DUBAI, 19 December 2004 — Sultan ibn Ali Al-Owais Cultural Foundation (SACF) has withdrawn an award it had given to Iraqi poet Sa’adi Yousuf in 1990 after he made disparaging remarks about the late president of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed ibn Sultan Al-Nahayan, in an article posted on a website.
The foundation also decided to remove the name of the poet from its roll of winners.
The board of trustees of the foundation said in a statement released through the official Emirates News Agency (Wam): “The foundation conferred the award on the poet in 1990 in appreciation of his pioneering work to enhance the standard of contemporary Arabic poetry, regardless of the poet’s political and intellectual leanings.”
The statement said the foundation was disappointed at “the serious and very damaging remarks” made by the poet about Sheikh Zayed, who is considered by all nations of the world “as a leading figure in forging Arab unity and solidarity, and a tireless worker for international peace”.
It said that before taking a decision the foundation tried to contact the poet “directly and through friends” to dispel any doubts that he was the real author of the article. However, Yousuf never denied authoring the article. His remarks only confirmed that he was the author, said the statement. “So the foundation has decided to withdraw the award from him,” it added.
Yousuf was born in Basra in 1934. He worked as a teacher and journalist before becoming the editor in chief of Al-Mada magazine. He is currently in self-exile in the United Kingdom.
