Munib Shahid


Munib Shahid was Chairman of Hematology and Oncology at the Faculty of Medicine of the American University of Beirut. He built the hematology laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine, a development that increased research output significantly. The Dr. Munib Shahid Award is presented annually at the American University of Beirut to the fourth year medical student demonstrating the best performance in internal medicine and a mature character.

Background and family

Munib Shahid was born in 1908 in Acre, Palestine to a prominent Baháʼí lineage. His parents were Mírzá Jalal, an Afnán, and Rúḥá Khánum. His paternal grandfather was Mírzá Muhammad-Hasan, titled "King of the Martyrs," while his maternal grandparents were ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, the successor to the Baháʼí founder-prophet Baháʼu'lláh, and Munirih Khánum. As a prominent member of the Baháʼí Faith, Munib Shahid worked diligently to promote his faith. As a medical student at the American University of Beirut, his friends included such prominent Baháʼís as future Hand of the Cause of God Abu'l-Qásim Faizi. After graduating from medical school, Munib Shahid would continue to promote the Baháʼí Faith, and in 1937 he visited Baháʼí communities in Europe.
In 1944, Munib Shahid married Serene Husseini, the daughter of Jamal al-Husayni. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith and Munib's cousin through ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's eldest daughter Ḍíyáʼíyyih Khánum, labeled this marriage a "treacherous act" and excommunicated Munib Shahid as a Covenant-breaker. Shoghi Effendi sent the following cable to the Baháʼí world in November 1944:
Munib and Serene Husseini continued to live in Beirut, where he pursued his academic career, and she promoted cottage industries among Palestinian refugees. Serene Shahid wrote a critically acclaimed autobiography of her childhood, titled, Jerusalem Memories. The couple had three daughters, including Leila Shahid.
Munib Shahid died in 1973.

Selected publications

Among Shahid's publications were: