Living a Life of Faith with the Heart of a Scientist

Growing up in Egypt in the 1990s, faith wasn’t a question of if but which: Muslim or Christian. For me, it was the latter. When I shared my dream of studying Genetic Engineering in Germany with my church youth leader in 2000, she declared me an atheist on the spot, convinced my faith couldn’t survive such a dream.

Now, nearly 25 years later, I reflect on a journey where my faith has been profoundly enriched—not diminished—by my work as a scientist. Exploring the details of DNA and learning the tools to re-engineer life itself might seem like the point where belief in a Creator would weaken. Yet, for me, every discovery has deepened my wonder for the brilliance built into life’s design.

More recently, working alongside physicists who openly admit the mysteries of quantum mechanics has expanded my sense of wonder. Their honesty in facing the unknown has only strengthened my respect for the concept of life. My understanding of God has become more abstract over the years, evolving alongside my scientific insights. Ironically, I believe that without the heart of a scientist, my faith might have grown more traditional—but not necessarily deeper.

Life as a scientist

Being a scientist is probably one of the most wonderful profession you can imagine. Having the opportunity to work together with young and bright people from all over the world is just a fantastic opportunity. Helping to stay young as well!

Once every two years we go for a seminar, exchanging ideas, intensively discussing about physics, but also having time to have fun, getting to know each other better and teaming up. Being born in Hamburg, I always liked to be at the coast line, already as a child walking along the beach and wondering what to find beyond the horizons drove my curiosity. Today, being there, feeling the forces of nature, the wind and the waves as well getting grounded with bare feet in the muddy sand of the wadden sea is still one of my favoured times. Having the opportunity to share this experience with friends, colleagues and young people from all over the world is just great. Being a scientist I still want to look beyond the horizons, keep on playing with imaginations and try how far my thoughts can carry me. Is there any difference between work and life?

Karneval in Bonn

The festivities in Bonn officially kick off on November 11th at 11:11 AM, but I have never celebrated on that day. The climax of Karneval in Bonn occurs in the days leading up to Rosenmontag.

Usually, I start my Karneval tradition on Weiberfastnacht by going to Bonn-Beuel City Hall. The streets of Bonn-Beuel come alive on Weiberfastnacht with a burst of color and Karneval music. Everyone wears a funny costume and sings and dances on the streets. On that day, women are allowed to cut off men’s ties as a funny act of empowerment.

I really like Karneval because it’s fun to dress up. My friends and I always meet up one month before the season starts. We collect our ideas and prepare the costumes together. My favorite costume was our group costume in 2019 when we all dressed up as sushi and sushi supplies. I was an Ebi Nigiri, one of my favorite dishes.

Usually, people celebrate on the streets, and the highlight is Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) with a parade (Rosenmontagszug). There are decorated floats, marching bands, and thousands of participants in colorful costumes. They usually throw out candies, flowers, and small gifts from their floats. But it’s also very crowded, so you need to be there early in order to see everything.

If you are living in the Cologne/Bonn area, take a look at Karneval. It’s amusing, and I promise the music gets better when you drink more Kölsch.