Najib Nassar
Encyclopedia
Najib Nassar was a Palestinian
journalist.
Nassar was educated in Lebanon. His family comes, originally, from a mountain village called Ein Einub (or Ain Ainoub). The family left the village in the middle of the nineteenth century. He worked as a pharmacist for the Scottish Hospital in Tiberias. Later he became the founder and editor of Al-Karmil
, the first Palestinian
anti-Zionist weekly newspaper in Arabic, which appeared in Haifa
in Decembrer 1908 and was closed down by the British government in the 1940s.
Nassar was involved in the formation of an association in Haifa with the aim of preventing the implementation of Zionist plans and colonial activities in Palestine
. He warned against land sales to Jews
and Zionist. In 1911 he published the first book in Arabic on Zionism, entitled Zionism: Its History, Objective and Importance, in which he described Zionism as a racist movement that aims to replace the Palestinians in the Holy Land
. Najib Nassar was imprisoned in Damascus
by the Ottoman
authorities in 1918. He established the Arab Party in Nazareth in the same year. He maintained his Ottoman loyalty all his life, but called himself a Palestinian patriot.
He traveled to Karak
, Jordan
, in 1924 with Jordanian poet Mustafa Wahbi At-Tal, calling for Arab Union. Nassar wrote several novels and plays as well as numerous critical articles on Zionism.
In 1927 he married Sadhij, the granddaughter of Bahá'u'lláh
, one of the most important militant leaders of women's movement in Palestine.
He died in the French Hospital in Nazareth following a hernia operation on 28 Dec. 1947, and was buried in the city's Greek Orthodox cemetery.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
journalist.
Nassar was educated in Lebanon. His family comes, originally, from a mountain village called Ein Einub (or Ain Ainoub). The family left the village in the middle of the nineteenth century. He worked as a pharmacist for the Scottish Hospital in Tiberias. Later he became the founder and editor of Al-Karmil
Al-Karmil (newspaper)
Al-Karmil was a weekly Arabic language newspaper founded toward the end of Ottoman imperial rule in Palestine. Named for Mount Carmel in the Haifa district, the first issue was published in December 1908, with the stated purpose of "opposing Zionist colonization".The owner, editor and key writer...
, the first Palestinian
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
anti-Zionist weekly newspaper in Arabic, which appeared in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
in Decembrer 1908 and was closed down by the British government in the 1940s.
Nassar was involved in the formation of an association in Haifa with the aim of preventing the implementation of Zionist plans and colonial activities in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. He warned against land sales to Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and Zionist. In 1911 he published the first book in Arabic on Zionism, entitled Zionism: Its History, Objective and Importance, in which he described Zionism as a racist movement that aims to replace the Palestinians in the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. Najib Nassar was imprisoned in Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
by the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
authorities in 1918. He established the Arab Party in Nazareth in the same year. He maintained his Ottoman loyalty all his life, but called himself a Palestinian patriot.
He traveled to Karak
Al Karak
Karak is a city in Jordan that is known for the famous crusader castle Kerak. The castle is one of the three largest castles in the region, the other two being in Syria...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, in 1924 with Jordanian poet Mustafa Wahbi At-Tal, calling for Arab Union. Nassar wrote several novels and plays as well as numerous critical articles on Zionism.
In 1927 he married Sadhij, the granddaughter of Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
, one of the most important militant leaders of women's movement in Palestine.
He died in the French Hospital in Nazareth following a hernia operation on 28 Dec. 1947, and was buried in the city's Greek Orthodox cemetery.