Amman, June 9 – The Abdul Hameed Shoman Cultural Forum held a commemorative event on Monday evening honoring the late academic and translator Dr. Mohammad Shaheen, in the presence of a distinguished group of writers, academics, and cultural figures.
The event, titled “Mohammad Shaheen… Literary Sensibility and Critical Vision,” featured contributions from Dr. Ibrahim Al-Saafin, Dr. Mohammad Asfour, Dr. Mahmoud Jarran, and Asma Shaheen. The session was moderated by Dr. Taysir Abu Awda, who also facilitated the discussion with the audience.
Dr. Al-Saafin described the late Mohammad Shaheen as a perceptive critic who believed deeply in the role of culture in shaping society and the nation. He emphasized that the intellectual’s role is a pioneering one that extends beyond classrooms and closed doors. For Shaheen, literary criticism was not limited to analyzing texts and their structures or aesthetics, but also involved activating critical awareness across different fields, grounded in broad knowledge and guided by a profound humanistic vision that goes beyond the immediate and superficial.
He noted that Shaheen did not confine himself to his academic specialization in English language and literature. Instead, he drew on his knowledge, experience, and extensive cultural and social networks to produce comparative studies, particularly between Arabic and English literature.
Dr. Mohammad Asfour highlighted Shaheen’s exceptional ability to build meaningful and lasting relationships with peers and mentors alike. He formed important connections with prominent figures at the University of Cambridge, as well as internationally renowned intellectuals such as Edward Said and the linguist Noam Chomsky. In the Arab world, his close relationships included major literary and critical figures such as Mahmoud Darwish, Tayeb Salih, Ihsan Abbas, and Nasser Al-Din Al-Assad, among many others.
He added that Shaheen left behind a rich body of scholarly work in both Arabic and English. As editor-in-chief of the cultural journal published by the University of Jordan, he elevated its standing through his wide network of Arab and international thinkers and writers, transforming it into a publication closer to an academic journal than a conventional cultural magazine.
For his part, Dr. Mahmoud Jarran described Shaheen as a broad-minded intellectual who, over decades, wove an extensive network of intellectual dialogue with writers and thinkers in both the East and the West. His work evolved from a focus on English literature to comparative literature and cultural studies, engaging with major intellectual figures such as E.M. Forster, Raymond Williams, Edward Said, Mahmoud Darwish, and Jabra Ibrahim Jabra. His critical project thus became a space of intersection between multiple cultural worlds.
Jarran noted that one figure in particular held a special place in Shaheen’s work: the Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih. Their relationship went beyond that of critic and author, reflecting a deep intellectual and human affinity.
He further explained that Shaheen did not stop at theoretical discourse. He believed that the relationship between East and West should not be reduced to rhetoric, complaint, or the exchange of stereotypes, but should instead be approached as a genuine intellectual engagement that reveals the historical complexities between the two.
Asma Shaheen remarked that an individual who rises above their circumstances becomes more compelling than the circumstances themselves. She referred to Shaheen’s reading of the figure of Sindbad in classical literature—an enduring symbol, much like Scheherazade—raising a critical question: does the story validate Sindbad, or does Sindbad give value to the story?
She added that Shaheen’s writings often reflect the influence of Immanuel Kant in his analysis of rational inquiry, as well as the intellectual impact of figures such as Raymond Williams, Edward Said, Frantz Fanon, and Cleanth Brooks.
Dr. Mohammad Shaheen was a prominent Palestinian Jordanian critic, academic, and translator, widely regarded as a leading intellectual figure in the Arab cultural landscape. He made significant contributions to comparative literature and cultural studies, and his work played a key role in shaping critical discourse and translation in Jordan and the Arab world over recent decades.
He received his undergraduate education at Ain Shams University in Egypt and later pursued graduate studies in the United States and the United Kingdom, earning his PhD in English Literature from the University of Cambridge—an academic formation that gave his critical work exceptional depth.
Shaheen was associated with the University of Jordan, where he served as Professor of English Literature, teaching generations of students courses in modern literary criticism, literary theory, comparative literature, and translation. He chaired the Department of English Language and Literature multiple times, and held several influential academic and administrative positions, including Assistant to the University President, Vice President of Mu’tah University, and advisor at the Ministry of Higher Education.
With his passing in 2025, the Arab cultural scene lost one of the few figures who successfully combined academic rigor, refined literary sensibility, and a deep commitment to translation as a cultural and civilizational act.