Abdul Hamid Karami

Lebanese politician (1890–1950)

عبد الحميد كرامي

Karami in 1939

2nd Prime Minister of LebanonIn office
10 January 1945 – 20 August 1945PresidentBechara El KhouryPreceded byRiad SolhSucceeded bySami Solh Personal detailsBorn(1890-10-23)23 October 1890
Tripoli, Ottoman EmpireDied23 November 1950(1950-11-23) (aged 60)
LebanonNationalityLebanese

Abdul Hamid Karami (23 October 1890 – 23 November 1950) (Arabic: عبد الحميد كرامي) was a Lebanese political and religious leader, who had nationalistic Arab inclinations.^[1]

Biography

Karami descended from one of the most prominent Sunni Muslim families in Lebanon.^[2] Members of his family traditionally held the position of mufti of Tripoli. Abdul Hamid Karami became mufti of Tripoli,^[3] but was removed by the French authorities. He was a leader of the movement to have Lebanon become an independent country, a goal which was achieved by 1943.^[4] In 1944, Karami survived an assassination attempt, which was due to a local rivalry in Tripoli.^[3] Karami served as prime minister and finance minister of Lebanon for a brief period from 10 January 1945 to 20 August 1945.^[5] He also held the post of defense minister for that time.^[6]

His sons, Rashid Karami and Omar Karami were also important Lebanese politicians who served as prime ministers and leading politicians of Lebanon.^[7] Karami died on 3 November 1950.^[4]^[8]

Controversy

In June 1935, Karami killed Abdul Majid Muqaddam, another prominent Tripoli native, since Muqaddam had beaten him with a stick and knocked off his turban.^[3] However, Karami was acquitted due to his claim of self-defense.^[3] Karami's lawyer was future president Bishara Khoury.^[1]^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b Eyal Ziser (2000). Lebanon: The Challenge of Independence. I.B.Tauris. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-86064-537-2.
^ William Harris (2012). Lebanon: A History, 600-2011. Oxford University Press. p. 347. ISBN 978-0-19-518111-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Oren Barak (2002). "Intra-communal and inter-communal dimensions of conflict and peace in Lebanon". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 34 (4): 619–644. doi:10.1017/S0020743802004026.
^ ^a ^b Rola el Husseini (2012). Pax Syriana: Elite Politics in Postwar Lebanon. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-8156-3304-4.
^ "Former Ministers". 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019.
^ "الوزراء المتعاقبون على وزارة الدفاع الوطني" [Successive ministers of the Ministry of National Defense]. pcm.gov.lb (in Arabic). Government of Lebanon. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
^ "Karami back to lead Lebanese Government". China Daily. Beirut. 12 March 2005. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
^ "Developments of the Quarter: Comment and Chronology". The Middle East Journal. 5 (1): 83. Winter 1951. JSTOR 4322247.