Sufi Abu Taleb

Infobox_President
name = Sufi Abu Taleb
صوفي أبو طالب


imagesize = 99px
order = 4th President of Egypt
primeminister =
vicepresident =
term_start = 6 October 1981
term_end = 14 October 1981
predecessor = Anwar Sadat
successor = Hosni Mubarak
birth_date = birth date and age|1925|01|27|df=y
birth_place = Egypt
death_date = February 21,2008
death_place = Malaysia
spouse = Wafeya el Otefi
children = 4 (2 sons and 2 daughters)
religion = Sunni Islam
languages = 5

Sufi Abu Taleb (Arabic: صوفي أبو طالب) (January 27 ,1925 - February 21,2008 ) served as Acting President of Egypt for eight days in October 1981 from 6 October 1981 to 14 October 1981, following the assassination of Egypt's third president Anwar Sadat. cite news |first=|last=|title=Former acting president of Egypt dies in Malaysia |url=http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN154552.html |work= Reuters Africa |publisher=|date=2008-02-21 |accessdate=2008-02-22] Upon Sadat's assassination, Sufi Abu Taleb was serving as Speaker of the People's Assembly from November 4, 1978 to November 4, 1983.

According to the adopted constitution, in case of the vacancy of the office of the president, the Speaker of the People's Assembly shall act as Acting President pending an election in 60 days. However, Taleb was not considered a serious candidate for the Egyptian presidency. He stepped aside after just eight days as president in favor of current Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who had been vice president under Anwar Sadat.

He was previously the President of Cairo University and also the People's Assembly speaker and member of the Islamic Research Academy

A proponent of implementing Islamic Sharia, Abu Taleb is credited for incorporating Sharia in Egyptian laws during his time as parliament speaker. It was under his guidance that Article 2 of the constitution, famously stating that "Islamic Sharia is the main source of legislation in Egypt" was written. In fact, while attending the gathering in Kuala Lumpur, he reiterated the call for implementing Sharia across the Islamic world.

Aside from his political accomplishments, Sufi Abu Taleb had an outstanding academic career during which he served as president of Cairo University and founded Fayoum University.

His son, Ahmed Sufi Abu Taleb, is an independent politician who ran in the 2000 parliamentary elections, facing in his district Tamia, Fayoum the NDP's veteran MP Hussein Eweiss. The Abu Taleb family used to be Tamia's deputies for more than 30 years

Sufi Abu Taleb died on February 21, 2008, in Malaysia at the age of 83. He had been visiting Malaysia for an alumni reunion for graduates of Cairo's al-Azhar University.

External links

* [http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN154552.html Reuters Africa: Former acting president of Egypt dies in Malaysia]

References