Étienne Saqr (; born on 26 December 1937; last name also spelt Sakr), also known by his kunya Abu Arz (), is a Lebanese nationalist leader and founder of the

Guardians of the Cedars The Guardians of the Cedars (GoC; ; ''Ḥurrās al-Arz) was'' a Lebanese nationalist party and former militia in Lebanon. It was formed by Étienne Saqr (also known with the kunya "Abu Arz" or "Father of the Cedars") and others along with th ...

militia and

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

. Saqr and his militia participated in the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

in the 1970s and 1980s, and remained militantly active until he was expelled from the country with the flight of the

South Lebanon Army The South Lebanon Army or South Lebanese Army (SLA; , ), also known as the Lahad Army () or as the De Facto Forces (DFF), was a Christianity in Lebanon, Christian-dominated militia in Lebanon. It was founded by Lebanese military officer Saad H ...

, of which he was not a member, in May 2000.

Early life and education

Saqr was born in

Ain Ebel Ain Ebel () is a municipality in the Nabatieh Governorate, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Beirut. Its inhabitants are predominantly Christian. Etymology Historian Joseph Toufik Khoreich writes that the name means "Spring of the Mon ...

in 1937 into a

Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...

family, one of eleven children, of whom eight were boys and three were girls. His father was a school principal. Saqr was educated in French schools in

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

and

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

Career

Saqr joined the ''Sûreté générale'' (General Security Directorate) in 1954 and was involved in fighting against pan-Arab forces in the

Lebanon crisis of 1958 The 1958 Lebanon crisis was a political crisis in Lebanon caused by political and religious tensions in the country that included an American military intervention, which lasted for around three months until President Camille Chamoun, who had req ...

. He left the security services in 1969, went into business, and became politically active in Lebanese nationalist circles. He opposed the Cairo Agreement of 1969. Worth noting is the pan-Lebanese conception of the party whose members were drawn not only from Christian circles but Muslim and Druze as well. In the early 1970s, Saqr helped to organize the

Lebanese Renewal Party The Lebanese Renewal Party – LRP (Arabic: حزب التجدد اللبناني transliteration ''Hezb al-Tajaddud al-Lubnani'') or Parti de la Renovation Libanaise (PRL) in French, was a political party in Lebanon formed in 1972 by a number of ...

, and in 1975 he formed the Guardians of the Cedars inspired by his 'nom de guerre' Abu Arz (father of the cedars) and made a coalition with the Israeli army in south Lebanon. The Guardians of the Cedars fought under the slogans "No Palestinian will remain in Lebanon" and "Lebanon, at your service". The Guardians of the Cedars joined the

Lebanese Front The Lebanese Front was a coalition of mainly right-wing Lebanese Nationalist parties formed in 1976 by majority Christian groups during the Lebanese Civil War. It was intended to act as a reaction force to the Lebanese National Movement (LNM) ...

, a coalition of mainly Christian parties intended to act as a counter force to the

Lebanese National Movement The Lebanese National Movement (LNM; , ''Al-Harakat al-Wataniyya al-Lubnaniyya'') was a front of Leftist, pan-Arabist and Syrian nationalist parties and organizations active during the early years of the Lebanese Civil War, which supported ...

Kamal Jumblatt Kamal Fouad Jumblatt (; 6 December 1917 – 16 March 1977) was a Lebanese politician who founded the Progressive Socialist Party. He led the National Movement during the Lebanese Civil War. He was a major ally of the Palestine Liberation Organ ...

and others. While Saqr objected to the Syrian intervention in 1976, the Lebanese Front accepted it. Saqr withdrew from the Front and the Guardians retreated to the mountains but continued to fight on the LF side in key battles, including East Beirut (1978) and

Zahlé Zahlé () is a city in eastern Lebanon, and the capital and largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 150,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Lebanon after Beirut and Tripoli, Lebanon, Tripoli and the fourth-largest ...

(1981). In 1990 the Guardians of the Cedars were officially outlawed. Saqr was sentenced to seven years hard labour for collaborating with Israel but escaped to

Jezzine Jezzine ( ''Jizzīn'') is a municipality in Lebanon, located from Sidon and south of Beirut. It is the capital of Jezzine District. Surrounded by mountain peaks, pine forests (like the Bkassine Pine Forest), and at an average altitude of 95 ...

in the Israeli security zone.

Middle East International ''Middle East International'' was a bimonthly magazine published in London from 1971 until 2005, reaching a total of 761 issues. It was established by Christopher Mayhew and a group of senior British politicians and diplomats. The original publish ...

No 472, 1 April 1994, Publishers Lord Mayhew, Dennis Walters MP; Godfrey Jansen pp. 9–10 After Israel's withdrawal from the south in 2000, Saqr left for

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. In an address to the

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

a few days later, Saqr argued against the withdrawal saying Israel had "made heroes out of Hezbollah." He has been sentenced to death

in absentia ''In Absentia'' is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the f ...

by a Lebanese court on charges of collaborating with Israel, and remains in exile in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

Personal life

Etienne Saqr has two daughters who are both famous Lebanese singers,

Karol Sakr Karol Etienne Sakr (, alternative spelling Carole Sakr or Carole Saqr; born August 11, 1969) is a Lebanese singer who is most known for her English songs in the 1980s. She is the daughter of the Lebanese Maronite exiled politician Etienne Sakr ...

and

Pascale Sakr Pascale Etienne Sakr (; born September 23, 1964) is a Lebanese singer. She was born in Zahlé, Lebanon to Maronite parents from Ain Ebel, south of Lebanon. She performs a leading character in many musicals. She graduated from law school in 1987. ...

, and a son named Arz Sakr.

References

External links

Guardians of the Cedars – website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saqr, Etienne 1937 births Living people Lebanese Maronites People sentenced to death in absentia Lebanese nationalists Guardians of the Cedars politicians Lebanese exiles Lebanese Renewal Party politicians Lebanese anti-communists Military personnel of the Lebanese Civil War