Dr. Rafiq Habib Wins Youth Award

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Youth Forum (Sahatna), the official sponsor of State’s Incentive Award for youths have announced that Coptic intellectual Dr. Rafiq Habib has received the  award after  winning the largest number of votes in the latest stage where  five other  candidates competed him.

Dr. Rafiq Habib won first place with 34 votes with his closest rival Dr. Ragheb Sirjani, receiving 31 votes, after a fierce competition continued till the last moments before the close of voting Sunday evening.

Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the President of The International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS)., finished third with 21 votes, actor Mohamed Sobhi ranked in fourth with 14 votes, followed by Islamist writer Fahmy Howeidi with 9 votes, and finally Dr. Muhammad Salim Al-Awa, the Secretary General of the International Union for Muslim Scholars with 8 votes.

The award won appreciation by members of the Forum in the first and second phases of the voting, while organizers said there was much enthusiasm for the award after protests and objections were waged by writers and intellectuals against the winning of Dr. Sayyed al-Qimni Egypt’s 2009 State Incentive Prize. He lost popularity after he announced inappropriate statements not worthy of an academic intellect. 

The number of candidates in the first voting stage reached almost 31. Five top candidates were chosen for the second phase of voting which lasted for a week with the final votes given to Dr. Rafik Habib.

According to the campaign the Award organizers,  asserted that they will  inform Dr. Habib of his win and schedule  a ceremony in which they will also hand him  a certificate of merit signed by the youth to get 200 L.E instead of two hundred thousand pounds which is the amount given to Dr Sayyed al-Qimni. 

The Small group of activists launched the symbolic award in protest against the winning of Dr. Sayyed al-Qimni of the Egyptian State Award. The award was organized as an incentive to promote only those deserving of the prize