Aous Shakra

Aous Shakra (also Aous Chakra) (

In his final speech at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York City, he criticized the World for allowing itself to be controlled:

"If your well-being is not subject to anybody or anything, only then are you free. Otherwise whether you're in a prison or jogging on the beach, you shall always remain a prisoner within yourself. Break-free from the religious institutions that set you apart, and from the Governments that seek to control your every thought."^[6]

For all his achievements and intellectual contributions to society, Aous Shakra is also remembered for having quite the peculiar behaviour. For instance, it has been reported that in a sudden outburst in a meeting with his colleagues from "Al Fikr Al Horr" he famously held his cigarette bud and for absolutely no reason flicked it at his fellow thinker Hussein A.H.^[7]

Death

On the morning of April 1, 1992, Aous Shakra died in

With the Arab Awakening of 2011, and uprisings springing up in every corner of the Arab world, Aous Shakra was reborn. His writings were considered a main source of inspiration for the revolutionaries of Tunis, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen. According to Dr. Saed Abdul Hamid, writing for Al-Najmah Al-Yawmiyyah:

"Arabs had finally realized the truly historic element in the life and activism of Aous Shakra, which lay in his insistence on challenging the prevailing school of thought, at a time when few dared to do so and instead spoke strongly of reform, democracy and modernity."

Consequently, and 35 years after it was discontinued, "Al Fikr Al Horr" magazine resumed its operations on August 20, 2011 from Tunis. The Editorial for its first new edition had been written by Aous Shakra himself in 1974:

"The thirst of the soul for freedom, is nothing but identical to the thirst of the body for water; hence if you get thirsty for nothing but water, you will not be getting it from me."

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References