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Dr. Hossam Badrawi Hosts a Seminar on His Book “Nietzsche in Alexandria”

At the invitation of Dar Al-Ain Publishing, a dialogue seminar was held yesterday, Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at Bibliotheca Arkan – Sheikh Zayed, discussing the latest release by Dr. Hossam Badrawi, his book “Nietzsche in Alexandria.” The work is distinguished by its deep philosophical character and was published by Dar Al-Ain under the leadership of Dr. Fatma El-Boudi.

Dr. Fatma El-Boudi introduced Dr. Badrawi as one of the pioneers of modern thought, possessing unique and profound philosophical orientations that have had a tangible impact across diverse cultural and intellectual circles in Egypt. She expressed her great pleasure in publishing this intellectually rich work.

The seminar then began, masterfully moderated by the refined and cultured journalist Nesma El-Saeed, whose precise and insightful questions—drawn from various chapters of the book—prompted Dr. Badrawi to open broad intellectual horizons through his deep responses. His reflections captivated the audience, drawing their minds into a unique state of imagination and contemplation, and at times even provoking questioning and intellectual disorientation.

The discussion lasted for more than two hours, yet it passed as though it were only two minutes of intellectual pleasure and suspense. At the same time, it felt like years of accumulated experience and knowledge generously offered by Dr. Badrawi to the audience. This was achieved through his blending of the ideas of great philosophers across history with the reality we live in today—beginning with Socrates and Descartes, passing through Hypatia and Ibn Khaldun, and culminating with Nietzsche.

Dr. Badrawi also wove together elements of wonder and imagination, exploring how we perceive ourselves and how we view the universe around us through an imagined dialogue between two cells. He addressed the origins of values and how they have endured despite humanity’s moral decline across the ages. He then carried the audience into profound reflections on time and space, before concluding with music and its influence—explaining how the greatest melodies were created from a limited musical scale, and how modern science has led us to perceive the universe as infinite strings whose vibrations embody our lived reality.

Following this, Ms. Nesma El-Saeed opened the floor for discussion, prompting enthusiastic participation from the audience. Among the attendees was a distinguished group of figures from the worlds of science, art, and culture, including Dr. Osama Hamdy, Professor of Medicine at Harvard University and one of Egypt’s leading scientists; actor Hussein Fahmy; actresses Laila Eloui and Elham Shahin; artist Hussein Nouh; Dr. Ahmed El-Sharqawi; along with many other prominent cultural and social figures.

A wealth of rich philosophical questions and comments followed, reflecting diverse perspectives and cultural backgrounds within a refined and respectful dialogue. Dr. Badrawi expressed his happiness and appreciation for all contributions, responding thoughtfully to every question raised.

The seminar concluded amid a shared sense that it had been an exceptional experience—one that combined intellectual enjoyment with deep contemplation, enriching both the hearts and minds of those in attendance.

Dr. Hossam Badrawi

He is a politician, intellect, and prominent physician. He is the former head of the Gynecology Department, Faculty of Medicine Cairo University. He conducted his post graduate studies from 1979 till 1981 in the United States. He was elected as a member of the Egyptian Parliament and chairman of the Education and Scientific Research Committee in the Parliament from 2000 till 2005. As a politician, Dr. Hossam Badrawi was known for his independent stances. His integrity won the consensus of all people from various political trends. During the era of former president Hosni Mubarak he was called The Rationalist in the National Democratic Party NDP because his political calls and demands were consistent to a great extent with calls for political and democratic reform in Egypt. He was against extending the state of emergency and objected to the National Democratic Party's unilateral constitutional amendments during the January 25, 2011 revolution. He played a very important political role when he defended, from the very first beginning of the revolution, the demonstrators' right to call for their demands. He called on the government to listen and respond to their demands. Consequently and due to Dr. Badrawi's popularity, Mubarak appointed him as the NDP Secretary General thus replacing the members of the Bureau of the Commission. During that time, Dr. Badrawi expressed his political opinion to Mubarak that he had to step down. He had to resign from the party after 5 days of his appointment on February 10 when he declared his political disagreement with the political leadership in dealing with the demonstrators who called for handing the power to the Muslim Brotherhood. Therefore, from the very first moment his stance was clear by rejecting a religion-based state which he considered as aiming to limit the Egyptians down to one trend. He considered deposed president Mohamed Morsi's decision to bring back the People's Assembly as a reinforcement of the US-supported dictatorship. He was among the first to denounce the incursion of Morsi's authority over the judicial authority, condemning the Brotherhood militias' blockade of the Supreme Constitutional Court. Dr. Hossam supported the Tamarod movement in its beginning and he declared that toppling the Brotherhood was a must and a pressing risk that had to be taken few months prior to the June 30 revolution and confirmed that the army would support the legitimacy given by the people

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