Salem Hanna Khamis
Encyclopedia
Salem Hanna Khamis was a Palestinian
economic statistician
for the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization
who helped formalise the Geary-Khamis
method of computing purchasing power parity
of currencies.
village, in British
controlled Palestine
. He finished high school in 1938 with distinction at the Arab College in Jerusalem. He received a British Mandate scholarship for studying at the American University of Beirut
(AUB), where he received in 1941 a BA degree in Mathematics (major) and Physics (minor), and in 1942 an MA in Physics.
From 1942-1943, Salem taught at the Akka High School in Acre
and St Lucas High School in Haifa
. In 1943 he was appointed a lecturer in the Mathematics Department at AUB. In 1945 he received a British Council
scholarship for a PhD at University College London
. He defended his thesis during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
and Palestinian exodus (Nakba), and received the PhD title in 1950.
Khamis became known for his political activities among student communities, especially his advocacy for dispossessed Palestinian people. In 1948 he was refused entrance to the new State of Israel, in whose territory Reineh now lay. Instead, he moved to Aleppo
, Syria
, where he lectured Applied Mathematics in the Engineering College of Syria University
(now University of Damascus), and was appointed head of the Mathematics department.
(1949-1950) then New York
(1950-1953). In addition to his position in the United Nations, he became part-time visiting lecturer in the Mathematical Statistics Department at Columbia University
.
Salem finally visited his home in Israel in 1952. In 1953 he returned to AUB as Associate Professor of Economics. Between 1955 and 1958 he was appointed Professor and Chairman of Mathematics Department. Between 1958 and 1963 he became United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Statistician for the Near East (duty stations: Cairo
, United Arab Republic
1958-1960, and Rome
, Italy
1960-1963).
Between 1961 and 1970 Salem became Chief of the FAO Trade Prices Branch in Rome. Between 1970 and 1972 he was Director and UN Project Manager at the Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics, Makerere University
, Kampala
, Uganda
. In 1972 he returned to Rome to become Head of the FAO Methodology Group – Statistical Development Service until 1974, and Chief of the Service 1975-1981. Work consisted mainly in assisting developing countries in the improvement of their food and agricultural statistics through national, regional and international statistical projects.
In parallel (1976-1978), he acted in Baghdad
as UN Project Manager/Chief Advisor to the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics.
In 1981 Salem resigned from his position at FAO and moved to England
where his children lived. However, he continued to work as an expert and as the head of several scientific missions by the UN, and provided consulted at many countries, such as:
Salem Khamis died on June 16, 2005, at his residence in Hemel Hempstead
, England
and Mathematics
. Specifically, he contributed to Sampling theory
and the tablulation of the Incomplete gamma function
, where he wrote the book “Tables of the Incomplete Gamma Function Ratio”.
He contributed in the field of Index Number Theory through a series of papers starting 1972. He developed what became known as, and “indelibly imprinted on all the recent work on international comparisons of prices, real incomes, output and productivity” (Rao, 2005), the Geary-Khamis Method of Computing Purchase Power Parity
of Currencies and the Geary-Khamis dollar
used to compare different economies.
In addition to his professional work as an international statistician, Prof. Khamis helped many students from Arab countries and many other nationalities to receive scholarships, supporting many students in developing their careers.
He was also known for his strong support for all the underprivileged in the world, and for his continuous support of the Palestinian refugee camp
s and the Palestinian cause.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
economic statistician
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
who helped formalise the Geary-Khamis
Geary-Khamis dollar
The Geary-Khamis dollar, more commonly known as the international dollar, is a hypothetical unit of currency that has the same purchasing power that the U.S. dollar had in the United States at a given point in time. It is widely used in economics. The years 1990 or 2000 are often used as a...
method of computing purchasing power parity
Purchasing power parity
In economics, purchasing power parity is a condition between countries where an amount of money has the same purchasing power in different countries. The prices of the goods between the countries would only reflect the exchange rates...
of currencies.
Education and early career
Son of Hanna and Jamileh, Salem Khamis was born on November 22, 1919, in ReinehReineh
Reineh, or Reine is an Israeli Arab village in the Galilee, located between Nazareth and Qana of Galilee. The village attained Local council status in 1968...
village, in British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
controlled Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. He finished high school in 1938 with distinction at the Arab College in Jerusalem. He received a British Mandate scholarship for studying at the American University of Beirut
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
(AUB), where he received in 1941 a BA degree in Mathematics (major) and Physics (minor), and in 1942 an MA in Physics.
From 1942-1943, Salem taught at the Akka High School in Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
and St Lucas High School in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. In 1943 he was appointed a lecturer in the Mathematics Department at AUB. In 1945 he received a British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
scholarship for a PhD at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He defended his thesis during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
and Palestinian exodus (Nakba), and received the PhD title in 1950.
Khamis became known for his political activities among student communities, especially his advocacy for dispossessed Palestinian people. In 1948 he was refused entrance to the new State of Israel, in whose territory Reineh now lay. Instead, he moved to Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, where he lectured Applied Mathematics in the Engineering College of Syria University
University of Damascus
The University of Damascus is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through the merger of the School of Medicine and the Institute of Law , also making it the oldest university in modern-day Syria...
(now University of Damascus), and was appointed head of the Mathematics department.
United Nations
In 1949 he married Mary Guy and they had four children: Thea, Hanna, Christopher and Tareq. He soon accepted an invitation from the United Nations to work in its Statistical Office in Lake SuccessLake Success, New York
Lake Success is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 2,934 at the 2010 census.Lake Success is in the Town of North Hempstead on northwest Long Island. Lake Success was the temporary home of the United Nations from 1946 to 1951, occupying the headquarters of...
(1949-1950) then New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
(1950-1953). In addition to his position in the United Nations, he became part-time visiting lecturer in the Mathematical Statistics Department at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Salem finally visited his home in Israel in 1952. In 1953 he returned to AUB as Associate Professor of Economics. Between 1955 and 1958 he was appointed Professor and Chairman of Mathematics Department. Between 1958 and 1963 he became United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Statistician for the Near East (duty stations: Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, United Arab Republic
United Arab Republic
The United Arab Republic , often abbreviated as the U.A.R., was a sovereign union between Egypt and Syria. The union began in 1958 and existed until 1961, when Syria seceded from the union. Egypt continued to be known officially as the "United Arab Republic" until 1971. The President was Gamal...
1958-1960, and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
1960-1963).
Between 1961 and 1970 Salem became Chief of the FAO Trade Prices Branch in Rome. Between 1970 and 1972 he was Director and UN Project Manager at the Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics, Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
, Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. In 1972 he returned to Rome to become Head of the FAO Methodology Group – Statistical Development Service until 1974, and Chief of the Service 1975-1981. Work consisted mainly in assisting developing countries in the improvement of their food and agricultural statistics through national, regional and international statistical projects.
In parallel (1976-1978), he acted in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
as UN Project Manager/Chief Advisor to the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics.
In 1981 Salem resigned from his position at FAO and moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where his children lived. However, he continued to work as an expert and as the head of several scientific missions by the UN, and provided consulted at many countries, such as:
- 1981-1987: Statistics Advisor, Arab Fund for Social Economic Development, KuwaitKuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
- 1982: Evaluation and development of the statistical activities of the Palestine Liberation OrganizationPalestine Liberation OrganizationThe Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
(PLO) - 1986: JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
Government Consultant, Rural Research Centre, An-Najah National UniversityAn-Najah National UniversityAn-Najah National University is a Palestinian non-governmental public university governed by a board of Trustees. It is located in Nablus, in the northern West Bank. The university has over 16,500 students and 300 professors in 19 faculties...
, NablusNablusNablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
, West BankWest BankThe West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan... - Statistics Advisor for Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and others
Salem Khamis died on June 16, 2005, at his residence in Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
, England
Scientific Contributions
Prof. Khamis contributed tens of scientific research papers in StatisticsStatistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
and Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. Specifically, he contributed to Sampling theory
Sampling theory
sampling theory may mean:* Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem, digital signal processing * Statistical sampling* Fourier sampling...
and the tablulation of the Incomplete gamma function
Incomplete gamma function
In mathematics, the gamma function is defined by a definite integral. The incomplete gamma function is defined as an integral function of the same integrand. There are two varieties of the incomplete gamma function: the upper incomplete gamma function is for the case that the lower limit of...
, where he wrote the book “Tables of the Incomplete Gamma Function Ratio”.
He contributed in the field of Index Number Theory through a series of papers starting 1972. He developed what became known as, and “indelibly imprinted on all the recent work on international comparisons of prices, real incomes, output and productivity” (Rao, 2005), the Geary-Khamis Method of Computing Purchase Power Parity
Purchasing power parity
In economics, purchasing power parity is a condition between countries where an amount of money has the same purchasing power in different countries. The prices of the goods between the countries would only reflect the exchange rates...
of Currencies and the Geary-Khamis dollar
Geary-Khamis dollar
The Geary-Khamis dollar, more commonly known as the international dollar, is a hypothetical unit of currency that has the same purchasing power that the U.S. dollar had in the United States at a given point in time. It is widely used in economics. The years 1990 or 2000 are often used as a...
used to compare different economies.
In addition to his professional work as an international statistician, Prof. Khamis helped many students from Arab countries and many other nationalities to receive scholarships, supporting many students in developing their careers.
He was also known for his strong support for all the underprivileged in the world, and for his continuous support of the Palestinian refugee camp
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s and the Palestinian cause.
Sources
- CV by Salem Hanna Khamis
- Interviews with the family of the Salem Khamis