was undergoing critical changes in every sector. All traces of the unpopular monarchy were being eroded. His undergraduate institution Fouad University, named after then-king Farouk's father, was renamed Cairo University and the new department Meleika was assigned to establish was no longer at Ibrahim Pasha University, instead it was Ain Shams University. These changes were the consequence of the July 23rd revolution led by later-presidents Naguib, Nasser, Sadat and their confederates.

While at Ain Shams University, with Profs. M. Zewar and E. Khairy, Meleika helped establish the first department of clinical psychology in any Arab university that offered degrees at the bachelor, masters, and doctoral level. At a time when the study of psychology was taught as a course in departments of other disciplines, he lectured in clinical psychology, psychometry, social psychology and criminology among other topics. In addition, over the years, Meleika has accumulated a plethora of published researches and scientific books under his name.

Profs. Zewar, Khairy and Meleika in a public Ph.D. discussion (Ain Shams Univ. 1965)

Meleika's pioneering work was quickly recognized and later earned him the prestigious rank of consultant to the Academy of Advanced studies in Oxford University (UK) and he was visiting professor in the Universitat Des Saarlandes in Germany. Meleika was then selected to the position of chief technical advisor for UNESCO's international aids projects in the field of human resources development. During his term, Meleika administered work in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, and UAE.

Meleika traveled the world presenting his many researches at national, regional and international conferences in Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Spain, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, and USA.

His many stops sent him to Morocco where he was a part-time research expert in social science at the International Arab Center for Training in Community Development (CAFRAD). And just prior to the Gulf crisis, Meleika traveled to Kuwait where he helped in establishing and designing Kuwait University's M.A. program in clinical psychology with Prof. Nigma El-Khorafy. Meleika feels indebt to these worldwide travels and experiences for helping him acquire insights into cross-cultural phenomena.

Of the years Meleika worked for UNESCO, he spent one year in the organization's headquarters in Paris, France, where he was part of an international team working towards the establishment of the "Palestine Open University." He also participated in many development oriented researches including "Special Education for the Handicapped" as well as the "Comprehensive rural development in Egypt, Sudan, Jordan and Saudi Arabia" cross-cultural research, which was sponsored by the Third World Forum and the International University (Japan). He organized and participated in several international meetings and symposia on behalf of the African Centre for Training and Research in Development Administration which serves all African countries. He is a part-time consultant to CARITAS, an international philanthropic association aimed at setting models for professional psychological services to the mentally handicapped children and training professionals in this field. Meleika is a consultant for the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood.

Meleika, the chief technical advisor for the national
center for adult education and training. (Iran 1979)
 

Meleika at the Arab conference for community  development workers (Lebanon 1969)							Meleika in the Northern Pakistani  mountains (1980)

Meleika published many scientific books, including: "The Study of Personality Through Drawing" last ed. 1994 presents descriptive, quantitative and pictorial of the H-T-P (House-Tree-Person) technique. Another book worth noting is "Nomads and Nomadism" in collaboration with Prof. Mohi Al-Din Saber published by The Arab Centre for Training in Community Development in 1966, also a 2-volume book, "Psychology of Groups and Leadership" 4th ed. published in 1989. Another more recent book is, "Modification of the Behaviour of the Mentally Handicapped Child" published by Maktabet Al-Nahda Al-Arabiya in 1998. One of his important contributions is editing the 7-volume Reading in Social Psychology in the Arab World series, published by the Egyptian General Book Organization. The previous six volumes were published in 1965, 1970, 1979, 1985, 1990, and 1994. He developed different psychological tests used in the Arab world. Some of which he did in collaboration with Profs. Emad Ismail, El-Said Khairy, and Attia M. Hanna.

A faculty member for almost 47 years, Meleika taught a large variety of courses in the fields of introductory psychology, social psychology, clinical psychology, psychological testing & measurements, psychology in politics & economics, organizational behaviour, research methodology, public opinion and communication. Many of Meleika's students are now professors at Egyptian, African, Arabic, American and Canadian universities.

His personal nature and pioneer achievements are best described by two of his students, Dr. Ahmed Fayek, a senior psychoanalyst in Ottawa (Canada) and Prof. Mahmoud Abdel-Kader, former Dean of the College of Education (Al-Azhar University) in the forward to one of their books:

"We will not fail to pay tribute to Prof. Meleika, who combined in his person, the qualities of the human professor, the scientist, and the friend, in a unique way which makes it difficult to define precisely his impact on both of us. He is the actual founder of the psychological testing movement in Egypt, and he is the one who charged himself with the responsibility of Arabization and standardization of more than 4/5 of the psychological tests available in Arabic. He was the right arm of the late Prof. Zewar. He cooperated with him in the establishment of the first department of psychology in the Arab world. Prof. Meleika was able to achieve what others could not achieve, and that is, to be with the Arab psychologists wherever they were and regardless of where he was, to be with them in performing indispensable tasks."

Many organizations have bestowed the honour of their awards on Meleika. He was awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award from the American Biographical Institute who selected his biography to be published in the 4th edition in its International Directory of Distinguished Leadership for his outstanding contribution to psychology. As well, the International Biographical Centre at Cambridge, UK, nominated Meleika as International Man of the Year for 1991/92. In 1996, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak granted Meleika his country's highest scientific award for excellence in the social sciences, and in January 1999, the 76-year-old psychologist is scheduled to appear in the Tenth Commemorative Issue of Who's Who in the World.

During his many years of service, Meleika has been added to the ranks of the fellows of prestigious organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the World Federation for Mental Health, International Council of Psychologists, the New York Academy of Sciences, the African Consultants Network Tangier (Morocco), and the International Association of Special Education.

About his prolific 47-year benevolent career on both regional and global scales, Dr. Meleika's says, "I believe the most important thing to learn from my experience is that the developing world is a fountain of knowledge with a tremendous capacity for success, if only the opportunities were available."

"It is a duty upon everyone of us to support the new generations in the third world with the resources they need for sustainable development as we embark on the twenty-first century," says Meleika.

"I was only lucky to have my chance, coming from a country with a 7000-year-old history, all my years of work are a mere word from Egypt."

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