Emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

Majid Toufic Arslan (; February 1908 — September 18, 1983) was a

Lebanese Druze The Lebanese Druze () are an ethnoreligious group constituting about 5.2 percentDruze 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 ...

ruling family. Arslan was the leader of the Yazbaki (Arslan affiliations) faction. Majid Arslan was a national political figure with a role in Lebanon's independence, a long-running Member of the Lebanese Parliament. During his time as a government minister, he held number of important ministerial portfolios, most notably

Defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

, Health, Telecommunications, Agriculture and Justice.

Personal life

Arslan was the son of Emir Toufic Arslan who helped found

Greater Lebanon The State of Greater Lebanon (; ), informally known as French Lebanon, was a state declared on 1 September 1920, which became the Lebanese Republic (; ) in May 1926, and is the predecessor of modern Lebanon. The state was declared on 1 Septembe ...

in 1920. He had three brothers (Nouhad, Riad, Melhem) and a sister (Zahia).

Majid studied at the famous French school,

Mission Laïque Française Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality *Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * O ...

. In 1932, he married his cousin, Emira Lamiss Shehab. They had him two sons: Emir Toufic (1935–2003) and Emir Faysal (1941–2009). In 1956, after his first wife’s death, Emir Majid remarried Khawla

Jumblatt The Jumblatt family (, originally , meaning "steel-bodied" or "soul of steel"), also transliterated as Joumblatt and Junblat) is a prominent Druze family based in the Chouf area of Mount Lebanon which has dominated Druze politics since the 18th c ...

. They had three daughters (Zeina, Rima, and Najwa) and a son, Talal, current Head of the House of Arslan and a

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 ...

leader. He was known for his exceptional skills in horsemanship and would often exercise his hobby in a southern village El Mageedieh (3 km²), named after him.

Political career

Throughout his political career, he had an intense rivalry with

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 ...

over the leadership amongst the Druze. He has been the longest serving Lebanese politician in a ministerial office and was elected as the

Defense Minister A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

for twenty two times.

Parliament

Emir Majid Arslan ran for parliamentary elections in 1931 and won the Druze seat of Aley Cazaa district. His allies also won the elections. From 1931 until his death in 1983, he and his allies would win all the parliamentary elections of 1934, 1937, 1943, 1947, 1951, 1953, 1957, 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972.

Cabinet

Over a period of 35 years, Emir Majid Arslan held various ministerial posts. *October 1937: Minister of Agriculture *September 1943:

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...

*July 1944:

*May 1946:

*December 1946: Minister of Telecommunications &

*June 1947: Minister of Telecommunications &

*July 1948: Minister of Agriculture &

*October 1949:

Minister of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

*February 1954:

*July 1955:

*March 1956:

*November 1956:

& Minister of Agriculture *August 1957: Minister of Telecommunications &

*March 1958: Minister of Agriculture *August 1960:

*October 1961:

*October 1968:

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

*January 1969:

*November 1969:

*May 1969:

*July 1973:

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

*October 1974:

*July 1975:

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

& Housing

Lebanon's 1943 independence

Emir Majid Arslan was the leader of the independence of Lebanon in 1943 when the president Bechara El Khoury with fellow ministers were taken to prison to Rachaya by the French. After World War I, in 1918, the French established control over Lebanon by virtue of a League of Nations Mandate. In 1943, the leaders of the country together with the ministers held a national convention and drew up a National Pact stating that: #Lebanon is an independent country with an Arab aspect, #Lebanon is to be led by neither East nor West, #No to Colonialism, #Religious sects are to be represented in ministries and all governmental posts, #The Lebanese government should bring under its control customs, railways and the Regie tobacco monopoly. #The Lebanese government should supervise and control its borders. On 10 November 1943, the French retaliated by arresting the Lebanese President

Bechara El Khoury Bechara Khalil El Khoury (; 10 August 1890 – 11 January 1964) was a Lebanese politician who served as the 1st president of Lebanon, holding office from 21 September 1943 to 18 September 1952, apart from an 11-day interruption (11–22 Novembe ...

, Prime Minister Riad Solh and ministers

Camille Chamoun Camille Nimr Chamoun (, ; 3 April 19007 August 1987) was a Lebanese politician who served as the 2nd president of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958. He was one of the country's main Christian leaders during most of the Lebanese Civil War. Early yea ...

, Adel Osseiran and

Abdul Hamid Karami Abdul Hamid Karami (23 October 1890 – 23 November 1950) () was a Lebanese political and religious leader, who had nationalistic Arab inclinations. Biography Karami descended from one of the most prominent Sunni Muslim families in Lebanon. ...

. The French used Senegalese mercenaries to transport these political prisoners to Rashaya Fort in the

Beqaa Valley The Beqaa Valley (, ; Bekaa, Biqâ, Becaa) is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region. Industry, especially the country's agricultural industry, also flourishes in Beqaa. The region broadly corresponds to th ...

. Ministers Majid Arslan, Sabri Hamadeh and Habib Abi Shahla escaped the arrest because they were not in their homes that night. One of Emir Majid's brothers also escaped to Majdel Baana to seek refuge there among members of the Abdel Khalek family as well as the Abi Jumaa's and Nasr's. Sabrihamadeh2

On 11 November 1943, Arslan, Hamadeh and Abi Shahla created the “Government of Free Lebanon” with Habib Abi Shahla as Prime Minister and Majid Arslan as Head of National Guard 57. Their headquarters were in Bechamoun, a village 30km from

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 ...

at the residences of Hussein and Youssef El Halabi (see

Lebanese Independence Day Lebanese Independence Day () is the national day of Lebanon, celebrated on 22 November in commemoration of the end of the French control over Lebanon in 1943, after 23 years of Mandate rule. Pre-Independence period While the Lebanese have be ...

). Toufic Hamdan (born February 11, 1927– died August 3, 2009) and his brother Adel Hamdan (born 1924– ) spotted the French Columns marching from the mountains of Aitate, a city on the outskirts of Ain Anoub. Toufic and Adel Hamdan ran back and informed the men of Ain Anoub of the incoming military. The men of Ain Anoub took up arms and blocked the road at the historic landmark, Sindyaneh. When the French forces attempted to remove the road blocks, the battle began led by Adeeb Elbiny (?-?), Naef Soujah (1895–1944), along with his son Najib Soujah (1927 – September 24, 1981), and the only martyr of the battle, Saeed Fakhreddine (?-November 11, 1943), and many more men from Ain Anoub. Saeed Fakhreddine climbed on top of the tank and dropped grenades into the tank, sacrificing his life to achieve victory. The fight ensued and liberators prevailed over the French. At that time Majid Arslan declared a Free Lebanon from the home of the Halabi family in Bechamoun where he sought refuge from the arrests. Meanwhile, disturbances and riots raged all over Lebanon. The Deputies held a secret session during which they drew and signed on a new flag that they handed over to the cabinet of Bechamoun. On 21 November 1943, Due to riots, open strikes, the armed rebellion of Ain Anoub and the interference of Arab and Western states (mainly Britain), the political prisoners were released. 3 The freed prisoners passed by Bechamoun on their way back home, to thank the rebels. There, they sang the

Lebanese National Anthem Lebanese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lebanon * Lebanese people, people from Lebanon or of Lebanese descent * Lebanese Arabic, the variety of Levantine Arabic spoken in Lebanon * Lebanese culture * Lebanese cuisine See also ...

and Majid Arslan knelt in front of the Lebanese flag and kissed it. On 22 November 1943, Lebanon was proclaimed an independent state.

References

*Najib Soujah and Toufic Hamdan, Eye Witness Accounts *Jibran Jreij, Days in Rayshaya *Julia Makarem, http://www.americandruzeheritage.com/ *Pierre Helou, L'Homme du Dialogue Disparait. http://www.rdl.com.lb/ *Aux Origines du "Pacte National", Contribution a l'histoire de la crise Franco-Libanaise de Novembre 1943, by Maxime Rodinson 1988. *http://www.ingentaconnect.com/ *Lebanon – World War II and Independence. ''Source: U.S. Library of Congress'' *Lebanon's Quest: The Road to Statehood, 1926–1939. ''Meir Zamir''. I.B. Tauris *

Ministry of National Defense (Lebanon) The Ministry of National Defense ( ''Wizārat al-Difāʾ al-Waṭanī'') is Lebanon's service section for the Lebanese Armed Forces. The Ministry is located in Yarzeh, Baabda District, Mount Lebanon. The building which is considered the bigges ...

*http://www.syrianhistory.com/People/key/Emir+Majid+Arslan
Emir Majid Arslan Pictures
at Katagogi.com

at Allposters *http://www.ldparty.org/new/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=40&Itemid=55 *http://www.fanoos.com/society/amir_majid_arslan.html *http://www.fanoos.com/society/talal_arslan.html *