Abd al-Razzaq al-Dandashi (; 1899–1935) was a Syrian intellectual and

Arab nationalist Arab nationalism () is a political ideology asserting that Arabs constitute a single nation. As a traditional nationalist ideology, it promotes Arab culture and civilization, celebrates Arab history, the Arabic language and Arabic literatur ...

activist. He was one of the founders of the

League of Nationalist Action The League of Nationalist Action ( ''‘Usbat al-'Amal al-Qawmi''; ), was a Syrian Arab nationalist anti-colonial political party, created in 1932–1933 by a lawyer of Homs, Abd al-Razzaq al-Dandashi. History Its founders were opposed to the ...

Biography

Al-Dandashi was born to the wealthy Dandashi clan, a major political family based in Talkalakh. Al-Dandashi graduated from a university in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

with a degree in law. During his time at the university, he participated in Arab activist circles. After returning to Syria, he established a law office.Moubayed, p. 220. In 1932, Dandashi and other Arab intellectuals convened in the

Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon (, ; , ; ) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It is about long and averages above in elevation, with its peak at . The range provides a typical alpine climate year-round. Mount Lebanon is well-known for its snow-covered mountains, ...

village of Qarnayel and founded the

(LNA), a nationalist political group whose main goal was coordinated Arab action in ending European colonialism in the Arab world. Dandashi became the secretary-general of the LNA. With his leadership position, he built a large power base, consisting of intellectuals, lawyers, and student activists. Under al-Dandashi, the LNA emerged as a more confrontational counterweight to the National Bloc which ultimately favored negotiating Syria's independence from French rule through diplomatic and other non-violent means. According to Syrian historian

Sami Moubayed Sami Moubayed (; born 16 July 1978) is a Syrians, Syrian historian and writer whose works cover the modern history of Damascus from the late Ottoman period until the creation of the United Arab Republic in 1958. In 2017, he co-founded the Da ...

, al-Dandashi was "an impassioned orator and a hard-line Arab nationalist". Al-Dandashi died in 1935 when he looked out from the window while riding a train and his head subsequently struck a tunnel wall. Al-Dandashi's death, the subsequent defection of

Zaki al-Arsuzi Zaki al-Arsuzi (; June 18992 July 1968) was a Syrian philosopher, philologist, sociologist, historian, and Arab nationalist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of Ba'athism and its political movement. He published several b ...

to the

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

and the expulsion of Sabri al-Asali greatly reduced the influence of the LNA in Syrian politics.Porath, 2014, p. 162.

References

Bibliography

* * 1899 births 1935 deaths Syrian politicians Road incident deaths in Syria Syrian Arab nationalists {{Syria-politician-stub