Taj al-Din al-Hasani
Encyclopedia
President Taj al-Din al-Hasani (1885 – 1943) was a French-appointed Syria
n leader and politician. He was born and raised into a family of Muslim
scholars in Damascus
. His father was Bader al-Din al-Hasani, one of the most respected Islamic scholars in the late nineteenth century.
with his father, and in 1905 became his personal assistant. He trained young students of his generation in conduct and thought. In 1912, he became a member in the committee for school reform, which was established by the Municipality
of Damascus. In 1916, he became editor-in-chief of al-Sharq (The East), a daily newspaper published by Jamal Pasha, the Ottoman
Governor of Syria. He held this position throughout the years of World War I
. When the war ended in 1918, his father delegated him to meet with King Faisal I
, the first post-Ottoman ruler of Syria, and explain the conditions and needs of Muslim establishments in Syria. Faisal was impressed by Hasani’s eloquence, and in March 1920, appointed him Director of the Royal Palace. He retained this post until the French occupied Syria in July 1920 and dethroned Faysal, setting up their mandate
in Syria. Hasani went to Paris
and established secret channels with the French, promising them absolute support if they agreed to support his political ambitions. The French government accepted, and began grooming him for future leadership in Syria.
asked Hasani to form a government during the climax of a national uprising in the Arab Mountain. Hasani failed at creating a suitable composition. He was given a second opportunity and succeeded, creating a government of prominent figures on February 15, 1928. With no presidential office in Syria, Hasani was vested with supreme presidential powers, but had to submit all of his actions and decrees to the French High Commissioner in Beirut
. His cabinet included the historian and scholar Muhammad Kurd Ali
as Minister of Education, the attorney Said Mahasin as Minister of Justice, and Jamil al-Ulshi
, an Ottoman-trained officer and ex-prime minister, as Minister of Finance. The opponents to his regime were mainly hard-line nationalists who criticized the French connections of Ulshi, Mahasin, and Hasani, claiming that they had not contributed to the nationalist movement since the French Mandate was imposed in 1920. In April 1928, Hasani held office for three months on the Constituent Assembly
that drafted the first republican constitution for Syria. Hasani ruled Syria with three different cabinets from February 1928 until November 1931. The opposition, headed by the National Bloc, accused him of tampering with the ballots to secure his election through Interior Minister Sa’id Mahasin. In 1932, Hasani nominated himself for presidential office. The French, who were under mounting nationalist pressure to reform the political system in Syria, distanced themselves from the elections. With no proper French backing, he was defeated at the polls.
Hasani protested to government authorities in Paris, who compensated him with the post of Prime Minister in the administration of President Mohammad Ali al-Abid. The National Bloc, Hasani’s prime opponent in local politics, staged a countrywide strike that lasted for sixty days, demanding that France address the issue of Syrian independence in a serious manner. During the strike, commercial life was brought to a standstill and hundreds of Syrians were arrested and deported to remote prisons on the Syrian-Turkish
border. Hasani arrested many leaders of the National Bloc, including Saadallah al-Jabiri
from Aleppo
and Fakhri al-Barudi from Damascus. Shukri al-Kuwatli
and Nasib al-Bakri, two politicians from Damascus, were placed under house-arrest. The entire ordeal embarrassed the French who in turn, called the Bloc leaders into independence talks in Paris. When a Franco-Syrian treaty was ready, the Bloc leadership assumed power and Hasani moved into the opposition to the new administration of President Hashim al-Atassi
, the leader of the National Bloc.
The ex-Prime Minister remained on the margins of political life until 1941, when following the Bloc downfall, General Charles de Gaulle
appointed him President of Syria on September 12, 1941, after having failed to prevail upon Hashim al-Atassi to return to office.
He was required to contain the nationalist movement and provide funds for France's war effort in Europe
. To raise money, President Hasani increased his taxes and raised the price of bread, thereby alienating himself throughout the poor districts of Syria. De Gaulle rewarded Hasani’s services by officially recognizing Syria’s independence on September 27, 1941 and promising complete French evacuation once the war in Europe ended. The French General abrogated a law formulated in the 1920s that divided the Alawite Mountain and the Arab Mountain into independent zones, thereby re-incorporating them into the Syrian Republic. France, however, was given the right to retain military bases throughout the country and receive economic, financial, and political privileges in Syria. Hasani then tried to distance himself from French influence and began befriending members of the National Bloc. He also tried to convince the French to re-instate the democratically elected Parliament of 1936–1939, but his efforts proved futile. He died suddenly of a heart attack on January 17, 1943. His son-in-law Munir al-Ajlani
claims that in his final years, Taj al-Din al-Hasani wanted to distance himself from the French and project the image of a true nationalist, but died before that was done. He was the first Syrian head of state to die while in office.
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 leader and politician. He was born and raised into a family of Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
scholars in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. His father was Bader al-Din al-Hasani, one of the most respected Islamic scholars in the late nineteenth century.
History
The young Hasani studied Islamic theologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
with his father, and in 1905 became his personal assistant. He trained young students of his generation in conduct and thought. In 1912, he became a member in the committee for school reform, which was established by the Municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Damascus. In 1916, he became editor-in-chief of al-Sharq (The East), a daily newspaper published by Jamal Pasha, the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Governor of Syria. He held this position throughout the years of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. When the war ended in 1918, his father delegated him to meet with King Faisal I
Faisal I of Iraq
Faisal bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi, was for a short time King of the Arab Kingdom of Syria or Greater Syria in 1920, and was King of the Kingdom of Iraq from 23 August 1921 to 1933...
, the first post-Ottoman ruler of Syria, and explain the conditions and needs of Muslim establishments in Syria. Faisal was impressed by Hasani’s eloquence, and in March 1920, appointed him Director of the Royal Palace. He retained this post until the French occupied Syria in July 1920 and dethroned Faysal, setting up their mandate
League of Nations mandate
A League of Nations mandate was a legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following World War I, or the legal instruments that contained the internationally agreed-upon terms for administering the territory on behalf of the League...
in Syria. Hasani went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and established secret channels with the French, promising them absolute support if they agreed to support his political ambitions. The French government accepted, and began grooming him for future leadership in Syria.
Years in Office
In 1925, the French High Commissioner Maurice SarrailMaurice Sarrail
Maurice-Paul-Emmanuel Sarrail was a French general of the First World War. Sarrail endeared himself to the political elite of the Third Republic through his openly socialist views, all the more conspicuous in contrast to the Catholics, conservatives and monarchists who dominated the French Army...
asked Hasani to form a government during the climax of a national uprising in the Arab Mountain. Hasani failed at creating a suitable composition. He was given a second opportunity and succeeded, creating a government of prominent figures on February 15, 1928. With no presidential office in Syria, Hasani was vested with supreme presidential powers, but had to submit all of his actions and decrees to the French High Commissioner in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. His cabinet included the historian and scholar Muhammad Kurd Ali
Muhammad Kurd Ali
Muhammad Kurdali was a notable Syrian scholar, historian and literary critic in the Arabic language. He was the founder director of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Damascus till his death.-Early life:...
as Minister of Education, the attorney Said Mahasin as Minister of Justice, and Jamil al-Ulshi
Jamil al-Ulshi
Jamil al-Ulshi was a Syrian politician and acting head of state during the French Mandate era.-Biography:He was born and raised in Damascus, and educated in the Ottoman Military Academy in Istanbul....
, an Ottoman-trained officer and ex-prime minister, as Minister of Finance. The opponents to his regime were mainly hard-line nationalists who criticized the French connections of Ulshi, Mahasin, and Hasani, claiming that they had not contributed to the nationalist movement since the French Mandate was imposed in 1920. In April 1928, Hasani held office for three months on the Constituent Assembly
Constituent assembly
A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...
that drafted the first republican constitution for Syria. Hasani ruled Syria with three different cabinets from February 1928 until November 1931. The opposition, headed by the National Bloc, accused him of tampering with the ballots to secure his election through Interior Minister Sa’id Mahasin. In 1932, Hasani nominated himself for presidential office. The French, who were under mounting nationalist pressure to reform the political system in Syria, distanced themselves from the elections. With no proper French backing, he was defeated at the polls.
Hasani protested to government authorities in Paris, who compensated him with the post of Prime Minister in the administration of President Mohammad Ali al-Abid. The National Bloc, Hasani’s prime opponent in local politics, staged a countrywide strike that lasted for sixty days, demanding that France address the issue of Syrian independence in a serious manner. During the strike, commercial life was brought to a standstill and hundreds of Syrians were arrested and deported to remote prisons on the Syrian-Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
border. Hasani arrested many leaders of the National Bloc, including Saadallah al-Jabiri
Saadallah al-Jabiri
Saadallah al-Jabiri , is a Syrian politician and a two-time prime minister of Syria. He was born in Aleppo, and became the leader of the National Bloc during the French mandate era. He also served as foreign minister in a number of cabinets....
from Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
and Fakhri al-Barudi from Damascus. Shukri al-Kuwatli
Shukri al-Kuwatli
Shukri al-Quwatli was the president of Syria from 1943 to 1949 and from 1955 to 1958.-Political life:He was born in Damascus into a Turkish family, originally from Konya....
and Nasib al-Bakri, two politicians from Damascus, were placed under house-arrest. The entire ordeal embarrassed the French who in turn, called the Bloc leaders into independence talks in Paris. When a Franco-Syrian treaty was ready, the Bloc leadership assumed power and Hasani moved into the opposition to the new administration of President Hashim al-Atassi
Hashim al-Atassi
Hashim Bay Khalid al-Atassi was a Syrian nationalist, statesman and its President from 1936 to 1939, 1949 to 1951, and 1954 to 1955.- Background and early career :...
, the leader of the National Bloc.
Final years
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
appointed him President of Syria on September 12, 1941, after having failed to prevail upon Hashim al-Atassi to return to office.
He was required to contain the nationalist movement and provide funds for France's war effort in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. To raise money, President Hasani increased his taxes and raised the price of bread, thereby alienating himself throughout the poor districts of Syria. De Gaulle rewarded Hasani’s services by officially recognizing Syria’s independence on September 27, 1941 and promising complete French evacuation once the war in Europe ended. The French General abrogated a law formulated in the 1920s that divided the Alawite Mountain and the Arab Mountain into independent zones, thereby re-incorporating them into the Syrian Republic. France, however, was given the right to retain military bases throughout the country and receive economic, financial, and political privileges in Syria. Hasani then tried to distance himself from French influence and began befriending members of the National Bloc. He also tried to convince the French to re-instate the democratically elected Parliament of 1936–1939, but his efforts proved futile. He died suddenly of a heart attack on January 17, 1943. His son-in-law Munir al-Ajlani
Munir al-Ajlani
Munir al-Ajlani was a politician, writer, lawyer, and scholar. He made history as the youngest Syrian minister...
claims that in his final years, Taj al-Din al-Hasani wanted to distance himself from the French and project the image of a true nationalist, but died before that was done. He was the first Syrian head of state to die while in office.