Muhammad 'Ali Bay al-'Abid
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Muhammad 'Ali al-'Abid (1867 - 1939) (Arabic: محمد علي العابد) was the president of Syria from 11 June 1932 until 21 December 1936. He was born in 1867, in Damascus, Syria.
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[edit] Father
His father, Ahmad 'Izzat al-'Abid, was born in Damascus, where he was learning, then he continued his education in Beirut, Lebanon. He was fluent in Arabic, French, and Turkish. He travelled to Istanbul and served Sultan ‘Abdu’l-Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire, then became his advisor. He left the Ottoman Empire in 1908 and went to London, before moving around England, Switzerland, and France. Eventually, he went to Egypt where he died in 1924.
[edit] Education
Muhammad al-'Abid grew up in Damascus, where he was educated in its primary schools, then continued his education in Beirut. When he graduated, he move to Istanbul with his family, and entered Galatasaray Lisesi. Then he was sent to Paris, France, and entered the faculty of law. After graduation, he studied the Fiqh.
[edit] Biography
In 1908, he became the Ottoman Empire's ambassador to Washington. However, he returned to the Ottoman Empire after the declaration of the Ottoman Empire's constitution in 23 July 1908, and after his father escaped from Istanbul. He also went out of it and travelled to California. Then he joined his father travelling between England, Switzerland, France, and Egypt until World War I, as they stayed in Egypt where his father died.
Muhammad al-'Abid moved back to Damascus in the summer of 1920 during the French Mandate of Syria. In 1922, al-'Abid was appointed Syria's Minister of Finance by General Henri Gouraud.
al-'Abid was fluent in Arabic, French, and Turkish. He was fond of the French literature and economics. He was also good at English and Persian.
In 11 June 1932, he was elected president of Syria. In 1936, he resigned and went to Paris, where he died in 1939, becoming a president for four years, six months, and ten days.