Abdelaziz Thâalbi (عبد العزيز الثعالبي, September 5, 1876 – October 1, 1944) was a

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

n politician. He was one of the founding members of the

Destour The Constitutional Liberal Party ( ar, الحزب الحر الدستوري, '), most commonly known as Destour, was a Tunisian political party, founded in 1920, which had as its goal to liberate Tunisia from French colonial control. History ...

party.

Early life

Abdelaziz Thâalbi's father was a notary whose family moved from

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

after the 1830 French occupation of Algeria. Thâalbi studied at the University of Ez-Zitouna, where he became learned in Salafiyyah. After he graduated in 1895, Thâalbi began publishing a religious journal, ''Sabil al-Rashid'' ("the proper path"). In 1897, journal was suspended by the French, and Thâalbi left Tunisia, travelling in Libya, Egypt, and India. He spent at least two years in Egypt, allegedly moving with disciples of

Jamal-al-Din al-Afghani Sayyid Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī (Pashto/ fa, سید جمال‌‌‌الدین افغانی), also known as Sayyid Jamāl ad-Dīn Asadābādī ( fa, سید جمال‌‌‌الدین اسد‌آبادی) and commonly known as Al-Afghani (1 ...

and

Muhammad Abduh ; "The Theology of Unity") , alma_mater = Al-Azhar University , office1 = Grand Mufti of Egypt , term1 = 1899 – 1905 , Sufi_order = Shadhiliyya , disciple_of = , awards = , in ...

. Returning to Tunis in 1901, he began to openly criticize maraboutism and advocate a rationalistic reading of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...

. In 1904 he was taken to court, accused of cursing

Abdul-Qadir Gilani ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī, ( ar, عبدالقادر الجيلاني, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī; fa, ) known by admirers as Muḥyī l-Dīn Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Sāliḥ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī al-Baḡdādī al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusayn ...

and calling the Quran an "obsolete book out of step with the progress of our age". He was largely defended by the French newspapers and condemned by the Arabic ones, and was ultimately found guilty and sentenced to two months in prison. In 1905 Thâalbi published ''L'esprit libéral du Coran'' ("the liberal spirit of the Quran") with César Benattar (who had been his defense lawyer) and el-Hadi Sebai. It was pro-French, in contrast with ''Sabil al-Rashid'' and his later writings. It claimed that Thâalbi made connections with the

Young Tunisians The Young Tunisians ( ar, حركة الشباب التونسى ') (french: Jeunes Tunisiens) was a Tunisian political party and political reform movement in the early 20th century. Its main goal was to advocate for reforms in the French protector ...

, and became editor of their Arabic newspaper. He participated in their political activities until he was expelled from Tunisia in 1912 following the Tunis Tram Boycott.

Destour

After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Thâalbi returned to Tunisia and joined former Young Tunisians who requested a decrease of French control at the Paris Peace Conference. In 1920 he wrote ''La Tunisie martyre'' ("the martyr Tunisia"), a nationalist manifesto wherein he criticized the protectorate and advocated the restoration of the 1861 constitution, an elected assembly and independent judiciary, improved education, and better protection of civil rights. He was arrested and returned to Tunisia. In 1921 he led the foundation of the

political party based on the policies outlined in ''La Tunisie martyre''. In 1922, France proposed minor reforms in response to Destour pressure, but Thâalbi and the Destour rejected them. After the death of the ruler

Muhammad V an-Nasir Muhammad V an-Nasir ( ar, محمد الناصر بن محمد باي), commonly known Naceur Bey (La Marsa, 14 July 1855 – La Marsa, 8 July 1922)Akram Ellyas et Benjamin Stora, ''Les 100 portes du Maghreb : l'Algérie, le Maroc, la Tunisie. ...

and the growing intolerance of the French authorities, Thâalbi left the country.

Later years

After spending time in exile in Egypt, Iraq, and India, Thâalbi returned to Tunisia in 1937. By then the Destour had fallen into minority and had been eclipsed by the

Neo Destour The New Constitutional Liberal Party ( ar, الحزب الحر الدستوري الجديد, '; French: ''Nouveau Parti libéral constitutionnel''), most commonly known as Neo Destour, was a Tunisian political party founded in 1934 by a group of ...

, who rejected Thâalbi's traditional values. He attempted to revive Destour with little success, and died in 1944.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thaalbi, Abdelaziz 1876 births 1944 deaths Destour politicians People from Tunis University of Ez-Zitouna alumni