User:Elizabeth Ellis

Mikdadi - Writer

F H Mikdadi was born in Nablus, Palestine on the 20 March 1948.

In 1948 Mikdadi was moved to Beirut. He was brought up in Beirut. He attended a local school until the age of eleven when he was moved to the International College for his secondary education.

In early 1957 Mikdadi lost his mother to Cancer. Her death affected him deeply for the rest of his life. In 1958 he was injured in a bomb explosion in Beirut. His injuries required several months of treatment and eventually an operation on his leg to rectify internal injuries.

A year later Mikdadi fell seriously ill with Rheumatic Fever. His illness lasted several months and left him weak with a heart murmur. His schooling was badly affected through intermittent absences and through his withdrawal from all physical activity.

During 1960 to 1964 Mikdadi failed in his schooling. By 1964 it was decided that he should repeat his fourth year in secondary school. He was unable to do so and his father withdrew him from school and offered him a job in his company (International Chemical Agencies). Mikdadi attended evening classes and obtained a certificate in business studies and advanced accountancy. His work for his father was not a success as Mikdadi missed work regularly in order to hide and read avidly.

Mikdadi’s love of literature was born during his long illness when he acquired the habit of reading avidly. He read mainly novels and acquired a genuine passion for English Literature. Eventually, he read avidly in Arabic, English and French. He read Palestinian, Arab, English, French, Russian and American literary works.

Between 1964 and 1967 Mikdadi spent most of his time reading fiction, poetry and politics. In 1967 he became heavily involved in student movements pushing for the Palestinians’ right of return.

After the defeat of 1967, Mikdadi was sent to England by his father who decided to give him a last chance at education and to get him out of youthful political involvement.

In England, Mikdadi studied English Literature at the universities of Sussex, Kent and Essex. He became a teacher of English after obtaining his teacher’s qualification, a degree in English and a Master of Philosophy in comparative literature.

Mikdadi worked in several secondary schools teaching English, French, drama and law up to GCE advanced level. He rose fast in his profession becoming a senior manager within six years of starting teaching. He went on to become an advisory headteacher, a general secondary adviser and finally a secondary school inspector.

In 1987, whilst teaching war poetry to adults as part of a course on literature, F.H. Mikdadi used writings by Darwish, Oz and his own recently published anthology. Two students objected to the use of Palestinian poetry and wrote to their Member of Parliament alleging anti-Semitism. After a three-month investigation, F.H.Mikdadi was completely exonerated of all allegations. By then, he had decided to leave his employer.

More recently, F.H.Mikdadi left his job as a secondary school adviser with a local education authority after his line manager reprimanded him for taking part in a radio broadcast on the fighting in the Middle East during which F.H.Mikdadi called for peace and reconciliation in Palestine and Israel. The line manager charged F.H.Mikdadi with breaking the law requiring local government employees to refrain from political activities. Since the same line manager had never previously objected to Mikdadi’s books on Margaret Thatcher and Gamal Abdel Nasser and other political works, F.H.Mikdadi sought redress from the Chief Education Officer. As before, F.H.Mikdadi was told that he had not done wrong and that he could carry on with his involvement in Palestinian-Israeli affairs. By then, he had had enough of his line manager’s blatant anti-Palestinian racism and he left for new employment elsewhere.

Currently, Mikdadi works as an educational consultant, a schools inspector and a writer.

Amongst his many writings (listed below), F.H.Mikdadi has written and had published a book of poetry (A Return: The Siege of Beirut), two novels(Chateaux en Palestine, Tamra), two bibliographies (Gamal Abdul Nasser, Margaret Thatcher), many articles on education and literature, short stories and book reviews for journals.

F.H.Mikdadi is a passionate believer in peace in the Middle East. He has taken part in debates with many persons including Israeli citizens. He believes that peace is possible between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. He has called for the establishment of an independent secular and democratic Palestinian state, for the acceptance of the Palestinians’ right of return in principle (with some appropriate formula being negotiated to guarantee Israel’s distinctive Jewish characteristic) and for cooperation between the two neighbouring states in economic and developmental affairs.

Mikdadi was married in 1973 and has two children: Catherine and Richard. He currently lives on his own in the south west of England where he spends much time reading, writing, studying and doing freelance educational work.

Publications

1969-1998 Poetry, educational articles and reviews, short stories, literary articles in the following publications and media: The Dickensian, BBC World Service, Multicultural Education, Suffolk Education News, Education Today, College of Preceptors Newsletter, French Radio, The Times Educational Supplement, Citizen Newspaper, Contributions, The East Anglian Daily Times, Evening Star, Yellow Advertiser, Radio Orwell, Wiltshire Radio, Mensa Magazine

Major Publications

Chateaux en Palestine, La Pensée Universelle, Paris, 1982 A Return: The Siege of Beirut, Martin Brian & O'Keeffe, London, 1982 Tamra, Martin Brian & O'Keeffe, London, 1988 Gamal Abdel Nasser - A Bibliography, Greenwood Press, New York, 1991 Margaret Thatcher - A Bibliography, Greenwood Press, New York, 1993

Educational Publications

'Culture and Language in Teaching and Learning' in Multicultural Teaching, Volume 1, Number 2, Spring 1983 Multi-Cultural Education in Suffolk School’, SEN Journal, April 1985. 'Action Research into Multicultural Education' in Education Today, Volume 36, Number 1, 1986 Regular educational book reviews, Education Today, 1987-1992. 'Culture and Religion in a Multicultural Society: A Dilemma for Everybody', Education Today, Volume 37, Number 1, 1987 Multicultural Education in Ipswich - Some Considerations, Suffolk County Council Research Paper Number 15, 1987 'To Everyone According to His Work', TES, 8 January 1988 'History and Prejudice', Contributions (The Centre for the Study of Comprehensive Schools), Number 13, Spring 1988 'Bawking the Hawk: The Practical Implications of the Kingman Report', East Anglian Daily Times, 5 May 1988 'Meaning of School Discipline', East Anglian Daily Times, 12 July 1988 'Critical Not Jaundiced', Times Educational Supplement, 16 September 1988 'Misguided Rights', Times Educational Supplement, 23 December 1988 'Education in Britain' (a series of talks on the BBC World Service), January and February 1989 'Action Research into Multicultural Education', Nixon, J and Watts, M (Editors) Whole School Approaches to Multicultural Education, Macmillan, London 1989 'Culture and Religion in a Multicultural Society: A Dilemma for Everybody', in Nixon, J and Watts, M (Editors) Whole School Approaches to Multicultural Education, Macmillan, London 1989 Making It Happen: County Inset, Wiltshire County Council Occasional Paper, 1990 ‘Neither Better Nor Worse’, The Times Educational Supplement, 5 March 1999. ‘The Spirit of Ignorance’, Times Literary Supplement, 24 December 1998. ‘The Learning Partnership: A New Arrival’s Perception’, The Partnership, University of Cambridge, Summer Term 2001. ‘Wiltshire County Council Response to The Macpherson Report’, Multicultural Teaching, Spring 2001. ‘There is no such thing as Islamic Terrorism’, Multicultural Teaching, Autumn 2001. ‘Why shouldn’t it be like this all the time?’, Guardian, 2 September 2002. ‘An Open Letter to the Prime Minister’, Race Equality Teaching, Summer 2003. ‘Au Marché de Neuchâtel’, Guardian, 3 September 2003.

Works in Anthologies

Time Present and Time Past, Ed. Marion Lomas, Yorick Books, 1985 International Writing, Ed. Paul Currah, University of Essex Publications, 1989 The Magic of Love, Anchor Books, 1995 The Arrival Press Poetry Companion, Arrival Press, 1995 Tears and Tenderness, Anchor Books, 1995 Skool Daze, Anchor Books, 1995 Poets in Protest, Anchor_ Books, 1996 TV Memories, Anchor Books, 1996