Beirut Arab University celebrated the graduation of its 63rd batch of students at the university's Debbieh campus. A total of 1,878 graduates across its ten faculties holding Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees at the university’s Debbieh campus. Media Figure Mr. Ricardo Karam served as the keynote speaker for the ceremony.
The ceremony was attended by a broad delegation of official figures, including Prime Minister H.E. Nawaf Salam, represented by Minister of Social Affairs Ms. Hanin El Sayed, former Prime Minister H.E. Saad Hariri represented by former MP Dr. Mohammad Al-Hajjar, MPs Edgar Traboulsi and Dr. Adnan Traboulsi, Minister of Defense Michel Menassa represented by Brigadier General Majdi Al-Rammah, Minister of Displaced and Minister of State for Technology Affairs Mr. Kamal Shehadeh represented by Director General Mr. Ahmad Mahmoud, Minister of Information Dr. Paul Morcos represented by Dr. Jamal Fayyad, Head of the Higher Sunni Sharia Courts in Lebanon Sheikh Mohammad Assaf, A Jordanian delegation including former ministers Tawfiq Krishan and Abdel Karim Al-Malahmeh, Secretary-General of the Arab Union of Free Zones Mahmoud Qtaishat, and President of the BAU Alumni in Jordan Mr. Mohammad Kheir Al-Muaydi, An Egyptian delegation comprising Head of the Medical Sector at the Arab Academy for Science-Technology and Maritime Transport Professor Mahmoud Al-Zalbani, Dean of the Faculty of Human Medicine at the Arab Academy for Science-Technology and Maritime Transport Professor Mohammad Hisham Abdel Moneim, Qaimaqam of Chouf Ms. Marlene Kahwaji Doumit, Mayor of Debbieh Mr. Nabil El-Boustany, President of the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association of Beirut Ms. Diana Tabbara, President of the Lebanese Council for Women Leaders Ms. Madiha Raslan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Waqf Al-Bir wal-Ihsan and Chairman of the BAU Board of Trustees and members of the board Dr. Ammar Houry, Secretary-General of the University Dr. Omar Houri, Chairman and Director General of Rashid Karami International Exhibition Professor Hani Shaarani, Heads of professional associations, university presidents, heads of hospital boards, military commanders, heads of institutions and associations, and a large gathering of educational, economic, municipal, spiritual, and social figures, alongside the graduates' families.
The ceremony opened with a recitation of verses from the Holy Qur'an by Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Al-Baili, followed by the Lebanese National Anthem and the University Anthem. Director of Public Relations and Communications Ms. Zina Ariss, delivered the opening speech, stating: "Every time, knowledge has proven stronger than circumstances, and willpower capable of overcoming the hardest challenges. We are tired of a homeland that constantly tests us, testing our patience and resilience. Hope does not mean the road is free of obstacles; it means choosing to keep going despite them."
Speaking on behalf of the graduates, student Aya Saad El-Din from the Faculty of Medicine said: "Dreams were shattered, hopes burned, and the landscape changed, but hope was not and will not be extinguished. This country is not measured by what is destroyed within it, but by what rises from it. We are the hope of this nation, its voice when it is besieged, and the tomorrow it awaits. It calls on us to rise through our knowledge, and together, the nation will rise."
President of the University, Professor Wael Nabil Abdel Salam, addressed the graduates: "Your years of study were not a traditional academic path, but a true epic. You suffered the harshness of displacement, the terror of sound and destruction, and the anxiety of an unknown tomorrow. You faced blockades and shattered security, yet you did not succumb to these circumstances. You have proven to the entire world that the Lebanese mind remains unbroken, and that the passion for knowledge is stronger than the engines of death. You were truly heroes who cultivated roses of certainty and hope from the ashes of crisis."
In his keynote address, media figure Mr. Ricardo Karam said: "Lebanon does not only need your degrees; it needs your voices, your ethics, and your courage. I am not asking you all to become politicians, but I ask you for something harder: to become citizens." Karam added: "I will not accept that favoritism be stronger than competence. I will not accept that a leader be above the law. I will not accept that the sect be larger than the homeland, and I will not accept that my only dream be the airport."
The ceremony concluded with Professor Abdel Salam presenting Mr. Ricardo Karam with the BAU Commemorative Shield, followed by the distribution of degrees and the Jamal Abdel Nasser and Issam Houri awards to top achievers amidst vibrant celebrations and fireworks.