Mother courage

Nesmahar El-Sayed meets Nobel laureate El-Baradei's hidden mentor

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MEMORY LANE: El-Baradie with his mother, Aida Hegazi, as a young boy (left), and young man (centre); Hegazi following the announcement

The telephone did not stop ringing at the otherwise calm third-floor apartment in Rifaa Street, Doqqi -- family and friends congratulating Aida Hegazi on her son's singular achievement. And true to form, the elegant lady answered patiently, her pride palpable. "I keep thanking God," she would say, "that I lived to see this." Though she introduces herself as the widow of Mustafa El-Baradei (d 1977) -- the high-profile lawyer who headed the Lawyers Syndicate for 20 years -- already she is better known as the mother of Mohamed El-Baradei: "I'm rather surprised at being called Mohamed's mother. I was always Mustafa El-Baradei's wife, and I'm still proud to be that. He was an extremely respectable man." There are flowers on every table, with congratulatory telegrams scattered around. A phone call from her eldest son had prompted Hegazi to turn on CNN, when she found out about the prize.

She sits by the window, opening envelopes while she reminisces about the old days. Mohamed, she remembers, was always intelligent and ahead of his age -- successful. As a child he never accepted defeat, and he inherited his father's strong personality and modesty as well as his legal interests. Graduating from law school, he opted for the diplomatic corps, and he helped his mother bring up his younger siblings. But his capacity for speedy decision-making was such it annoyed her: "After a while I would always realise he was in the right." His principal fault, she says, is being hot-tempered; at the same time he doesn't keep a grudge and remains extremely kind-hearted." She recalls his first meeting with his wife Aida El-Kashef, at a friend's wedding. It was love at first sight. Her "very beautiful" daughter-in-law has since become very close. And while she remains in close contact with them, she also keeps up with news of El-Baradei's career, keeping newspaper cattings and taping media appearances. What has upset her most since news of the prize is the accusation that he works in the service of Washington: "People who say this obviously know nothing about him. He is a diplomat by profession, and he works for an international organisation. And can't possibly be unbiased. Knowing my son, I know nothing could possibly influence him except his conscience -- of which impartiality is a necessary condition."

The prize has prompted a review of El-Baradei's personal history as a law graduate -- many thought he had a science background -- and, notably, as the outstanding member of an illustrious family. His two sisters, Mona and Laila, are professors at Cairo University and the American University in Cairo (AUC), respectively, while his brothers, Tareq and Ali, work, respectively, as an expert at the Kuwaiti Development Fund and the manager of one the biggest publishing houses. And Hegazi's serene presence has been integral to such success. She is a graduate of the Sacré-Coeur, and their family home is a treasurehouse of good taste. Colours are in the orange-to-green range, while decorations are simply and carefully selected. Dressed in white blouse, white skirt and light blue jacket, Hegazi wears an elegantly matching veil. Among her favourite activities is cooking for El-Baradei while he is in Cairo; his favourite dish is sharkasiya, she says. Though an expatriate for most of his life, El-Baradie loves the music of Um Kalthoum, Abdel-Halim Hafez, and has a penchant for fuul, taamiya and Oriental sweets. Even Egyptian pop music, Hegazi testifies, is to El-Baradei's taste.

A typical Egyptian mother, Hegazi was married at the age of 17; she has always felt young, and like many Egyptian women of her generation, her life has been wholly dedicated to raising her children: "I never left a child with a nanny at home or at the club. I'm from Damietta and we're known for our cleverness." And true to form, she has managed to take the media hype in her stride; she greets journalists and photographers with a simple smile, and happily offers them the family albums. Her central message to them concerns El-Baradei's vision, into which she has a unique insight -- his powerful memory and his ability to engage equally with his family and his responsibilities as chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). And she will not shy away from stating that she misses him: "When he comes here for work, sometimes, at the hotel where I get my only chance to see him, I have to wait for an hour."

She is a modern grandmother, by the testimony of her grandchildren. And she will readily concede that she keeps an open mind regarding cultural and social differences. As for the potential risks of El-Baradei opening the Israeli nuclear file, Hegazi trusts her son and believes he will do what he must do. It is particularly moving how she recounts him telling her not to worry about him: "I only say the truth and God will stand by me." Her biggest hope had been that El-Baradei would become UN secretary-general. Little did she know that she would be more than compensated.