Muhib Al Din Al Khatib (1886–1969) was a Syrian journalist and politician who established various publications in Hejaz and Egypt, including ''

Al Qibla ''Al Qibla'' (Arabic: ''direction of Mecca'') was the official gazette of the Kingdom of Hejaz. It was in circulation between 1916 and 1924 and headquartered in Mecca. The paper was a four-page broadsheet and published twice a week, on Mondays a ...

'' and '' Al Fath''.

Early life and education

Born in Damascus in July 1886 Al Khatib was the son of a Damascene ulema Abu Al Fath Al Khatib. Al Khatib received secondary education in his hometown and attended Maktab Anbar, a very well-known educational institute, where he studied modern sciences,

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...

, French and some Persian. During his studies in Damascus he became one of the pupils of

Salafi The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generat ...

scholar Tahir Al Jazairi. Al Khatib continued his education at a state school in Beirut. In 1905 he went to Istanbul to study law and literature and also, founded the Society of Arab Awakening with Aref Al Shihabi there.

Career and activities

In 1907 Al Khatib moved to Yemen where he served as a translator for the British consulate and became a member of

Rashid Rida Muḥammad Rashīd ibn ʿAlī Riḍā ibn Muḥammad Shams al-Dīn ibn Muḥammad Bahāʾ al-Dīn ibn Munlā ʿAlī Khalīfa (23 September 1865 or 18 October 1865 – 22 August 1935 CE/ 1282 - 1354 AH), widely known as Sayyid Rashid Rida ( ar, � ...

's Ottoman Council Society based in Cairo. Al Khatib returned to Istanbul in 1909 and established a literary society. He was named the assistant general secretary of the Decentralization Party which was founded in Syria in 1913. Next year while he was going to Najd and Iraq he was arrested by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and deported to Basra where he was jailed until July 1916. Following his release he first went to Egypt and then to Mecca where he met Sharif Hussain and cofounded a newspaper entitled ''

'' in 1916 which he edited until 1920. In November 1917 Al Khatib launched another weekly newspaper, ''Al Irtiqa''. In 1919 he moved to Damascus where he participated the Arab Youth association and became a member of its central committee. The same year he also served as the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the official newspaper ''Al Asima''. Al Khatib settled in Cairo in 1921 as result of his clash with the King of Syria and Iraq Emir Faisal. He was appointed editor-in-chief of '' Al Ahram'' and served in the post for five years. He and another Syrian

émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French ''émigrer'', "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Huguenots fled France followi ...

Abdul Fattah Qattan established a publishing company, Salafi Publishing House, and a bookstore with the same name in Cairo. Al Katib launched ''Al Zahra'' and ''Al Fath'' magazines. In 1928 he assumed an editorial role for another magazine, ''Al Minhaj'', which was banned by the government in 1930. Khatib also published a book, ''Al Khuttut al-’Arida li al Shi‘a al Ithna ‘Ashiriyya'' (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: ''Petitions against the Twelve Shiites'').

Views and death

Al Khatib was an Arab nationalist and was part of Arabist-Salafi circles in Cairo. He died in Cairo in December 1969.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khatib, Muhib 20th-century newspaper founders 20th-century Syrian politicians 1886 births 1969 deaths Syrian magazine founders Syrian newspaper founders Syrian expatriates in Egypt Syrian Salafis Syrian nationalists Writers from Damascus