On March 2, Damascus University held a memorial ceremony to honor the thinker Fakher AKEL
Dr. Bothaniya Shabaan, the Political and Media Advisor to the Presidency of the Republic cited in her speech the virtues of Dr. AKEL and his celebrated educational career distinguished by creativity, brightness of thought, abundance of writing, modesty, as well as devotion to his country, his family, and his teachers. Dr. Shabaan also mentioned that Dr. AKEL possessed a political insight, remembering his statement: "What infuriates the United States in Iraq and Iran is their scientists, and not that they possess nuclear weapons."
Dr. Mahmud al Sayed affirmed that the loss of this scholar is a loss to science, culture, nation, and to humanitarianism, noting that Dr. AKEL donated his extensive private library which encompasses books from many different disciplines to the al Assad Library. In a much more important sense, Dr. AKEL contributed many works of great value to Arabic literature, scientific writing, translations, dictionaries, and articles on early child development published on throughout the Arab world.
Friends and family of the deceased confirmed that he was a father, a teacher, a brother a scholar, and a friend. Dr. Huda AKEL, his daughter, spoke of the role of her father in the lives of his children, in their upbringing, in teaching them correct habits with which to face life and carry life's responsibilities on the way to achieving their goals. She points out that he implanted in the souls of his family a love for knowledge, a respect of reality, truth, and hard work, and a belief in humanity.Dr. AKEL was born in the village of Kafr Takharim in the province of Idleb in 1918. He studied early child development and psychology at the American University in Beirut and earned his doctorate at the University of London before being becoming a professor and the chief of the Psychology Department at the University of Damascus. Dr. AKEL also worked for UNESCO intermittently for seven years. Among his psychological works are two tri-lingual dictionaries written in Arabic, French, and English, in addition to his contributions to newspapers and journals and his participation in global psychology seminars.
