Munib Shahid

Munib Shahid (1908-1973) was Chairman of Hematology and Oncology at the Faculty of Medicine of the American University of Beirut.[1][2] He built the hematology laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine, a development that increased research output significantly.[3] The Dr. Munib Shahid Award is presented annually at the American University of Beirut to the fourth year medical student demonstrating the best performance in internal medicine and a mature character.[4]

Background and Family

Munib Shahid was born in 1908 in Acre, Palestine to a prominent Bahá'í lineage. His parents were Mírzá Jalal, an Afnán, and Rúḥá Khánum. His paternal grandfather was Mírzá Muhammad-Hasan, titled "King of the Martyrs," while his maternal grandparents were `Abdu'l-Bahá, the successor to the Bahá'í founder-prophet Bahá'u'lláh, and Munirih Khánum. As a prominent member of the Bahá'í Faith, Munib Shahid worked diligently to promote his faith. As a medical student at the American University of Beirut, his friends included such prominent Bahá'ís as future Hand of the Cause of God Abu'l-Qásim Faizi. After graduating from medical school, Munib Shahid would continue to promote the Bahá'í Faith, and in 1937 he visited Bahá'í communities in Europe.[5]

In 1944, Munib Shahid married Serene Husseini, the daughter of Jamal al-Husayni. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith and Munib's cousin through `Abdu'l-Bahá's eldest daughter Ḍíyá'íyyih Khánum, labeled this marriage a "treacherous act" and excommunicated Munib Shahid as a Covenant-breaker. Shoghi Effendi sent the following cable to the Bahá'í world in November 1944:

Monib Shahid, grandson of both `Abdu'l-Bahá and the King of Martyrs, married according to the Moslem rites the daughter of a political exile who is nephew of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. This treacherous act of alliance with enemies of the Faith merits condemnation of entire Bahá'í world."[6] (Bahá'í News, No. 172)

Munib and Serene Husseini would continue to live in Beirut, where he pursued his academic career, and she promoted cottage industries among Palestinian refugees. Serene Shahid would author a critically acclaimed autobiography of her childhood, titled, Jerusalem Memories.[7] The couple had three daughters, Maya, Zeina, and Leila. Leila Shahid is married to the Moroccan writer Mohammed Berrada and has served as a prominent Palestinian diplomat, including as General Delegate of Palestine to the European Union.

Munib Shahid passed away in 1973.

Selected Publications[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ Mishalany, H (April 1973). "Professor Munib Shahid, 1908-1973". Le Journal Medical Libanais, The Lebanese Medical Journal. 26 (4): 323.
  2. 1 2 Nassar, Mounir (Munir) (May 7, 2014). Clinical Medicine Research History at the American University of Beirut, Faculty of Medicine 1920-1974. Bloomington, Indiana: WestBow Press. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-1-4908-3279-1.
  3. ↑ "Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center: Deep Roots, Endless Skies". MainGate. V (4). Summer 2007. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  4. ↑ "University Prizes and Awards". p. 5. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  5. ↑ Effendi, Shoghi (1980). The Baha'i World 1936-1938 (Volume VII). Baha'i Publishing Trust. p. 110.
  6. ↑ "Messages from the Guardian". Bahá'í News (172). December 1944. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  7. ↑ Shahid, Serene (1999). Jerusalem Memories (PDF). Beirut, Lebanon: Naufal.
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