Sulayman al-Murshid

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Sulayman al-Murshid - the correct name is Salaman al-Murshid سلمان المرشد born in 1907 in Beit Burghal village in the Province of Lattakia, Syria.

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[edit] Early beginnings

Salman Al-Murshid united three clans (Mahalibah, Darawesah and Amamerah) into one clan (Bani Ghassan). He became a leader known across the Whole of Syria not only in the Province of Lattakia. In 1937 he became a member of Parliament and in 1943 he was elected again as a member of the central Syrian Parliament. Rich families and then the so called national government made may fabricated accusations against him and used public money to bribe newspapers in Egypt and Lebanon to attack him as they saw him a great threat to their interests. He opened schools and built roads for his people. Despite all the fabricated publicity, researchers and historians started to question what has been said about Salman. He helped many villages across Syria (even if not from followers).

[edit] Execution

The Syrian government wanted to kill Salman with Treason charges, which they failed to prove. They executed him for other fabricated civil charges on 12 December 1946. Later, it was revealed that the British High Commissioner (Spear) instigated and encouraged al- Jabiry (Syria Prime Minster) and Shokry al Kowatly (Syria President) to commit this crime although they needed no encouragement.

[edit] Unionist Movement

Salman was himself a proponent and leader in the Alawite mountains. He was a member in the Syrian Parliament. Rich families, the government and Britain said that he had ties with the French Intelligence Service in Syria. They made their followers and poor farmers from Jawbit Borgal file hundreds of fabricated legal complaints to Latakia and Damascus about al-Murshid (for example, forced-abduction of land and properties). France divided Syria into several federal states in 1920 and assigned the Province of Lattakia, which include the Sea coast of Syria and adjacent mountains, as Alawite State. Later in 1939, the French were forced to do a referendum allowing people in the province to decide whether to join the mother land Syria or stay independent. They wanted to keep an independent Alawite State that they can control and use in their traditional competition and struggle with Britain. That is why France supported the Separatist movement. Salman's popularity made it possible for the unionist movement to win the referendum/election. Despite this deciding role in bringing the "Alawite State" to the mother land Syria, Salman's enemies kept promoting their version on the story taking advantage of their wealth and position in the local/central government. Salman also played a key role in forming the first Syrian army after independence. He was the only one who succeeded in convincing the Syrian soldiers in the French army to join the new national army (although none of them was from his people). Recent research, after declassifying British and other documents, started to show a completely different story from the one promoted by Salman's enemies who had the power, the money and the media.

[edit] Later

The followers of al-Murshid later became known as Al-Murshidiyya المرشديه found by his second son Mujib who was killed by Abd Elhak Shihada (by direct order from Adeep Alshishakly) on 27 November 1952. Murshidiyyans were persecuted by the Syrian authorities until the President Hafez al-Assad who came to power in 1970. Since then, Murshidiyya was practiced relatively freely like any other religion.

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