Muhammad Ali Luqman (6 November 1898 – 24 March 1966) was a

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

, and

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

. He was born in

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

, which was formerly, under British rule. After completing his education, he worked in school administration in Aden. However, he was dismissed from his position after publishing a letter, entitled "Is This a Scrap of Paper?" (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: هل هذه قصاصة ورقية؟), which criticized the educational system. From 1930 to 1934, he worked as an agent for Al-Bas Company in Somalia, and the studied law in Bombay, obtaining a degree in 1938. In 1939, Luqman's novel ''Saeed'' was published. Some claim this to be the first Yemeni novel, although others have argued for

Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Saqqaf Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Mohsin bin Saqqaf al-Saqqaf (1882–1949) was a Yemeni novelist, journalist, and poet. His 1927 novel ''Fatat Qarout'' (Ar: فتاة قاروت) is regarded by some as the first novel ever written by a Yemeni writer. Early ...

's 1927 novel ''The Girl from Garut''. Luqman established ''Faṫāṫ Al-Jazīrah'' (), the first independent

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

in Yemen, in 1940.Ulrike Freitag Indian Ocean Migrants and State Formation in Hadhramaut: Reform He also founded a weekly English-language newspaper, the ''Aden Chronicle'', in 1953. He was closely linked with the Free Yemeni Movement, and was one of the architects of the failed 1948 coup against Yemeni ruler

Imam Yahya Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din (or Imam Yahya) (, 18 June 1869 – 17 February 1948) was the first king of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen from 1918 until his assassination in 1948. He became Imam of the Zaydis, a branch of Shia Islam, in 1904 af ...

. On September 18, 1962, Luqman traveled to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

at his own expense, following the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

's attempt to forcibly merge the colony of Aden into the

Federation of South Arabia The Federation of South Arabia (FSA; ') was a federal state under British protectorate, British protection in what would become South Yemen. Its capital was Aden. History Originally formed on April 4, 1962 from 15 states of the Federation ...

. Luqman succeeded in winning support from member states at the United Nations to prevent this from occurring. He died in 1966, on his way to perform the

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

, and was buried in

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

. The two newspapers he established were maintained by his son, journalist Farouk Luqman, until South Yemen gained independence the next year, in 1967.

Works

* ''Is This a Scrap of Paper?'' (1923) (هل هذه قصاصة ورقية؟), essay * ''How Have the People of the West Succeeded in Making Progress?'' (1932) (بماذا تقدم الغربيون؟) * ''The Love Commander'' (1933) (القائد المغرم), play * ''Journey through The Land of Somalia'' (1934) (جولة في بلاد الصومال) * ''Saeed'' (1939) (سعيد), novel * ''Kamala Devi'', novel * ''Rajab’s Letter'' (رسالة رجب) * ''The British People: their History and Morals'' (1940) (الشعب البريطاني: تاريخه وأخلاقه) * ''In the Land of Al-Zahir'' (1945) (في أرض الظاهر) * ''Victory of Thought in the French Revolution'' (1947) ( إنتصار الفكر في الثورة الفرنسية) * ''The History of the Lahj Constitution'' (1952) (قصة الدستور اللحجي) * ''Aden Demands Autonomy'' (1954) (عدن تطلب الحكم الذاتي) * ''The History of the Yemeni Revolution'' (1962) (قصة الثورة اليمنية)

References

Yemeni lawyers 20th-century Yemeni writers Yemeni journalists 1966 deaths 1898 births 20th-century Yemeni journalists 20th-century Yemeni lawyers {{Yemen-writer-stub