{"id":14281,"date":"2026-11-04T23:53:47","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T20:53:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/?p=14281"},"modified":"2026-11-04T23:53:47","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T20:53:47","slug":"dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi Writes for Al-Masry Al-Youm: Ma\u2019at: The Philosophy of Life in Ancient Egypt and Its Reflections on Modern Society"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can a civilization make truth a law of the universe, justice a condition for the continuity of life, and conscience a judge over the individual even after death? Did the ancient Egyptians fear death itself, or did they fear reaching it having forfeited their worthiness of the afterlife?<\/p>\n

These questions led me to reflect on one of the most profound ideas of ancient Egyptian civilization: Ma\u2019at<\/strong>. Among the greatest legacies of the ancient Egyptians, in my view, was the belief that the universe cannot remain in balance without order, society cannot flourish without justice, and human beings cannot live rightly without conscience.<\/p>\n

Ma\u2019at: A Goddess or a Philosophy?<\/h2>\n

Ma\u2019at was the embodiment of truth, justice, righteousness, and cosmic order. She was depicted as a woman wearing an ostrich feather upon her head, which became a symbol of truth and justice. Her opposite was Isfet<\/strong>, representing chaos, falsehood, and the disruption of order.<\/p>\n

The ancient Egyptians did not separate the order of nature from the moral order. Just as the sun rises and the seasons follow their cycles, human relationships, too, were expected to rest upon a balance of justice. In this sense, injustice was not merely harm inflicted upon another person; it was an assault on the very order that makes coexistence possible.<\/p>\n

It was an early attempt to formulate an ethical principle that transcended individual impulses and the interests of the powerful.<\/p>\n

The Ruler’s Responsibility to Uphold Justice<\/h2>\n

One of the ruler’s duties was to uphold Ma\u2019at and resist Isfet. Temple reliefs frequently depict the king presenting the symbol of Ma\u2019at to the gods, declaring his role in preserving cosmic and moral order.<\/p>\n

But a more important question arises: If the ruler is entrusted with establishing justice, who holds him accountable when he himself becomes the source of injustice?<\/p>\n

Ancient Egyptian kingship did not recognize constitutional accountability in the modern sense, nor did the sacred status of the office prevent abuses of power.<\/p>\n

Here, we must distinguish between moral values and the institutional mechanisms that guarantee their implementation. Declaring a commitment to justice is not the same as establishing it. Speaking in the name of order does not prove that an order is just, just as swearing to tell the truth does not establish that one is incapable of lying.<\/p>\n

This distinction forms the bridge between the ancient concept of Ma\u2019at and the questions confronting the modern state.<\/p>\n

The Weighing of the Heart: When Wealth and Status No Longer Matter<\/h2>\n

One of the most powerful scenes in the Book of the Dead<\/em> is the weighing of the heart, famously depicted in the Papyrus of Ani, now housed in the British Museum.<\/p>\n

In Chapter 125, the deceased stands before the divine tribunal and delivers the so-called “Negative Confession,” declaring that he has not committed murder, stolen, lied, violated the rights of others, or tampered with weights and measures.<\/p>\n

His heart is then placed on one side of the scales, while the feather of Ma\u2019at is placed on the other. Anubis oversees the weighing, Thoth records the result, and Osiris presides over the judgment. If the deceased fails the test, his heart is devoured by Ammit, and his hope of entering the afterlife is lost.<\/p>\n

Although spells and rituals also played a role in securing a favorable passage into the afterlife, the symbolism of the scales remains remarkable: what is weighed is neither a person’s possessions nor their titles, but their heart, which the ancient Egyptians regarded as the center of thought, memory, and will.<\/p>\n

Today, we understand that these functions belong to the brain. Yet the power of a symbol does not depend on anatomical accuracy to convey a profound human meaning.<\/p>\n

Was Ma\u2019at an Ethical Philosophy Before the Religions?<\/h2>\n

The ancient Egyptians developed an early vision that connected justice with individual integrity and the order of the universe.<\/p>\n

This vision emerged within an ancient religious framework, but what interests me is a question that has recurred across civilizations and cultures:<\/p>\n

Does a truth exist that transcends the victor’s narrative, and is there a form of justice whose definition cannot be monopolized by the powerful?<\/p>\n

Is Individual Integrity Enough When Institutions Are Corrupt?<\/h2>\n

I imagine a society containing many honorable people, yet governed by laws that are enforced against the weak but not the powerful, where opportunities are distributed through favoritism, and access to an independent judiciary or reliable information is difficult.<\/p>\n

Is the goodness of its people enough? No. The integrity of individuals may alleviate suffering, but it cannot remedy injustice produced by the very rules governing society.<\/p>\n

Conversely, I imagine institutions with precise regulations and clear oversight, yet administered by people who circumvent the rules, conceal information, and treat public responsibility as a personal privilege.<\/p>\n

Is sound institutional design enough? No. Rules do not enforce themselves.<\/p>\n

This is why I believe justice requires two wings: a moral conscience that drives us to do what is right even when no one is watching, and an institutional framework that prevents people’s rights from depending on the conscience of a single individual.<\/p>\n

Those who demand ethical conduct from citizens while exempting institutions from accountability transfer the burden of justice onto the weakest. And those who rely exclusively on laws without cultivating honesty forget that human beings can either bring rules to life or strip them of their meaning.<\/p>\n

A state’s commitment to justice should not be measured by how often it declares its adherence to the truth, but by whether citizens can obtain their rights without intermediaries, express objections without fear, and subject public decisions to scrutiny, under transparent rules that apply equally to everyone.<\/p>\n

These are modern principles that I do not attribute to the ancient Egyptians. Rather, I invoke Ma\u2019at as a mirror that helps us ask the right questions.<\/p>\n

How Do We Cultivate Conscience and Build Trust?<\/h2>\n

A student may excel in physics and mathematics without ever learning that cheating violates another student’s rights, that admitting a mistake is an act of courage, or that disagreement does not justify injustice.<\/p>\n

But moral education cannot succeed through speeches alone. If a student hears a lesson about equality and then witnesses discrimination at school, experience defeats words.<\/p>\n

We need schools whose procedures are fair and administrations that practice what they preach. Ethics are taught through practice just as much as through explanation.<\/p>\n

The Feather of Ma\u2019at in Our Time<\/h2>\n

Today, we possess tools of knowledge and oversight that the ancient Egyptians could never have imagined. Yet injustice has not disappeared. Perhaps our technological progress has outpaced our progress in using power ethically.<\/p>\n

If we were to translate the spirit of Ma\u2019at into everyday questions, we would ask ourselves:<\/p>\n

Did I tell the truth when lying would have served me better?<\/p>\n

Did I respect the rights of those who disagree with me?<\/p>\n

Did I use whatever authority I possess, however limited, to serve those affected by my decisions?<\/p>\n

And am I willing to accept the same rules that I have imposed on others?<\/p>\n

We must also ask our institutions:<\/p>\n

Do they correct their mistakes?<\/p>\n

Do they listen to complaints?<\/p>\n

Do they guarantee that the weak have access to justice without needing the approval of the powerful?<\/p>\n

The ancient Egyptians chose a feather, one of the lightest objects, to symbolize some of the heaviest responsibilities a human being can carry: truth, justice, and honesty.<\/p>\n

I am not calling for a return to ancient beliefs. Rather, I invite us to approach their wisdom with open minds. A civilization is not measured by the stones it builds, but by the dignity and fairness it provides to human beings.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the deepest lesson is that a just heart does not absolve the state of its responsibility to build just institutions, just as just institutions do not absolve individuals of the responsibility to hold their own hearts accountable.<\/p>\n

If our hearts were placed today on the scales of Ma\u2019at\u2014those of individuals, rulers, and entire societies\u2014would we dare to look at the other side of the balance?<\/p>\n

I would add to the feather of Ma\u2019at, in the modern state, another measure: what official records document about the promises made by rulers upon assuming office, the commitments they reaffirm year after year, and the extent to which they honor or betray those pledges.<\/p>\n

By the ancient scales of Ma\u2019at, let us hold both our rulers and ourselves accountable in the age of modernity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can a civilization make truth a law of the universe, justice a condition for the continuity of life, and conscience a judge over the individual even after death? Did the ancient Egyptians fear death itself, or did they fear reaching it having forfeited their worthiness of the afterlife? These questions led me to reflect on …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14283,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[280,103,272,16,197],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-collective-activities-articles","category-all-articles","category-almasry-alyoum","category-articles-by-dr-badrawi","category-translated-articles"],"yoast_head":"\nDr. Hossam Badrawi Writes for Al-Masry Al-Youm: Ma\u2019at: The Philosophy of Life in Ancient Egypt and Its Reflections on Modern Society - Dr. Hossam Badrawi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dr. Hossam Badrawi Writes for Al-Masry Al-Youm: Ma\u2019at: The Philosophy of Life in Ancient Egypt and Its Reflections on Modern Society - Dr. Hossam Badrawi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Can a civilization make truth a law of the universe, justice a condition for the continuity of life, and conscience a judge over the individual even after death? Did the ancient Egyptians fear death itself, or did they fear reaching it having forfeited their worthiness of the afterlife? These questions led me to reflect on …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dr. Hossam Badrawi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hossambadrawi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hossambadrawi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-04T20:53:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/887785165_1823036842062244_5937971500115337579_n.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"851\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"883\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Hossam Badrawi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@HossamBadrawi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HossamBadrawi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dr. Hossam Badrawi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dr. Hossam Badrawi\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71dac15488abcc9dd96527db12aee32a\"},\"headline\":\"Dr. Hossam Badrawi Writes for Al-Masry Al-Youm: Ma\u2019at: The Philosophy of Life in Ancient Egypt and Its Reflections on Modern Society\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-04T20:53:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1439,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71dac15488abcc9dd96527db12aee32a\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/887785165_1823036842062244_5937971500115337579_n.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"2026 Collective Activities & Articles\",\"All Articles\",\"Almasry Alyoum\",\"By Dr Badrawi\",\"Translated Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/\",\"name\":\"Dr. Hossam Badrawi Writes for Al-Masry Al-Youm: Ma\u2019at: The Philosophy of Life in Ancient Egypt and Its Reflections on Modern Society - Dr. Hossam Badrawi\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/887785165_1823036842062244_5937971500115337579_n.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-04T20:53:47+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/887785165_1823036842062244_5937971500115337579_n.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/887785165_1823036842062244_5937971500115337579_n.jpg\",\"width\":851,\"height\":883},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Dr. Hossam Badrawi Writes for Al-Masry Al-Youm: Ma\u2019at: The Philosophy of Life in Ancient Egypt and Its Reflections on Modern Society\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Dr. Hossam Badrawi\",\"description\":\"Official Website\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71dac15488abcc9dd96527db12aee32a\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71dac15488abcc9dd96527db12aee32a\",\"name\":\"Dr. Hossam Badrawi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/dr.-hossam-logo-e1762983997572.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/dr.-hossam-logo-e1762983997572.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/dr.-hossam-logo-e1762983997572.png\",\"width\":526,\"height\":272,\"caption\":\"Dr. Hossam Badrawi\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.hossambadrawi.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/dr.-hossam-logo-e1762983997572.png\"},\"description\":\"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\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/hossambadrawi\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/HossamBadrawi\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi Writes for Al-Masry Al-Youm: Ma\u2019at: The Philosophy of Life in Ancient Egypt and Its Reflections on Modern Society - Dr. Hossam Badrawi","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi Writes for Al-Masry Al-Youm: Ma\u2019at: The Philosophy of Life in Ancient Egypt and Its Reflections on Modern Society - Dr. Hossam Badrawi","og_description":"Can a civilization make truth a law of the universe, justice a condition for the continuity of life, and conscience a judge over the individual even after death? Did the ancient Egyptians fear death itself, or did they fear reaching it having forfeited their worthiness of the afterlife? These questions led me to reflect on …","og_url":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/","og_site_name":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hossambadrawi\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hossambadrawi\/","article_published_time":"2026-11-04T20:53:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":851,"height":883,"url":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/887785165_1823036842062244_5937971500115337579_n.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@HossamBadrawi","twitter_site":"@HossamBadrawi","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/"},"author":{"name":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi","@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/71dac15488abcc9dd96527db12aee32a"},"headline":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi Writes for Al-Masry Al-Youm: Ma\u2019at: The Philosophy of Life in Ancient Egypt and Its Reflections on Modern Society","datePublished":"2026-11-04T20:53:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/"},"wordCount":1439,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/71dac15488abcc9dd96527db12aee32a"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/887785165_1823036842062244_5937971500115337579_n.jpg","articleSection":["2026 Collective Activities & Articles","All Articles","Almasry Alyoum","By Dr Badrawi","Translated Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/","url":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/","name":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi Writes for Al-Masry Al-Youm: Ma\u2019at: The Philosophy of Life in Ancient Egypt and Its Reflections on Modern Society - Dr. Hossam Badrawi","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/887785165_1823036842062244_5937971500115337579_n.jpg","datePublished":"2026-11-04T20:53:47+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/887785165_1823036842062244_5937971500115337579_n.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/887785165_1823036842062244_5937971500115337579_n.jpg","width":851,"height":883},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/dr-hossam-badrawi-writes-for-al-masry-al-youm-maat-the-philosophy-of-life-in-ancient-egypt-and-its-reflections-on-modern-society\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi Writes for Al-Masry Al-Youm: Ma\u2019at: The Philosophy of Life in Ancient Egypt and Its Reflections on Modern Society"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/","name":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi","description":"Official Website","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/71dac15488abcc9dd96527db12aee32a"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/71dac15488abcc9dd96527db12aee32a","name":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dr.-hossam-logo-e1762983997572.png","url":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dr.-hossam-logo-e1762983997572.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dr.-hossam-logo-e1762983997572.png","width":526,"height":272,"caption":"Dr. Hossam Badrawi"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/dr.-hossam-logo-e1762983997572.png"},"description":"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","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hossambadrawi\/","https:\/\/x.com\/HossamBadrawi"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14281"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14285,"href":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14281\/revisions\/14285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hossambadrawi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}