Suleiman al-Halabi
Encyclopedia
Suleiman al-Halabi, also known as Soleyman El-Halaby , (1777–1800) was a Syria
n student who assassinated
French general Jean Baptiste Kléber
. He was tortured by burning his hand to the bone before being executed
by impalement
.
village, Afrin
. His religious father, Mohammad Amin, worked in the profession of selling butter and olive oil.
In 1797, al-Halabi's father sent him to Cairo
, Egypt
to study Islam
ic sciences at Al-Azhar University
. After three years of study, he returned to Kukan.
There he was surprised to learn of his father's poverty as a result of heavy fines and taxation demanded by Ottoman
authorities.
The authorities offered to lift his imprisoned father's financial burden if he would assassinate French Army General Jean Baptiste Kléber
. He agreed and traveled to Cairo to carry out the assasination.
with Kléber. After they shook hands, he violently pulled the general toward him and stabbed him four times with a stiletto
. Kléber's chief engineer tried to defend him and was stabbed but not mortally wounded.
He hid in a nearby park where he was found by French soldiers, who searched him and found his stiletto. He was arrested and tortured, his right arm burnt to the bone while he denied any relationship with Sheikh Al-Sharkawi or the popular resistance movements. He was tried and sentenced to death by impalement
.
Today his skull and stiletto are on display at the Musée de l'Homme
in Paris, under the caption, "Criminal," written in French.
Arabs are seeking for restoring the dead body of the hero.
Gazetteer Syrian Volume II page 668
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n student who assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
French general Jean Baptiste Kléber
Jean Baptiste Kléber
Jean Baptiste Kléber was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. His military career started in Habsburg service, but his plebeian ancestry hindered his opportunities...
. He was tortured by burning his hand to the bone before being executed
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
by impalement
Impalement
Impalement is the traumatic penetration of an organism by an elongated foreign object such as a stake, pole, or spear, and this usually implies complete perforation of the central mass of the impaled body...
.
Early life
Suleiman al-Halabi was born in 1777 in KukanKukan
Kukan is a documentary film by Rey Scott about the Chinese resistance to Japanese aggression during the early part of World War II . The film, subtitled The Battle Cry of China, was given an Honorary Academy Award...
village, Afrin
Afrin, Syria
Afrin is both a district and city of the Aleppo Governorate, Syria. The district includes the city of 80,000 inhabitants and 366 surrounding villages and farms. The region of Afrin with its 490,000 inhabitants is next to Kurd-Dagh . The district has a surface of 2.033 km square and e.g...
. His religious father, Mohammad Amin, worked in the profession of selling butter and olive oil.
In 1797, al-Halabi's father sent him to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to study Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic sciences at Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
. After three years of study, he returned to Kukan.
There he was surprised to learn of his father's poverty as a result of heavy fines and taxation demanded by 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.
The authorities offered to lift his imprisoned father's financial burden if he would assassinate French Army General Jean Baptiste Kléber
Jean Baptiste Kléber
Jean Baptiste Kléber was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. His military career started in Habsburg service, but his plebeian ancestry hindered his opportunities...
. He agreed and traveled to Cairo to carry out the assasination.
Assassination, trial and execution
On June 14, 1800, al-Halabi approached Kléber's home in the guise of a beggar seeking an audienceAudience (head of state)
An audience is a formal meeting that takes place between a head of state and another person at the invitation of the head of state. Often the invitation follows a request for a meeting from the other person...
with Kléber. After they shook hands, he violently pulled the general toward him and stabbed him four times with a stiletto
Stiletto
A stiletto is a knife or dagger with a long slender blade and needle-like point, intended primarily as a stabbing weapon. The stiletto blade's narrow cross-section and acuminated tip reduces friction upon entry, allowing the blade to penetrate deeply...
. Kléber's chief engineer tried to defend him and was stabbed but not mortally wounded.
He hid in a nearby park where he was found by French soldiers, who searched him and found his stiletto. He was arrested and tortured, his right arm burnt to the bone while he denied any relationship with Sheikh Al-Sharkawi or the popular resistance movements. He was tried and sentenced to death by impalement
Impalement
Impalement is the traumatic penetration of an organism by an elongated foreign object such as a stake, pole, or spear, and this usually implies complete perforation of the central mass of the impaled body...
.
Aftermath
Al-Halabi received an inhuman punishment. The army got his three assistants and got their head off in front of him then, they put him on a punishment machine was called “The stake” in Arabic { Al khazook }, they’ve put him on that machine till death and they lift him upside down on a rope 10 meters above the land for three days.Today his skull and stiletto are on display at the Musée de l'Homme
Musée de l'Homme
The Musée de l'Homme was created in 1937 by Paul Rivet for the 1937 Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne. It is the descendant of the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro, founded in 1878...
in Paris, under the caption, "Criminal," written in French.
Arabs are seeking for restoring the dead body of the hero.
External links
- http://www.tirejafrin.com/s-alhalabee.htm
- http://www.coptichistory.org/new_page_830.htm
- http://www.coptichistory.org/new_page_831.htm
Gazetteer Syrian Volume II page 668