Personal Info
- Country of residence: Portugal
Information
Salama Omar Salama Maarouf was born in Cairo on September 26, 1977. He is married and has four sons and one daughter. He attended Ramses Private School and Al-Zaytoun School for his primary education, and Al-Qubba Military Secondary School in Cairo for his secondary education, graduating in 1994. He earned a bachelor's degree in media from the Islamic University in 1999 and a master's degree in media from the same university in 2016. He worked as an editor for Al-Sahel magazine between 1998 and 1999, then as a researcher at Al-Majd Center for Studies and Research for a year and a half. He was appointed to the Ministry of Information in mid-2000, became the Director General of the Government Media Office in 2007, and has been its head since 2017. He also served as editor-in-chief of Al-Rai newspaper, published by the Ministry of Information.
He was known as a member of the government committee that was formed to complete the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and was concerned with developing different visions for the post-withdrawal period. He also participated in managing and reviving national events such as commemorating the Nakba, the Return Marches, and the Wafa al-Ahrar deal.
He was active in union work, as he was a member of the founding committee of the Palestinian Journalists Bloc, and a member of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate between (1999-2010). He is a member of the board of directors of Al-Risala newspaper, a member of the board of directors of Falastin newspaper, a member of the board of directors of Al-Aqsa Media Network, a member of the board of directors of the Youth Vanguard Association and the Bridges Association, and supervisor of the Palestine Forum for Media Studies and Research (under establishment).
Marouf visited more than one Arab country as part of his media work. He headed a Palestinian delegation participating in the Third Arab Youth Forum in Sharjah in 2000, and a Palestinian delegation participating in the Strategic Planning Forum in India in 2001. He participated as part of the Palestinian Ministry of Information delegation to the meetings of the Council of Arab Ministers held in Egypt in 2006. He visited Egypt to learn about the Egyptian media experience in 2011, and visited Tunisia for the same purpose in 2012. He was also active in networking with media institutions outside Palestine, such as the Al Jazeera Training Center, the Union Center in Lebanon, and media centers in Morocco and Turkey.
He published a book entitled "The Reality of Palestinian Journalists' Access to Information," and he has a number of research papers and studies in the field of media.
Salameh believes that the future belongs to the Palestinian people. Anyone who looks at the structure of Israeli society realizes the extent to which it lacks motivation and drive, unlike the Palestinian people who have been subjected to all forms of oppression, siege, and wars, yet have become more convinced of liberation, and the next generation is capable of achieving victory and liberating all of Palestine.
Ma'rouf believes that the Oslo Accords, like any political step, had its pros and cons. Despite its drawbacks, it was a forced choice. The problem, he argues, lies not in the agreement itself, but in the way it was managed and the mechanisms employed by the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, which deprived the Palestinians of all leverage against the occupation. The worst aspect of the agreement, he asserts, was the criminalization of resistance and the recognition of the occupation. Nevertheless, he acknowledges some positive aspects, including providing Palestinians with a foothold, reuniting them from their various locations, and allowing for the utilization of their expertise. He believes that the Palestinian situation has historically tolerated divisions within factions, and what occurred in 2007 was a natural consequence of differing agendas. The Palestinian Authority's refusal to recognize the election results at the time made resorting to force the only solution. According to Ma'rouf, this division has caused significant harm to the Palestinian people due to the sanctions imposed on the Gaza Strip by the Authority.
Ma'rouf believes in all forms of resistance, viewing it as an ideological obligation and a legal and political right, particularly in light of international charters and agreements. He considers the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) the umbrella organization for the Palestinian people, but acknowledges its shortcomings, such as the exclusion of all Palestinians. According to Ma'rouf, the disagreement lies not with the PLO itself or its status, but rather with its management. He argues that the PLO is hijacked by a faction that manipulates it for its own interests, disregarding the aspirations of the Palestinian people. Ma'rouf hopes for a genuine national partnership, starting with the PLO and extending to the Palestinian Authority institutions, which he sees as service-oriented within the Palestinian territories. He views the Palestinian political system as a one-man show, where the president controls all aspects of the official institutions, from the executive to the legislative and judicial branches.
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