Mounes Abdul Wahab
Encyclopedia
Mounes Abdul Wahab is a civil rights activist, author and pioneer of disabled rights movement in Lebanon
. He is blind by birth.
, and is a grandson of Kheireddine Abdul Wahab
. Blind at birth, Mounes spent his early years in El Mina, mostly home schooled. Later during his teens, he was schooled in specialized schools in Beirut
and Cairo
, Egypt, where he learned braille
. He then enrolled at the American University of Beirut
, where he received a bachelors in Arabic Literature in 1974 and later a Masters degree in the same subject in 1983.
. He joined the Lebanese Association of Blind Workers (established in 1935) and was elected to its board of governors in 1974. While still a student at the university, in 1975, he founded the Lebanese Association of Blind University Graduates and represented Lebanon in the international conference for the blind in Berlin, Germany that same year, which saw participation of
over 130 countries.
With Lebanese Civil War
breaking out in 1975, Abdul Wahab was forced to suspend his graduate studies and return to his hometown of El-Mina. He later resumed his graduate studies in 1981, and continued his activism by hosting a radio show With the Handicapped for three years that helped raise awareness of the handicapped issues and bring them to the general public. That same year, he was appointed to the National Committee of the Disabled, and represented Lebanon in regional conferences for the disabled between 1981 and 1984 in Amman, Sharja and Riyadh respectively.
Upon his graduation with an MA in Arabic Literature in 1983, he returned to his hometown of El-Mina in North Lebanon, and was, alongside professor Nawaf Kabbara, a founding member of the North Lebanon branch of The Friends of the Handicapped Association, the largest non-governmental organization for the handicapped in Lebanon. With Kabbara, he played a vital role in pioneering events such as the Handicapped Peacewalk from North to South Lebanon in 1987 and the 1988 Oxfam
Lebanon Peace conference which formed a significant step in the handicapped civil rights movement in the country. Abdul Wahab again represented his country in numerous
conferences in Belarus, Egypt and Jordan.
Abdul Wahab remains active on the civil rights scene and was the first handicapped man to be elected to municipal committee of El-Mina in the 1996 general elections.
He published his memoirs in 2003 and remains a regular contributor to numerous publications and newspapers.
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. He is blind by birth.
Early life
Mounes was born to Fadwa and Kifli Abdul Wahab in the Lebanese city of El-MinaEl Mina
El-Mina or El Mina,which means "harbour" in Arabic, is a coastal city in Northern Lebanon. El-Mina occupies the location of the old Phoenician city of Tripoli, Lebanon's second largest city...
, and is a grandson of Kheireddine Abdul Wahab
Kheireddine Abdul Wahab
Kheireddine Abdul Wahab was a Lebanese businessman and mayor of the city of El Mina, who played a pivotal role in the establishment of Lebanon's second largest harbor, at Tripoli, as well as founding the Piloting & Harboring company, which oversees present-day harbor activities.-Biography:Abdul...
. Blind at birth, Mounes spent his early years in El Mina, mostly home schooled. Later during his teens, he was schooled in specialized schools in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt, where he learned braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
. He then enrolled at the American University of Beirut
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
, where he received a bachelors in Arabic Literature in 1974 and later a Masters degree in the same subject in 1983.
Civil Rights Activism
Abdul Wahab's civil activism began while he was still a student at the American University of BeirutAmerican University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
. He joined the Lebanese Association of Blind Workers (established in 1935) and was elected to its board of governors in 1974. While still a student at the university, in 1975, he founded the Lebanese Association of Blind University Graduates and represented Lebanon in the international conference for the blind in Berlin, Germany that same year, which saw participation of
over 130 countries.
With Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
breaking out in 1975, Abdul Wahab was forced to suspend his graduate studies and return to his hometown of El-Mina. He later resumed his graduate studies in 1981, and continued his activism by hosting a radio show With the Handicapped for three years that helped raise awareness of the handicapped issues and bring them to the general public. That same year, he was appointed to the National Committee of the Disabled, and represented Lebanon in regional conferences for the disabled between 1981 and 1984 in Amman, Sharja and Riyadh respectively.
Upon his graduation with an MA in Arabic Literature in 1983, he returned to his hometown of El-Mina in North Lebanon, and was, alongside professor Nawaf Kabbara, a founding member of the North Lebanon branch of The Friends of the Handicapped Association, the largest non-governmental organization for the handicapped in Lebanon. With Kabbara, he played a vital role in pioneering events such as the Handicapped Peacewalk from North to South Lebanon in 1987 and the 1988 Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
Lebanon Peace conference which formed a significant step in the handicapped civil rights movement in the country. Abdul Wahab again represented his country in numerous
conferences in Belarus, Egypt and Jordan.
Abdul Wahab remains active on the civil rights scene and was the first handicapped man to be elected to municipal committee of El-Mina in the 1996 general elections.
He published his memoirs in 2003 and remains a regular contributor to numerous publications and newspapers.