Jamil al-Assad
Encyclopedia
Jamil al-Assad was a brother of former Syria
n president Hafez al-Assad
, and the uncle of present Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad
. He served in the Parliament of Syria, called the majlis ash-sha'b for many years, until his death.
Of the three Assad brothers, Hafez and Rifaat
both have a military background and have played major roles in the Syrian government. While Jamil was certainly influential, he was not very involved in the military, and generally kept a lower profile in politics. However, he did hold various government offices, and grew very wealthy during the rule of his brother.
While both his brothers enforced secularism
, Jamil was said to be deeply religious. In the 1980s, he set up a Latakia
-based foundation (al-Murtada), which helped fellow Alawite
Muslim
s to go on the Hajj
pilgrimage to Mecca
. The foundation is also said to have tried to convert Sunni Muslim bedouin
s to the Alawi faith. Whether true or not, the rumours caused friction with the majority Sunni population. Al-Murtada is also said to have had a minor militia wing, made up by Alawi Muslims, which was armed and equipped by Rifaat's powerful internal security division, the Defense Companies
.
When Rifaat attempted in 1984 to exploit the failing health of Hafez, using the Defense Companies to stage a failed coup d'état
, this cast doubt on Jamil in the eyes of Hafez. Some of his assets are reported to have been confiscated in retaliation, but there is little doubt he remained a very wealthy man.
Unlike Rifat, Jamil openly supported the succession to the presidency of Hafez' son, Bashar al-Assad. He spent much of the last years of his life in France (where Rifaat lives in exile), but still visited Syria occasionally. Jamil al-Assad died in December 2004 at age 71.
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....
n president Hafez al-Assad
Hafez al-Assad
Hafez ibn 'Ali ibn Sulayman al-Assad or more commonly Hafez al-Assad was the President of Syria for three decades. Assad's rule consolidated the power of the central government after decades of coups and counter-coups, such as Operation Wappen in 1957 conducted by the Eisenhower administration and...
, and the uncle of present Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
. He served in the Parliament of Syria, called the majlis ash-sha'b for many years, until his death.
Of the three Assad brothers, Hafez and Rifaat
Rifaat al-Assad
Rifaat al-Assad is the younger brother of the former President of Syria, Hafez al-Assad, and the uncle of the current President Bashar al-Assad, all of whom come from the minority Alawite Muslim sect. He was born in the village of Qardaha, near Lattakia in western Syria. He is perhaps best known...
both have a military background and have played major roles in the Syrian government. While Jamil was certainly influential, he was not very involved in the military, and generally kept a lower profile in politics. However, he did hold various government offices, and grew very wealthy during the rule of his brother.
While both his brothers enforced secularism
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
, Jamil was said to be deeply religious. In the 1980s, he set up a Latakia
Latakia
Latakia, or Latakiyah , is the principal port city of Syria, as well as the capital of the Latakia Governorate. In addition to serving as a port, the city is a manufacturing center for surrounding agricultural towns and villages...
-based foundation (al-Murtada), which helped fellow Alawite
Alawite
The Alawis, also known as Alawites, Nusayris and Ansaris are a prominent mystical and syncretic religious group centred in Syria who are a branch of Shia Islam.-Etymology:...
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s to go on the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
pilgrimage to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. The foundation is also said to have tried to convert Sunni Muslim bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
s to the Alawi faith. Whether true or not, the rumours caused friction with the majority Sunni population. Al-Murtada is also said to have had a minor militia wing, made up by Alawi Muslims, which was armed and equipped by Rifaat's powerful internal security division, the Defense Companies
Defense companies
The Defense Companies were a paramilitary force in Syria that were controlled by Rifaat al-Assad. Their task was to defend the Assad government, and Damascus, from internal and external attack...
.
When Rifaat attempted in 1984 to exploit the failing health of Hafez, using the Defense Companies to stage a failed coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, this cast doubt on Jamil in the eyes of Hafez. Some of his assets are reported to have been confiscated in retaliation, but there is little doubt he remained a very wealthy man.
Unlike Rifat, Jamil openly supported the succession to the presidency of Hafez' son, Bashar al-Assad. He spent much of the last years of his life in France (where Rifaat lives in exile), but still visited Syria occasionally. Jamil al-Assad died in December 2004 at age 71.