International Law academic awarded ‘Hope, Courage and Peace’ prize
Dr Amir Ali Majid, Reader in International Law with the Department of Law, Governance and International Relations, has received a Hope, Courage and Peace Award from Third World Solidarity, an organisation dedicated to supporting people from developing nations, promoting peace and protecting human rights and justice.
The Right Honourable Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a former Conservative British Foreign Secretary, presented the award to Dr Majid (pictured) on 28 June at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington in the presence of 150 attendees. Sir Malcolm, a QC, said he felt that Dr Majid ‘richly deserved every bit of this award’.
Dr Majid, who lost his sight at age 17 due to an incurable eye disease, is the first blind person in the world to have the dual qualifications of Barrister and Doctor of Civil Law. In 2003, he was awarded the coveted Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Distinction), an honour bestowed by the Government of Pakistan, in recognition of his achievements in the field of civil law. He was also presented with the Life Learning Award by the Kashmir and Pakistan Professionals Association in 2005 in honour of his academic achievements.
In accepting the award, Dr Majid said: ‘Insofar as my so-called achievements are concerned, I was thrown in the murky sea of blindness; the choice was either to drown or swim. I was not a fool; I chose the latter. I did not get all those qualifications sitting on my backside; I had to go to classes and pass examinations.’
Dr Majid continued to describe his experiences with characteristic humour. ‘Imagine going to different buildings of various colleges and universities, and examination halls. I used to go on my own and it was not fun to accomplish that mobility without sight. Occasionally, I made the jealous men suffer when I picked a young lady escort to help me to the destination. I have found ladies more generous in offering help and they laugh heartily – without them I do not know how I could cope.’
He also mentioned his qualification of MIB, which he smilingly explained meant ‘Made in Britain’, elaborating that the UK had provided him with the opportunity to excel despite his blindness.
Last autumn Dr Majid was elected as one of the Board of Trustees of the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB). An expert on disability matters, Dr Majid has given speeches all over the world, including a talk in July in Orlando, Florida entitled Are disabled people benefiting from modern technology? In December, Dr Majid will travel to Beijing to present a lecture on The New Face of Accessibility of Disabled People to Modern Technology.
In 2007, Dr Majid also took part in an hour-long interview for Venus TV on a program aimed at advancing his eye hospital, which is being built in his hometown of Gojra, Pakistan, for people on a low income who cannot afford eye treatment.
16 November 2007
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