Taj Al-Din Al-Hasani
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Taj al-Din al-Hasani (; 1885 – 17 January 1943) was a French-appointed
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
n leader and politician who served during the
French mandate The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon (; , also referred to as the Levant States; 1923−1946) was a League of Nations mandate founded in the aftermath of the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire, concerning the territori ...
as Syrian head of state (1928–1931, 1941–1943), prime minister (1928–1932, 1934–1936) and minister of interior (1934–1936).


Life


Background, education and early career

Taj al-Din was born and raised into a family of
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
scholars in
Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
. His father was Badr al-Din al-Hasani, one of the most respected Islamic scholars in the late nineteenth century. The young Hasani studied Islamic
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
with his father, and in 1905 became his personal assistant. He trained young students of his generation in conduct and thought. In 1912, he became a member in the committee for school reform, which was established by the
Municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
of Damascus. In 1916, he became editor-in-chief of ''al-Sharq'' (''The East''), a daily newspaper published by
Jamal Pasha Ahmed Djemal (; ; 6 May 1872 – 21 July 1922), also known as Djemal Pasha or Cemâl Pasha, was an Ottoman military leader and one of the Three Pashas that ruled the Ottoman Empire during World War I. As an officer of the II Corps, he was ...
, the Ottoman Governor of Syria. He held this position throughout
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. When the war ended in 1918, his father delegated him to meet with King
Faisal I Faisal I bin Hussein bin Ali Al-Hashemi (, ''Fayṣal al-Awwal bin Ḥusayn bin ʻAlī al-Hāshimī''; 20 May 1885 – 8 September 1933) was King of Iraq from 23 August 1921 until his death in 1933. A member of the Hashemites, Hashemite family, ...
, the first post-Ottoman ruler of Syria, and explain the conditions and needs of Muslim establishments in Syria. Faisal was impressed by Hasani's eloquence and, in March 1920, appointed him Director of the Royal Palace. He retained this post until the French occupied Syria in July 1920 and dethroned Faysal, setting up their
mandate Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate Mandate may also r ...
in Syria. Hasani went to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and established secret channels with the French, promising them absolute support if they agreed to support his political ambitions. The French government accepted and began grooming him for future leadership in Syria.


Years in office

In 1925, the French High Commissioner
Maurice Sarrail Maurice Paul Emmanuel Sarrail (6 April 1856 – 23 March 1929) was a French general of the First World War. Sarrail's openly socialist political connections made him a rarity amongst the Catholics, conservatives and monarchists who dominated the ...
asked Hasani to form a government during the climax of a national uprising in the Arab Mountain. Hasani failed to create a suitable composition. He was given a second opportunity and succeeded, creating a government of prominent figures on 15 February 1928. With no presidential office in Syria, Hasani was vested with supreme presidential powers, but had to submit all of his actions and decrees to the French High Commissioner in
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 ...
. His cabinet included the historian and scholar
Muhammad Kurd Ali Muhammad Kurd Ali (, 1876–1953) was a notable Syrian scholar, historian and literary critic in the Arabic language. He was the founder and director of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Damascus (1918) till his death. Early life Muhammad ...
as Minister of Education, the attorney Said Mahasin as Minister of Justice, and
Jamil al-Ulshi Jamil al-Ulshi (17 January 1883 – 25 March 1951) () was a Syrian politician, two-time Prime Minister of Syria, prime minister of Syria and acting head of state (17 January – 25 March 1943) during the League of Nations mandate, French Mandate ...
, an Ottoman-trained officer and ex-prime minister, as Minister of Finance. The opponents to his regime were mainly hard-line nationalists who criticized the French connections of Ulshi, Mahasin, and Hasani, claiming that they had not contributed to the nationalist movement since the French Mandate was imposed in 1920. In April 1928, Hasani held office for three months on the
Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
that drafted the first republican constitution for Syria. Hasani ruled Syria with three different cabinets from February 1928 until November 1931. The opposition, headed by the National Bloc, accused him of tampering with the ballots to secure his election through Interior Minister Sa'id Mahasin. In 1932, Hasani nominated himself for presidential office. The French, who were under mounting nationalist pressure to reform the political system in Syria, distanced themselves from the elections. With no proper French backing, he was defeated at the polls. Hasani protested to government authorities in Paris, who compensated him with the post of Prime Minister in the administration of President
Muhammad Ali al-Abid Muhammad Ali Bey al-Abid (, ; 1867 – 22 October 1939; or, as he spelled his own name in French, Mehmed Ali Abed) was a Syrian politician and statesman. He was appointed the president of the mandatory Syrian Republic (from 11 June 1932 until ...
. The National Bloc, Hasani's prime opponent in local politics, staged a countrywide strike that lasted for sixty days, demanding that France address the issue of Syrian independence in a serious manner. During the strike, commercial life was brought to a standstill and hundreds of Syrians were arrested and deported to remote prisons on the Syrian-
Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...
border. Hasani arrested many leaders of the National Bloc, including
Saadallah al-Jabiri Saadallah al-Jabiri (; 1893–1947) was a Syrian statesman and politician who served as the two-time prime minister and a two-time Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Syria. Jabiri was exiled by the French authorities to the village ...
from
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
and Fakhri al-Barudi from Damascus. Shukri al-Quwwatli and
Nasib al-Bakri Nasib al-Bakri (; 1888–1966) was a Syrian politician and nationalist leader in the first half of the 20th century. He played a major role in establishing al-Fatat, an underground organization which sought the independence and unity of the Otto ...
, two politicians from Damascus, were placed under house-arrest. The entire ordeal embarrassed the French who in turn, called the Bloc leaders into independence talks in Paris. When a Franco-Syrian treaty was ready, the Bloc leadership assumed power and Hasani moved into the opposition to the new administration of President Hashim al-Atasi, the leader of the National Bloc.


Final years

The ex-Prime Minister remained on the margins of political life until 1941, when following the Bloc downfall, General
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
appointed him President of Syria on 12 September 1941, after having failed to prevail upon Hashim al-Atasi to return to office. He was required to contain the nationalist movement and provide funds for France's war effort in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. To raise money, President Hasani increased his taxes and raised the price of bread, thereby alienating himself throughout the poor districts of Syria. De Gaulle rewarded Hasani's services by officially recognizing Syria's independence on 27 September 1941 and promising complete French evacuation once the war in Europe ended. The French General abrogated a law formulated in the 1920s that divided the Alawite Mountain and the Arab Mountain into independent zones, thereby re-incorporating them into the Syrian Republic. France, however, was given the right to retain military bases throughout the country and receive economic, financial, and political privileges in Syria. Hasani then tried to distance himself from French influence and began befriending members of the National Bloc. He also tried to convince the French to re-instate the democratically elected Parliament of 1936–1939, but his efforts proved futile. He died suddenly of a heart attack on 17 January 1943. His son-in-law
Munir al-Ajlani Munir al-Ajlani (Dr. Munir Ajlani, منير محمد علي العجلاني) (August 1912 or 1914 – 20 June 2004) was a Syrian politician, writer, lawyer, and scholar. He made history as the youngest Syrian minister. He received his doctor ...
claims that in his final years, Taj al-Din al-Hasani wanted to distance himself from the French and project the image of a true nationalist, but died before that was done. He was the first Syrian head of state to die while in office.


Distinctions

* Commander of the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
(1934)


References


Sources

*Sami Moubayed, ''Steel & Silk: Men and Women Who Shaped Syria 1900–2000'' (Cune Press, Seattle, 2005). {{DEFAULTSORT:Hasani, Taj al-Din al- 1885 births 1943 deaths 20th-century Syrian politicians Presidents of Syria Prime ministers of Syria Ministers of interior of Syria World War II political leaders 20th-century presidents in Asia Commanders of the Legion of Honour