- Muhammad Ali al-Abid
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Muhammad Ali al-Abid
محمد علي العابد
Head of State of Syria In office
June 11, 1932 – December 21, 1936Preceded by Taj al-Din al-Hasani Succeeded by Hashim Al-Atassi Personal details Born 1867
Damascus, SyriaDied 1939 (aged 72)
Paris, FranceSpouse(s) Zahra Al-Yusuf Religion Islam Muhammad Ali al-Abid (Arabic: محمد علي العابد / ALA-LC: Muḥammad ‘Alī al-‘Ābid; 1867–1939) was appointed the first president of Syria (from 11 June 1932 until 21 December 1936) as a nominee of the nationalist syrian parliament in Damascus after the country received partial recognition of sovereignty from France. France agreed to recognize Syria as a nation under intense nationalist pressure but did not withdraw its troops completely until 1946.
Contents
Father
His father, Ahmad Izzat al-Abid, was born in Damascus to a rich family, where he was initially brought up, before pursuing his education in Beirut, Lebanon. He was fluent in Arabic, French, and Turkish. He traveled to Istanbul and served Sultan ‘Abdu’l-Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire, then became his adviser. He left the Ottoman Empire in 1908 and went to London, before traveling around England, Switzerland, and France. Eventually, he moved to Paris andthen he moved to Egypt until his death in 1924.
Education
Muhammad Ali Al-Abed was born and grew up in Damascus, where he was educated in its primary schools, then continued his education in Beirut. When he graduated, he moved with his family to Istanbul where he was sent to Galatasaray High School, a prestigious Ottoman high school. He then studied law in Paris, France. After graduation, he studied Islamic jurisprudence.
Biography
In 1908, he became the Ottoman Empire's ambassador to Washington. However, he returned to the Ottoman Empire after the declaration of the Ottoman Empire's constitution in 23 July 1908, and after his father escaped from Istanbul. He also traveled to California, USA. Then he joined his father traveling between England, Switzerland, France, and reached Egypt on the eve World War I. They remained there until his father's death.
Muhammad Al-Abed moved back to Damascus in the summer of 1920 when Syria came under the French Mandate. In 1922, Al-Abed was appointed Syria's Minister of Finance.
Al-Abed was fluent in Arabic, French, and Turkish. He was fond of French literature and economics. He also had a good knowledge of English and Persian.
On April 30,1932 Al-Abed was elected to the parliament in Damascus as a nominee of the National Bloc ( Syria ) and then elevated to the presidency on June 11 of the same year. In 1936, after a free parliament was elected in Damascus , he resigned and went to Paris, where he died in 1939. He was replaced by Mr.Hashim al-Atassi, the nominee of the National Bloc, though Syria remained in control militarily until full independence in 1946.
References
- (Arabic) Muhammad Ali Al-Abed
Heads of state of Syria since 1922 al-Khalidi • Pierre-Alype* • Shariyari • al-Hasani • al-Abid • H. al-Atassi • al-Khatib • al-Azm* • al-Hasani • al-Ulshi* • al-Ayyubi • al-Quwatli • al-Za'im • H. al-Atassi • Selu† • Shishakli† • H. al-Atassi • al-Quwatli • Abdel Nasser • al-Kuzbari* • an-Nuss* • al-Kudsi • L. al-Atassi† • al-Hafiz† • N. al-Atassi • al-Khatib • H. al-Assad • Khaddam* • B. al-Assad
*denotes acting †military ruler
Categories:- 1867 births
- 1939 deaths
- Presidents of Syria
- Arab politicians
- Arabs of the Ottoman Empire
- People from Damascus
- Syrian ministers of finance
- Galatasaray High School alumni
- Ambassadors to the United States
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