Izzat Husrieh

Izzat Husrieh was a renowned Syrian journalist, author, publisher and researcher. He contributed several books to the Arab library and his famous newspaper Al-Alam continued to form public opinion in Syria for two decades. He was born to a prominent family in Amara District in Old Damascus, where he was educated in its primary schools. He then continued his education at The Higher Arab Academy for Translation. In 1932, Husrieh began to write a weekly column for the daily, al-Sha'b. One year later, he co-founded the Syrian Labor Union in Damascus and helped establish branches in Aleppo, Homs, and Hama. He was an outspoken critic of the Franco-Syrian Treaty that promised Syrian independence from France over a 25-year period. He also opposed the National Bloc regime of President Hashim al-Atassi and allied himself with Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar, leader of the Syrian opposition. Husrieh founded his own evening newspaper in Damascus called Al-Alam in 1944, becoming editor-in-chief. He softened his criticism of the National Bloc after Syria achieved independence in 1946, and allied himself with the National Party. He wrote for the popular Damascus daily, al-Qabas in the 1940s. He criticized the government of President Gamal Abdel Nasser when Syria and Egypt merged to form the United Arab Republic (UAR) in 1958, and hailed the coup that ousted the union in 1961. He supported the post-Nasser government of President Nazim al-Qudsi until the Ba'ath Party came to power in 1963 and pledged to restore the UAR. Husrieh died of a heart attack in Damascus on 4 November 1975. He left behind a legacy of journalism, literature, and research that enriched the Arab culture and history.