Fares al Khoury

Faris alKhoury was a Syrian statesman, minister, Prime Minister, speaker of Parliament, and Godfather of modern Syrian politics born in Hasbaya in todays modern Lebanon. Faris Khoury went on to become Prime minister of Syria from October 14, 1944 to October 1, 1945 and from October 1954 to February 13, 1955. Khourys ascension to the upper echelons of Syrian politics is remarkable, in light of the fact that he was Christian. Faris Kourys position as Prime Minister is, till this day, the highest political position a Syrian Christian has ever reached. Khourys electoral popularity was due in part to his staunch secularist and nationalist policies. As a diehard Syrian nationalist, Khoury never compromised on his principles and was resolutely against panArabism and the illfated union between Syria and Egypt. Khoury opposed the shortlived union between Nassers Egypt and republican Syria, the United Arab Republic. Through it all Faris Khoury served his country for almost 50 years. He was the

Faris Khoury was born in Kfeir in the Hasbaya District to a Greek Orthodox Christian family that eventually converted to Presbyterianism. Faris studied at the American University of Beirut, at the time called Syrian Protestant College. He started his career as an instructor at AUB and became involved in alFatat, the leading antiOttoman movement, after its creation in Paris in 1911. Khoury became the Christian member of the Ottoman Parliament representing Damascus in 1908. In 1916, Khoury joined the Arab resistance and promised to support the Arab Revolt, launched from Mecca by Sharif Husayn. His connections with Husayn, the prime nationalist of his era, resulted in his arrest and trial by a military tribunal in Aley. After King Faisals arrival and liberation of Syria, Khoury pledged allegiance to King Faisal, the newly proclaimed King of Syria, by the Syrian peoples. In September 18, 1918 Khoury created a preliminary government with a group of notables in Damascus, spearheaded by Princ

Source: Wikipedia