Akram Al-Hourani (Arabic: أَكْرَم الْحَوْرَانِي, romanized: ʾAkram al-Ḥawrānī, also transcribedEl-Hourani, Howrani or Hurani) (November 1911 – 24 February 1996), was a Syrianpolitician who played a prominent role during the democratic era of Syria in the 1950s, he established and led the Arab Socialist Party. He was a highly influential figure in the Syrian politics from the beginning of the 1940s until his departure into exile in 1963, during this period he was able to introduce significant reforms towards more just and fairer society especially in relation to the agricultural sector and land redistribution against the feudal system. Al-Hourani held various positions as a member of the Syrian parliament, the head of the parliament, minister of agriculture, minister of defence, and the vice-president of the United Arab Republic. He is the grandfather of Akram Al-Hourani (born 1983), a lecturer and researcher in wireless network engineering and signal processing at RMIT University in Australia.
The original header of Al-Hourani family tree, dated in 1519. The tree claims Al-Hourani family as descendant of the prophet Muhammad. It is now displayed in the museum of Hama.
Al-Hourani's family had its origins in the Arab al-Halqiyyin tribe and moved to Hama in central Syria from the town of Jasim in the southern Hawran region (hence the surname Al-Hourani.)[1] Al-Hourani family is claimed to be descendant of the prophet Muhammad as per the family tree displayed in the museum of Hama. Akram Al-Hourani himself was born in Hama and grew up in modest circumstances as the family's wealth had dissipated. He was educated in Hama and Damascus. He father Muhammad Rasheed Al-Hourani was a merchant who gradually bought agricultural lands and was fluent in Arabic and Turkish languages owning a large book collection, he died one year after the start of World War I (in 1915) due to an infection while distributing aid to the Armenian genocide survivors in Hama, Al-Hourani was only 4 years old when his father died.[2]
In 1936, he enrolled in the Damascus Law School, and became a member of the Syrian Social National Party which he regretted later.[3] In 1938 he left the party and returned to Hama to practice law. There he took over the Hizb al-Shabab (Youth Party) founded by his cousin Othman Al-Hourani which constituted the seed for the Arab Socialist Party.
The province of Hama in the earlier part of the twentieth century was characterised by feudalism, with landlords owning most of the land. The landlords exercised complete control over the peasantry, backed up by what amounted to private armies. Al-Hourani set about attacking this system and called for agrarian reforms, giving him considerable popular support in Hama and its province, and in 1943 he was elected as a deputy to the Syrian Parliament. He retained his seat in the elections of 1947, 1949, 1954, and 1962.
While it was in defence of social justice in his home region that Al-Hourani made his name, he also had a strong Arab nationalist outlook.[4]
A digital reconstruction of Al-Hourani family tree, the original document is created back in 1519 and displayed in the National Museum of Hama. The tree is partially updated in 2022.
Closer to power
In 1950 Al-Hourani renamed his party the Arab Socialist Party; at that point, Batatu states, "it counted no fewer than 10,000 members and was able to attract as many as 40,000 people from the countryside when in the same year it convoked at Aleppo the first peasant congress in Syrian history."[5]
Between 1949 and 1954 Syrian politics was punctuated by four military coups. Based on his strong influence in the army, Al-Hourani was wrongly considered to have played a part in these coups, there is no concrete evidence to support his involvement. He was initially particularly close to the leader of the third and fourth coups, Adib al-Shishakli, who effectively ruled Syria from 1951 until 1954. Al-Shishakli's decision to sign a decree distributing state lands to the peasantry in January 1952 appears to have been under al-Hawrani's influence.[6] However, as the dictator grew more autocratic his influence waned, and when al-Shishakli decided to ban the Arab Socialist Party in April 1952, he went into exile in Lebanon. There, in November that year, he agreed to merge the Arab Socialist Party with the Arab Ba'ath Party led by Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din al-Bitar. The latter thus gained a substantial base of active supporters for the first time. The unified party adopted the name Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party. It was disbanded, along with all Syrian political parties by president Nasser in 1958. The relation between Al-Hourani and Aflaq ended acrimoniously in 1962. In fact, Al-Hourani firmly rejected the ascension to power using military coups, this is exemplified by his firm opposition to what is known as the "Qatna mutiny" [7] which was a series of events and military deployments in 1957 orchestrated by high ranking officers in the army (which were members / sympathizers with the Arab Socialist Party) to take control of the government.
The Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party
Al-Hourani was a member of the Ba'ath Party national command, meaning its pan-Arab leadership, from its establishment in 1954 until 1959. Along with the other Ba'athists and members of most of Syria's political forces, he played a prominent role in the agitation and political mobilization that forced al-Shishakli to give up power in early 1954. He was speaker of the Syrian parliament from 1957 to February 1958. In that position, Al-Hourani was able to influence the introduction of social and economical progressive reforms.[8][better source needed]
Akram Al-Hourani (speaker of the Syrian parliament)
The United Arab Republic
After the treaty of union between Syria and Egypt in 1958 Al-Hourani became vice-president of the United Arab Republic (UAR) under Gamal Abdel Nasser, a post he held until 1959. After Nasser launched a bitter verbal attack on the Ba'ath Party in December that year, followed by a campaign of repression against its members, he resigned his position and went into exile in Lebanon. He subsequently differed with Aflaq and al-Bitar over the party's position regarding the UAR, due to his support for secession from the UAR.
When a 1961 military coup in Syria led to the dissolution of the UAR, Al-Hourani publicly supported it and signed a statement in favor of the secession (as did Bitar, but he later withdrew his signature). The Ba'ath Party split into several competing factions, but as the national command decided in favour of reunification, Al-Hourani left it. He was officially expelled in June 1962, whereafter he and his loyalists re-established the Arab Socialist Party. However, popular support for unity hampered its growth and it was strong only in his original stronghold of Hama.[citation needed] In September 1962 he joined the "secessionist" (infisali) cabinet formed by Khalid al-Azm, drawing strong criticism from the Ba'athist and Nasserist movements.
In the year 1963, and following the military coup the brought the Ba'ath to power, Al-Hourani was arrested and put in the Mezzah Prison, before being exiled from Syria. He spent the final years of his life in Amman Jordan, where he eventually died in 1996.
akram, hawrani, akram, hourani, arabic, ال, ان, romanized, ʾakram, Ḥawrānī, also, transcribed, hourani, howrani, hurani, november, 1911, february, 1996, syrian, politician, played, prominent, role, during, democratic, syria, 1950s, established, arab, socialist. Akram Al Hourani Arabic أ ك ر م ال ح و ر ان ي romanized ʾAkram al Ḥawrani also transcribed El Hourani Howrani or Hurani November 1911 24 February 1996 was a Syrian politician who played a prominent role during the democratic era of Syria in the 1950s he established and led the Arab Socialist Party He was a highly influential figure in the Syrian politics from the beginning of the 1940s until his departure into exile in 1963 during this period he was able to introduce significant reforms towards more just and fairer society especially in relation to the agricultural sector and land redistribution against the feudal system Al Hourani held various positions as a member of the Syrian parliament the head of the parliament minister of agriculture minister of defence and the vice president of the United Arab Republic He is the grandfather of Akram Al Hourani born 1983 a lecturer and researcher in wireless network engineering and signal processing at RMIT University in Australia Akram Al Houraniأ ك ر م ال ح و ر ان يVice President of the United Arab RepublicIn office 7 March 1958 19 September 1960President of the Chamber of DeputiesIn office 14 October 1957 20 July 1960Preceded byNazim al KudsiSucceeded byAnwar SadatMember of the People s Councilfor HamaIn office July 1947 October 1953In office November 1954 1963Member of the National Command of the Arab Socialist Ba ath PartyIn office 1952 1 September 1959Personal detailsBorn4 November 1911Hama Ottoman SyriaDied24 February 1996 aged 84 Amman JordanPolitical partyArab Socialist Party 1936 52 Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba ath Party 1952 62 Arab Socialist Party 1962 63 SpouseNaziha Al Houmsi Contents 1 Background 2 Closer to power 3 The Arab Ba ath Socialist Party 4 The United Arab Republic 5 Notes 6 SourcesBackground Edit The original header of Al Hourani family tree dated in 1519 The tree claims Al Hourani family as descendant of the prophet Muhammad It is now displayed in the museum of Hama Al Hourani s family had its origins in the Arab al Halqiyyin tribe and moved to Hama in central Syria from the town of Jasim in the southern Hawran region hence the surname Al Hourani 1 Al Hourani family is claimed to be descendant of the prophet Muhammad as per the family tree displayed in the museum of Hama Akram Al Hourani himself was born in Hama and grew up in modest circumstances as the family s wealth had dissipated He was educated in Hama and Damascus He father Muhammad Rasheed Al Hourani was a merchant who gradually bought agricultural lands and was fluent in Arabic and Turkish languages owning a large book collection he died one year after the start of World War I in 1915 due to an infection while distributing aid to the Armenian genocide survivors in Hama Al Hourani was only 4 years old when his father died 2 In 1936 he enrolled in the Damascus Law School and became a member of the Syrian Social National Party which he regretted later 3 In 1938 he left the party and returned to Hama to practice law There he took over the Hizb al Shabab Youth Party founded by his cousin Othman Al Hourani which constituted the seed for the Arab Socialist Party The province of Hama in the earlier part of the twentieth century was characterised by feudalism with landlords owning most of the land The landlords exercised complete control over the peasantry backed up by what amounted to private armies Al Hourani set about attacking this system and called for agrarian reforms giving him considerable popular support in Hama and its province and in 1943 he was elected as a deputy to the Syrian Parliament He retained his seat in the elections of 1947 1949 1954 and 1962 While it was in defence of social justice in his home region that Al Hourani made his name he also had a strong Arab nationalist outlook 4 A digital reconstruction of Al Hourani family tree the original document is created back in 1519 and displayed in the National Museum of Hama The tree is partially updated in 2022 Closer to power EditIn 1950 Al Hourani renamed his party the Arab Socialist Party at that point Batatu states it counted no fewer than 10 000 members and was able to attract as many as 40 000 people from the countryside when in the same year it convoked at Aleppo the first peasant congress in Syrian history 5 Between 1949 and 1954 Syrian politics was punctuated by four military coups Based on his strong influence in the army Al Hourani was wrongly considered to have played a part in these coups there is no concrete evidence to support his involvement He was initially particularly close to the leader of the third and fourth coups Adib al Shishakli who effectively ruled Syria from 1951 until 1954 Al Shishakli s decision to sign a decree distributing state lands to the peasantry in January 1952 appears to have been under al Hawrani s influence 6 However as the dictator grew more autocratic his influence waned and when al Shishakli decided to ban the Arab Socialist Party in April 1952 he went into exile in Lebanon There in November that year he agreed to merge the Arab Socialist Party with the Arab Ba ath Party led by Michel Aflaq and Salah al Din al Bitar The latter thus gained a substantial base of active supporters for the first time The unified party adopted the name Arab Ba ath Socialist Party It was disbanded along with all Syrian political parties by president Nasser in 1958 The relation between Al Hourani and Aflaq ended acrimoniously in 1962 In fact Al Hourani firmly rejected the ascension to power using military coups this is exemplified by his firm opposition to what is known as the Qatna mutiny 7 which was a series of events and military deployments in 1957 orchestrated by high ranking officers in the army which were members sympathizers with the Arab Socialist Party to take control of the government The Arab Ba ath Socialist Party EditAl Hourani was a member of the Ba ath Party national command meaning its pan Arab leadership from its establishment in 1954 until 1959 Along with the other Ba athists and members of most of Syria s political forces he played a prominent role in the agitation and political mobilization that forced al Shishakli to give up power in early 1954 He was speaker of the Syrian parliament from 1957 to February 1958 In that position Al Hourani was able to influence the introduction of social and economical progressive reforms 8 better source needed Akram Al Hourani speaker of the Syrian parliament The United Arab Republic EditAfter the treaty of union between Syria and Egypt in 1958 Al Hourani became vice president of the United Arab Republic UAR under Gamal Abdel Nasser a post he held until 1959 After Nasser launched a bitter verbal attack on the Ba ath Party in December that year followed by a campaign of repression against its members he resigned his position and went into exile in Lebanon He subsequently differed with Aflaq and al Bitar over the party s position regarding the UAR due to his support for secession from the UAR When a 1961 military coup in Syria led to the dissolution of the UAR Al Hourani publicly supported it and signed a statement in favor of the secession as did Bitar but he later withdrew his signature The Ba ath Party split into several competing factions but as the national command decided in favour of reunification Al Hourani left it He was officially expelled in June 1962 whereafter he and his loyalists re established the Arab Socialist Party However popular support for unity hampered its growth and it was strong only in his original stronghold of Hama citation needed In September 1962 he joined the secessionist infisali cabinet formed by Khalid al Azm drawing strong criticism from the Ba athist and Nasserist movements In the year 1963 and following the military coup the brought the Ba ath to power Al Hourani was arrested and put in the Mezzah Prison before being exiled from Syria He spent the final years of his life in Amman Jordan where he eventually died in 1996 Notes Edit Batatu 1999 p 370 Al Hourani 2000 Part I p 47 Al Hourani 2000 Part I p 197 This section is based on the account of Hawrani s origins and early political career given by Batatu pp 728 729 Batatu p 729 Seale p 47 Al Hourani 2000 Part III p 2283 2288 Al Hourani Akram 2000 Akram Al Hourani Memoirs Cairo Madbouly Bookshop Sources Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Akram al Hawrani Batatu Hanna The Old Social Classes and New Revolutionary Movements in Iraq Saqi Books London 2000 Seale Patrick Asad the struggle for the Middle East California University Press Berkeley 1990 ISBN 0 520 06976 5 Mufti Malik Sovereign Creations Pan Arabism and Political Order in Syria and Iraq Cornell University Press Ithaca 1996 ISBN 0 8014 3168 9 Akram al Hawrani from the Syrian Encyclopedia Al Hournai Akram Akram Al Hourani Memoirs Madbouly Bookshop 2000 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Akram al Hawrani amp oldid 1125052704, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
