| Description | An interview with Dr. Hany EL BANNA, a married man with two sons, three daughters, who is a Director of Islamic Relief, born in Egypt and now living in Birmingham. Dr. Hany EL BANNA’s father was a University professor, born in Egypt and his mother a Housewife born in Egypt. In the interview, he talks about …
'DR HANY EL BANNA MS2255/2/149 Logged by Simon Cotterill
01
Born in Egypt, 9th December 1950. Born in Cairo. Father was professor of Islam, mother was housewife. Fourth child in family. Educated in Egypt until finishing medical degree. Very happy childhood. Played football in the street. Was goalkeeper of one of the main local teams.
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Used to play football every Friday in the street. Was very intelligent at primary and secondary school. Did not have a lot of hobbies. Used to make sweets and sell them.
2.45 'It was not a strong Islamic society'.
People used to come to his mother with social and economic problems as she was head of the family. Comparisons with modern Cairo.
3.54 'No decent family will have children who smoke'.
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Cairo was very safe and peaceful. No television.
25" 'The radio was the main amusement for us at that time'.
1968 - went to medical school after the Egyptian-Israeli war.
1.37 'Everything I wanted my mother and father provided me with. Even had my own servant'.
Taking bodily organs home to learn about them.
2.56 'It was a really tough life to be a medical student'.
Wanting to study economics but it being mother's dream to have a son who was a doctor. Wanting to please mother. At medical school for seven years. Decided to come to England afterwards for a three-month training holiday, after an invitation from Aberystwyth.
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Coming back to Aberystwyth in November 1977 to become a qualified doctor in England. Graduating as a doctor, being given $3000 - $4000. Having a very helpful landlady in Aberystwyth, who had two daughters. Cultural adjustments made for living in England. Isolating himself for study in the first year.
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Wanting to leave Aberystwyth. Being helped by a psychologist and given a free room. Moving to Wolverhampton Royal Infirmary in 1978, then moving to Royal Berkshire hospital. Ways he economised during training in Britain. Travelling from city to city to find free accommodation. Passing exams. Moving between many jobs.
4.10 'The first time in Birmingham when I came to Dudley Road hospital'.
Being given first real job in Pathology at Dudley Road Hospital. Being the only foreign doctor. Winning award.
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Moving to Queen Elizabeth Hospital to do research in foetal pathology. Keeping relationship with family in Egypt through letters, photos, and summer visits.
1.54 'My father made the right decision to send me to get my qualification'.
1983 - married.
2.17 'My wife I think is the best gift from God to me. Allah knows what is the best for me'.
Deciding to let his family choose his wife.
3.52 'She is a key player in the house'.
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Going to the Sudan to help during their famine.
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Telling family about what he had seen in Sudan. Raising fifteen thousand Egyptian pounds to put into a bank account to help Muslims in the Sudan. Coming back to raise more money in Birmingham to help. Travelling around England to raise awareness and support. Girls often gave their jewellery.
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Being given a one thousand pound donation.
17" 'In Islam a man and man can hug one another. It’s not like people call them Homo'.
Founding Islamic Relief in Birmingham with best friend . Dreaming of planting offices in different parts of the world.
1988 - opened first office in London. Then opened another office in Glasgow in 1990. Starting to go to Europe. Friend’s role.
Visiting Yugoslavia in 1984. Dreaming of having Islamic Relief worldwide.
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Currently having offices all over the world. Education and commitment of Islamic Relief's workers. Nature of work.
2.49 'You have to believe in it to enjoy it.
3.08 'There's a deep satisfaction in the heart of every worker'.
Events that Islamic Relief have responded to, including the Gulf War.
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Richard Branson's trip to aid in Kuwait actually being full of Islamic Relief's aid material. Islamic Relief's three divisions. Ways they helped, and with modern improvements are now able to help better.
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Helping in the major catastrophes of Europe - Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, etc. Work in Chechnia. Descriptions of destruction. Working with Christian, Jewish, and Hindu organisations.
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Planning to help more in England. Islamic Relief acting as a funding agency in England but wanting to work on projects themselves in the future.
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People misunderstanding the name Islamic Relief. Media conspiracy against Islamic Relief and Muslims. Taking the French media to court eight times. Winning cases. Suspicion and caution from diplomats. Responding to non-Muslim problems with mainly Muslim money. Working with Jesuits in El Salvador.
15
Distributing for Christian Aid in India. Helping non-Muslim victims.
16" ''We tell people when you look at our face, yes we are very proud to be Muslim, like you are very proud to be a Christian, like you are very proud to be a Jew, like you are very proud to be a Hindu. So what!'
54" 'Our culture does not prevent us from helping every human being on this earth, when we can, if we can'.
The UK being a very tolerant country, more than America. There being Islamic societies in British schools, and mosques everywhere you go. More rights and advantages being given to Muslims.
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Differences between relationship with his parents and his children. Relationship with children is not as close. Lack of extended family in England reason for moving to Small Heath.
2.01 'Small Heath is not the most fantastic area but a least it carries some oriental culture, people understand when I talk about Egypt'.
Difficulties with children due to travelling a lot.
2.54 'I hope each of my children will have the right match'.
3.00 'I pray to God to give them the best he knows not the best I can see… whether it’s an arranged marriage or not'.
How arranged marriages should not be arranged if both parties are not happy.
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Birmingham being a safe, quiet area. One of his Egyptian friends brought his family to Birmingham when he needed a heart operation. They stayed in Sparkbrook for a week or so, before the young son asked his father 'When are we going to arrive in England'. He hadn't seen any Anglo-Saxons. Different cultures meeting over different types of meals.
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Some Muslims wearing clothes in Birmingham that would not be allowed in their own countries. Watching cultural interaction develop. Response of local media to Islamic Relief. Leaving medicine.
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1995 - gave up medicine totally.
Not minding the fact he is earning a lot less money by helping the community.
ENDS |