Background

Gamal Abdel Nasser was born on 15 January 1918, at 18 Qanawat street in Bacchus, a suburban district in Alexandria to the family of Fahima and Abdel-Nasser Hussein. He descended from a poor family of villagers and was the eldest son. Gamal's father was a postal worker and his mother's family came from Mallawi el-Minya. His parents got married in 1917, and later had two boys more, Izz al-Arab and al-Leithi.

Due to the nature of his father's work, Nasser's family traveled frequently. In1921, they moved to Asyut, and in 1923, to Khatatba, where is father ran a post office. Gamal attended a primary school for the children of railway employees until 1924, when he was sent to live with his paternal uncle in Cairo.

Education

Nasser joined the nursery school of Muharram Bek in Alexandria then moved to Khatatba where he attended an elementary school from 1923 to 1924.

In 1925, he was sent to live with his uncle Khali Hussein in Cairo for three years. During his stay, he joined El-Nahassin Elementary School in Gamalia. In 1926 when Gamal went to visit his family ay Khatatba, he learned of the death of his mother. This left a great wound in his heart because he was very close to his mother.

After completing his third year at El-Nahassin School, he was sent by his father in the summer to stay with his maternal grandfather in Alexandria where he spent his fourth year of elementary school at El-Attarin School.

Gamal Abdel Nasser began is secondary education in 1929 at Helwan High School where he stayed for just a year. The next year, he moved to Ras El-Tin High School after his father joined the postal service in Alexandria. Nasser's national sentiment was shaped in that school.

In 1930, the ministry of Ismail Sidky issued a decree pertaining to the cancellation of the 1923 constitution. This caused an uproar among students, calling for the fall of colonialism and the re-amendment of the constitution. Nasser was a key figure in that demonstration and he was arrest and put in jail for some time.

In 1933, he joined El-Nahba Secondary School at El-zaher district in Cairo where he became head of El-Nahba school student union. This was where his political desire was aroused.

Career

After completing his secondary education, Nasser was enlisted into the Royal Military Academy and graduated in1938 with the rank of second lieutenant. His first posting was in the town of Mankabad. In subsequent years, he rendered his service to the Egyptian army, both as an officer and teacher. His first war experience was during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war in Palestine. After the war, Nasser took up the role of an instructor yet again. Meanwhile, he began to form a nationalist group of young officers who strongly supported revolution. Along with the help of three officers, Abd Al-Hakam, Anwar El-sadat, and Zakariyya Muyi al-Din, he formed the Association of Free Officers. He was elected as the chairman of the association, and in 1952, members inthe Free Officers rose to 90. That same year, he plotted a bloody coup d'etat, which resulted in ousting the monarchy and gaining independence of the army. King Farouk I and other monarchist leaders were allowed to go in exile instead of facing a public execution.

The Republic of Egypt was declared on 18 June 1953. Major General Muhaammad Naguib served as the president while former prime minister Ali Mahar retained his post.

A Revolutionary Command Council was formed, of which Nasser served as the vice chairman. His radical reforms and policies did not go well with Maher who resigned from his position and was taken over by Naguib.

In 1953, following the opposition from Naguib, he deposed the latter of the duties and put him under house arrest. while himself emerged as the prime minister and RCC chairman. He then became the unquestionable leader of Egypt.

In 1956, he formed a socialist Arab State with a one-party political system, and Islam was declared the official religion in the country. Under his government, Egypt enjoyed a bright and prosperous economy. He gained monetary support from US and Britain for building Aswan dam, which he reassured it will enhance the industrialization process.

In 1962, with an aim to adopt socialism, he introduced the National Charter and a new constitution which highlighted on universal health care, vocational schools, affordable housing, a family planning program, greater women's right, as well as widening the Suez Canal.

In 1963, Gamal Abdel Nasser was re-elected for a second term as the president, without opposition to the position. He took on additional roles of prime minister and supreme commander of the armed forces.

Achievements

• While he was a repressive dictator and the Godfather of almost all the Arab dictatorships that followed (i.e. Gaddafi, Assads, Saddam ... et al.), but his great works left a permanent mark on the Egyptian society. Citing a few among many:
  
  - Land Reform
  
  - Free Education
  
  - Free Healthcare
  
  - Introduction of Women's suffrage
  
  - Large scale industrialization and the founding of a considerably large and important public sector.

Works

• book

  • Memoirs of the First Palestine War

  • Egypt's Liberation: The Philosophy of the Revolution

  • Towards Freedom

Religion

He is best known for making Islam the official religion in Egypt.

Politics

In his book, Philosophy of the Revolution, which he wrote in 1954, Nasser told of “heroic and glorious roles which never found heroes to perform them” and outlined his aspiration to be the leader of the 55 million Arabs, then of the 224 million Africans, then of the 420 million followers of Islam.

Views

Quotations: "People do not want words - they want the sound of battle - the battle of destiny"

"Our path to Palestine will not be covered with a red carpet or with yellow sand. Our path to Palestine will be covered with blood... In order that we may liberate Palestine, the Arab nation must unite, the Arab armies must unite, and a unified plan of action must be established"

"We will not accept any...coexistence with Israel...Today the issue is not the establishment of peace between the Arab states and Israel....The war with Israel is in effect since 1948"

"The genius of you Americans is that you never make clear-cut stupid moves, only complicated stupid moves which make the rest of us wonder at the possibility that we might be missing something"

"Within the Arab circle there is a role wandering aimlessly in search of a hero. For some reason it seems to me that this role is beckoning to us-to move, to take up its lines, put on its costumes and give it life. Indeed, we are the only ones who can play it. The role is to spark the tremendous latent strengths in the region surrounding us to create a great power, which will then rise up to a level of dignity and undertake a positive part in building the future of mankind"

Personality

Despite his controversial nature, he was loved by the Arab nations and considered one of the greatest leader of all time

Physical Characteristics: He was an Arab man with average height

Connections

He was married and had three sons and two daughters

Father:

Abdel Nasser Hussein

Mother:

Fahima

Wife:

Tahia Kazem

sons and daughters:

Khalid, Hoda, Abdel Hamid, Abdel Hakim, Mona

friends:

Abd Al-Hakam, Anwar El-sadat, and Zakariyya Muyi al-Din

References

• Man of the Millennium In 2008 a full-length feature film, Man of the Millennium, was produced by an Ethiopian film-maker Tikher Teferra Kidane of Exodus Films, in collaboration with an Alaskan TV station Tanana Valley TV and 4th Avenue Films.
  2008