May Arslan (1928–2013) was a Lebanese

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

woman who was a member of the Arslan family, and her father was

Shakib Arslan Shakib Arslan (; 25 December 1869 – 9 December 1946) was a Lebanese writer, poet, historian, politician, and Emir in Lebanon. A prolific writer, he produced some 20 books and 2,000 articles, as well as two collections of poetry and a "prodigi ...

. She was the mother of

Walid Jumblatt Walid Kamal Jumblatt (; born 7 August 1949) is a Lebanese politician who was the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party from 1977 until 2023. A Druze and former militia commander, Jumblatt led the Lebanese National Resistance Front, allying ...

and the spouse of

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 ...

, founder and leader of the

Progressive Socialist Party The Progressive Socialist Party () is a Lebanese political party. Its confessional base is in the Druze sect and its regional base is in Mount Lebanon Governorate, especially the Chouf District. Founded by Kamal Jumblatt in 1949, the party ...

Biography

Arslan was born in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, Switzerland, in 1928 into a well-established Druze family. She was the daughter of Shakib Arslan who was in exile in Switzerland when she was born. Her mother was a Circassian woman, Salima El Khass, who was twenty years younger than Shakib Arslan. She was born in Russia and her family fled to Jordan due to violent persecution of Muslims by the Russian authorities. Then they settled in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

where she met with Shakib Arslan who was serving as a deputy in the

Ottoman Parliament The General Assembly (; French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" or ''Genel Parlamento''; ) was the first attempt at representative democracy by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire. Also known as the Ottoman Parliament ('' Legislation o ...

for his native province of

Hauran The Hauran (; also spelled ''Hawran'' or ''Houran'') is a region that spans parts of southern Syria and northern Jordan. It is bound in the north by the Ghouta oasis, to the northeast by the al-Safa field, to the east and south by the Harrat ...

. They married in Beirut in 1916. May Arslan had a brother, Ghaleb, and a sister, Nazimah. May Arslan was first educated in Lebanon and attended French Lycée in Beirut. She received higher education in France. She married Kamal Jumblatt in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

on 1 May 1948. Their families were both Druze, but rival groups. They had a son,

. Although their marriage was for love, Kamal Jumblatt and May Arslan divorced. She resided in Paris between 1954 and 1963 and settled there again in 1965. Arslan's former husband Kamal Jumblatt was assassinated in 1977. May Arslan died on 9 September 2013 at age 85. A funeral ceremony was held in

Moukhtara Moukhtara () is a small town in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon. The town's inhabitants are divided between Druze and Maronites. It is the hometown of Walid Jumblatt, the leader of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist ...

on 11 September.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arslan, May 20th-century Lebanese women 20th-century Lebanese people 1928 births 2013 deaths

May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...

Lebanese Druze people People from Chouf District People from Lausanne Lebanese people of Caucasus descent