Haqqi al-Azm ( ar, حقي العظم /

ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...

: ''Ḥaqī al-‘Aẓm''; 1864, in Damascus – 1955) was a Syrian politician active during the late Ottoman period and during the

First Syrian Republic The First Syrian Republic, officially the Syrian Republic, '; french: République syrienne was formed in 1930 as a component of the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, succeeding the State of Syria. A treaty of independence was made in 1936 ...

. From 1932 to 1934, he served as Prime Minister of Syria under the presidency of Muhammad Ali Bey al-Abid. He was a co-founder of the Ottoman Party for Administrative Decentralization.

Early life and education

Haqqi al-Azm was born in Damascus, Ottoman Syria in 1864 to the prominent

Al-Azm family Al-Azm family ( ar, آل العظم, tr, Azm Ailesi) is a prominent Damascene family. Their political influence in Ottoman Syria began in the 18th century when members of the family administered Maarrat al-Nu'man and Hama. A scion of the family ...

. He was educated at the

Lazarist , logo = , image = Vincentians.png , abbreviation = CM , nickname = Vincentians, Paules, Lazarites, Lazarists, Lazarians , established = , founder = Vincent de Paul , fou ...

missionary school in Damascus and later at the military academy in Istanbul. He began his career as a government clerk, but was soon promoted to the prestigious position of inspector-general at the Ministry of

Awqaf A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or ''mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitabl ...

. al-Azm was laid off in 1911 when the

Turkish nationalist Turkish nationalism ( tr, Türk milliyetçiliği) is a political ideology that promotes and glorifies the Turkish people, as either a national, ethnic, or linguistic group. The term "ultranationalism" is often used to describe Turkish nationali ...

Committee of Union and Progress The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) ( ota, اتحاد و ترقى جمعيتی, translit=İttihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti, script=Arab), later the Union and Progress Party ( ota, اتحاد و ترقى فرقه‌سی, translit=İttihad ve Tera ...

(CUP) seized control of the ministry in 1911.

Ottoman political career

al-Azm was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1912 Ottoman parliamentary election. Following his defeat, al-Azm moved to

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

, and helped found the opposition party, Ottoman Party for Administrative Decentralization. The CUP interpreted diplomatic correspondence between the party and French and British agents as a proof that the party was aiming to guarantee the cession of the Arabic-speaking provinces from the Ottoman Empire. In 1913, al-Azm and other figures in the party were sentenced to death ''in absentia'' and they lived as exiles in Cairo. He was also president of the Cairo bureau of the Central Syrian Committee, a French-backed organization which promoted the cession of Syria from the Ottoman Empire since 1908.

Independent Syrian political career

After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, al-Azm was a key opponent of

Hijaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provi ...

i involvement in Syria. He opposed the

Arab Revolt The Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية, ) or the Great Arab Revolt ( ar, الثورة العربية الكبرى, ) was a military uprising of Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. On ...

and called it the "Hijazi revolt".Tauber, 1995, p.170. He allied himself with the

French mandate The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon (french: Mandat pour la Syrie et le Liban; ar, الانتداب الفرنسي على سوريا ولبنان, al-intidāb al-fransi 'ala suriya wa-lubnān) (1923−1946) was a League of Nations mandate fou ...

authorities, and was appointed the first governor of the

State of Damascus The State of Damascus (french: État de Damas; ar, دولة دمشق ') was one of the six states established by the French General Henri Gouraud in the French Mandate of Syria which followed the San Remo conference of 1920 and the defeat of K ...

in 1921.Dumper, 2007, p.125. He reportedly won friends inside the administration by handing out jobs. In 1921 he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while on visit to

Quneitra Quneitra (also Al Qunaytirah, Qunaitira, or Kuneitra; ar, ٱلْقُنَيْطِرَة or ٱلْقُنَيطْرَة, ''al-Qunayṭrah'' or ''al-Qunayṭirah'' ) is the largely destroyed and abandoned capital of the Quneitra Governorate in sout ...

with the French High Commissioner Henri Gouraud. In 1932, following the election of

Muhammad Ali al-Abid Muhammad Ali Bey al-Abid ( ar, محمد علي بك العابد, ; 1867 – 22 October 1939) or, as he spelled his own name in French, Mehmed Ali Abed, was appointed the president of the mandatory Syrian Republic (from 11 June 1932 until 21 De ...

, he was invited to form a cabinet, but the nationalist leaders boycotted the parliament. His rule between 1932 to 1934 was met with large opposition from the National Bloc.Beck; Sanderson.
Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan 1516-1950
' al-Azm later died in 1955 at the age of 91 in Cairo.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Azm, Haqqi al- 1864 births 1955 deaths Prime Ministers of Syria Politicians from Damascus Syrian ministers of interior Haqqi Syrian people of Turkish descent 20th-century Syrian politicians Syrian Freemasons