Suzanne Mubarak Explained

Suzanne Mubarak
Native Name:Arabic: سوزان مبارك
Birthname:Suzanne Saleh Thabet
Birth Date:28 February 1941
Birth Place:Al Minya Governorate, Kingdom of Egypt
Order1:First Lady of Egypt
Term Label1:In role
Term Start1:14 October 1981
Term End1:11 February 2011
President1:Hosni Mubarak
Predecessor1:Jehan Al Sadat
Successor1:Naglaa Mahmoud
Alma Mater:American University in Cairo
Nationality:Egyptian
Parents:Saleh Thabet
Lily May Palmer

Suzanne Saleh Mubarak (Arabic: سوزان مبارك pronounced as /arz/, [{{lang|ar|ثابت}}]; born 28 February 1941) is the widow of Egyptian former president Hosni Mubarak and was the First Lady of Egypt during her husband's presidential tenure from 14 October 1981 to 11 February 2011. She has served as Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and founded the Cairo Child Museum in collaboration with the British Museum.

Early life and education

Suzanne Saleh Thabet was born in Al Minya Governorate, located on the Nile River about 250 kilometres to the south of Cairo, on 28 February 1941.[1] She was the daughter of an Egyptian paediatrician, Saleh Thabet,[2] [3] [4] and Welsh nurse Lily Palmer, a native of Pontypridd.[1] Her parents married in London in 1934, when Thabet was a medical student at Cardiff University and Palmer was a nurse working at The Infirmary on Camden Road, Islington. Mubarak has an older brother, Mounir Sabet, who is a former president of the Egyptian Olympic Committee.[5] She attended St. Claire School in Heliopolis, Cairo.

She met her future husband, Egyptian Air Force officer Hosni Mubarak, when she was 16 years old.[6] The couple married when she was 17 years old[6] and had two sons; Alaa Mubarak and Gamal Mubarak. She returned to school ten years after her marriage.[6] She is a Christian.[7]

Mubarak graduated from American University in Cairo (AUC) in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in political science and then received a master's degree in sociology from AUC in 1982.[6] Her thesis is entitled "Social Action Research in Urban Egypt: Case study of primary school upgrading in Bulaq".

First Lady of Egypt

Mubarak became First Lady of Egypt upon her husband's accession to the presidency on 14 October 1981 and served as First Lady until her husband's resignation on 11 February 2011.

Mubarak's activities in projects relating to human trafficking and family affairs became prominent in Egypt.[8] She led the Egyptian U.N. delegation in conferences relating to women and children. In 1985 she founded the Child Museum of Cairo in collaboration with the British Museum. In 2005, she opened the Hurghada branch of Mubarak's Public Library.[9] In October 2008, she was nominated as Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).[10] She was a patron of the children's television series, Alam Simsim (Arabic for "Sesame's World"), Egypt's version of the American series, Sesame Street.

In March 2008, Egyptian journalist Ibrahim Eissa was arrested for reporting on Hosni Mubarak's health problems in August 2007. Mubarak then gave a rare television address to allege that Hosni was actually healthy and reporters who suggested otherwise deserve to be punished.[11]

Family

Suzanne Mubarak has two sons, Alaa and Gamal, a granddaughter, and two grandsons, one of whom, 12-year-old Muhammad Mubarak, died on 18 May 2009, in Paris after a two-day health crisis.[12]

On 12 March 2021, the European Union lifted the sanctions against nine Egyptian individuals including the Mubarak family, in place since 2011.[13]

Honours

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Egypt's first ladies. Historica. 2 March 2013.
  2. News: Egypt: Suzanne Mubarak 'recovering' from sudden illness. 24 July 2012. BBC. 14 May 2011.
  3. News: Wife bids to build Mubarak dynasty. The Times. Uzi. Mahnaimi. 12 June 2005.
  4. Evans, Martin. "Egypt Crisis: Mubarak Family Profile – Telegraph", 30 January 2011. Web. 14 May 2011. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8291530/Egypt-crisis-Mubarak-family-profile.html.
  5. News: Deadly Checkmate . Hays, Kathleen . Morris, Valerie . Willis, Gerri . Free with registration . . Egypt Today. 10 December 2003. 7 October 2010 . the Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC), headed by Gen. Mounir Sabet, the brother of the First Lady Suzanne Mubarak....
  6. News: Alex. Leary. A Greater Role for Egypt's First Lady. The New York Times. 14 February 1988. 16 May 2011.
  7. https://egyptindependent.com/leaked-us-cables-reveal-orientialist-banter-and-suzanne-mubaraks-christian-faith/ Suzanne Mubarak's Christian faith
  8. Hendawi, Hamza. "Court: Remove Mubarak name from public facilities – Yahoo! News." 21 April 2011. https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110421/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt.
  9. Web site: MRS. Mubarak opens library in Hurghada . 2009-07-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081202213015/http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050825/2005082524.html . 2 December 2008 .
  10. Web site: First Ladies Summit at FAO, Rome. FAO Newsroom. 5 November 2009.
  11. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/26/world/main3970064.shtml "Egyptian Journo Jailed For Prez Reports"
  12. Thurber, John. "Suzanne Mubarak's Literary Career", Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2011.
  13. Web site: Egypt: EU revokes sanctions framework and delists 9 people . Council of the European Union . 12 March 2021 .
  14. Web site: Bundestag speaker addresses UNESCO general conference and receives award. UNESCO. 28 February 2024.

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