Adnan al-Malki (‎) (1918 – 22 April 1955) was a Syrian military officer and prominent political figure in Syria during the 1940s and 1950s. He served as the deputy-chief of staff of the

Syrian Army The Syrian Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. Up until the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Arab Army existed as a land force branch of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, which dominanted the military service of the fo ...

and was one of the most powerful figures in the army and in national politics until his assassination, which was blamed on a

Syrian Social Nationalist Party The Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP; ) is a Syrian nationalist party operating in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. It advocates the establishment of a Greater Syrian nation state spanning the Fertile Crescent, including present-day Syria, Leb ...

(SSNP) militant in 1955.Assad laments losing his father's grand vision, The National
/ref> At the time of his assassination he held the rank of Colonel in the

. Al-Malki's assassination led to a crackdown on the SSNP in Syria.

Early life

Adnan al-Malki was born in 1918 to a wealthy and prestigious Damascene family. Al-Malki's family were originally North African

Ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

trained in the Maliki school of jurisprudence.

Military career

Adnan al-Malki graduated from the

Homs Military Academy Homs Military Academy () is a military educational and training institution located in Homs, Syria. History Establishment Homs Military Academy was founded in 1933 by France during the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. During the period of Fren ...

in 1935. In 1951, President

Adib al-Shishakli Adib (also spelled Adeeb) (Arabic:أديب) is a given name and a surname meaning enlighted writer or one who practises '' adab''. Notable people having this name: Given name Adeeb * Adeeb (1934–2006), Pakistani film actor * Adeeb Ahamed, Indi ...

outlawed most political parties in Syria. Al-Malki, concerned with the president's actions, urged that 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 Arab Socialist Party merge. This new consolidated party became known as the Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party in late 1952. In 1953, al-Malki submitted a memorandum that Colonel Shishakli at the Damascus airport upon his return from Cairo, to release all political prisoners and end the one party rule. This led to his imprisonment in 1954. After al-Shishakli's authoritarian rule over Syria ended, al-Malki was reinstated in the army and promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff.

Views and Baath Party Affiliation

Al-Malki never became a member of the Baath party. He was close to the military leadership of the Baath and his brother Riyad was a long time Baathist. Al-Malki was a Nasserist as well as an

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 ...

. This collided in particular with the views of the Syrian nationalist SSNP who sought unity with Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Palestine instead of Egypt.

Assassination

On Friday 22 April 1955, senior officers including Adnan al-Malki went to the Damascus Municipal Stadium to cheer on the army's football team against a visiting Egyptian team. al-Malki was seated in the VIP box along with General Shuqayr and the Egyptian ambassador. Halfway through the game, military police sergeant Yunis Abdul Rahim fired two shots into al-Malki with his revolver killing him. Abdul Rahim appeared to have personal motivation in the assassination since a few months prior, al-Malki had denied him entry for sectarian reasons into the

. Abdul Rahim attempted to commit suicide shortly after, however, the gun jammed and he committed suicide with a back-up gun. According to other sources, Abdul Rahim did not act for his own account but killed al-Malki at the personal order of the SSNP's then party leader George Abd al-Massih. According to Seale, the man behind al-Malki's assassination was Anisa Makhluf's first cousin, Badi' Makhluf. For this reason, he was subsequently tried, sentenced to death and hanged.

Legacy

The SSNP was outlawed in Syria. The leadership of the party was arrested or exiled. The aftermath of the assassination also entailed a split within the party. A large statue of Adnan al-Malki was placed in central Damascus and a luxurious neighborhood was named after him by the Ba'ath party that came to power in 1963.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Malki, Adnan al- 1918 births 1955 deaths Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region politicians Assassinated Syrian military personnel Assassinated Syrian politicians Nasserists Politicians from Damascus Syrian Arab nationalists Syrian colonels Homs Military Academy alumni Politicians assassinated in the 1950s