Naguib Azoury

Naguib Azoury, a Maronite Christian born in Azour was an Ottoman official in Jerusalem. In his book, which was published in Paris in 1905 under the title "Le réveil de la Nation Arabe" (The awakening of the Arab nation), he posited the existence of an Arab nation that was entitled to independence from Ottoman rule. He openly advocated the secession of the Arabs from the Ottoman Empire - this was the first open demand for complete detachment of the Arab provinces. He also discussed the latent effort of the Jews to reconstitute the ancient kingdom of Israel.