Raouf Al Ayoubi
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Raouf Al Ayoubi | |
|---|---|
رؤوف الأيوبي | |
 Raouf Al Ayoubi with his Master Freemason decorations in 1924 | |
| Minister of Interior | |
| In office 2 December 1926 – 8 February 1928 | |
| Preceded by | Wathiq Moayad al-Azm |
| Succeeded by | Said Mahasin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1883 Damascus, Ottoman Syria |
| Died | 1957 (aged 73–74) Damascus, Syria |
| Nationality | Ottoman (until 1918), Syrian |
Raouf Al Ayoubi (Arabic: رؤوف الأيوبي; 1883 – 1957) was a Syrian official who served as an Ottoman senior administrator stationed in several Palestinian cities, then he served as Minister of Interior during the Great Syrian Revolution.[1]
Biography[change | change source]
Early career[change | change source]
Al Ayoubi was born into the prominent Al-Ayoubi family in Damascus. He studied at the Royal Institute of Istanbul, graduating with a degree in Government Administration in 1900. He began his career teaching at the Sultanic School of Beirut before holding several administrative positions. He served as kaymakam in the cities of Tiberias in Palestine, then Nazareth, Jaffa, and finally Jenin. At the onset of World War I in 1914, he was appointed mutasarrif of Hama.[2]
Rallying to the Great Arab Revolution[change | change source]
Following the execution of Syrian and Lebanese intellectuals by Djemal Pasha on May 6, 1916, Al Ayoubi defected from the Ottoman administration. He fled Hama for the Arabian desert to join the forces of the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. After the Capture of Damascus, he returned to his native city with Prince Faisal I and the Allied Forces. He was appointed Inspector for Syrian Government Departments and later Governor of the Karak Sanjak, covering most of eastern Jordan.[3]
Minister of Interior[change | change source]
During the Great Syrian Revolution, a national unity government was formed under Ahmed Nami to appease various political factions. Initially, Husni al-Barazi was appointed Minister of Interior on May 4, 1926, but he was replaced by Wathiq Moayad al-Azm on June 12, 1926, after accusations of collaboration with the Ghouta rebels. Unable to quell the revolution, al-Azm was succeeded by Al Ayoubi on December 2, 1926. Al Ayoubi negotiated with the revolution leaders, offering them a general amnesty in exchange for an armistice, and a political process that included the promulgation of a new constitution and Syria's accession to the League of Nations, transforming the French mandate into a treaty set to expire in three decades.[4]
However, the revolution leaders rejected these offers. Consequently, Al Ayoubi adopted a security-focused approach, ordering several death sentences at the behest of the French authorities, including those of Sultan Pasha al-Atrash and Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar. His efforts subdued the Syrian revolution, which gradually faded by the end of 1927. The government of Ahmed Nami resigned on February 8, 1928, with Taj al-Din al-Hasani appointed to lead the new government. The Interior Ministry was then assigned to Judge Said Mahasin instead of Al Ayoubi.[5][6]
Freemasonry[change | change source]
Al Ayoubi was a member of a Freemasonry lodge that included prominent Syrian political figures like Haqqi al-Azm and Said al-Ghazzi.[7] On December 18, 1922, the Grand Orient de France issued him a diploma recognizing him as one of the founding members of the Syria Lodge, established a year earlier in Sarouja, Damascus.[6][a]
He died in Damascus in 1957.[6]
Notes[change | change source]
- ↑ However, his name did not appear in the original document listing the founding members of this lodge.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Le Ministre de l'Intérieur" (in French). Yale University. p. 5.
- ↑ Qadama 1956, p. 96.
- ↑ Al-Hakim 1980, p. 36.
- ↑ Babil 1987, p. 65.
- ↑ "Bulletin mensuel: des actes administratifs du Haut Commissariat" (in French). Le Numéro. 20 February 1928.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "رؤوف الأيوبي" (in Arabic). damapedia.com.
- ↑ Moubayed 2016, p. 36.
Sources[change | change source]
- Al-Hakim, Yousef (1980). سورية والعهد الفيصلي (in Arabic). Dar Al-Nahar Publishing.
- Babil, Nassuh (1987). صحافة وسياسية في سورية (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar Riad Najib Al Rayes.
- Moubayed, Sami (2016). شرق الجامع الأموي: الماسونية الدمشقية 1868-1965 (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar Riad Najib Al Rayes.
- Qadama, Ahmad (1956). معالم وأعلام في بلاد العرب (in Arabic). Damascus.
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