Yusuf Yasin (also known as Yousuf Yassin; 1888 – 19 April 1962) was a Syrian journalist and politician who served in various capacities during the reign of King Abdulaziz and King Saud.[1] He was among the advisers of King Abdulaziz who were employed to improve the decision-making process of the state.[2] Yasin performed several roles in the Saudi government until his death in 1962.
Yusuf Yasin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1888 Latakia, Syria |
| Died | 19 April 1962 (aged 73–74) Dhahran, Saudi Arabia |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabian |
| Alma mater | University of Jerusalem |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1920s–1958 |
| Children | 8 |
Early life and education
Yusuf Yasin was born in Latakia, Syria, in 1888.[1][3] His parents were Fatima bint Abdullah Jamal and Shaikh Mohammad Yasin, and his grandfather was Ali Al Masri, probably an Egyptian immigrant to Syria.[4]
Following religious education in Latakia Yasin graduated from the University of Jerusalem in 1911.[4] He was also educated in Cairo where one of his tutors was Rashid Rida.[5]
Career and activities
Yasin worked as a teacher in Jerusalem in the Ottoman period and supported the pan-Arab views during World War I.[6] He served in the court of Amir Faisal, son of Hussein bin Ali, King of Hejaz between 1917 and 1918.[6] In 1920 Yasin began to work for Hussein bin Ali in Mecca who sent him to his another son Abdullah, Amir of Transjordan.[6] However, he left Abdullah's service just six months after his appointment.[6] Yasin cofounded a weekly nationalist newspaper in Jerusalem in 1921.[7] His business associate was Mohammad Kamil Al Budari, and their paper was entitled Al Sabah.[7]
Yasin left Syria due to the French occupation of the region due to his strong adherence to the independence of Syria and was part of a group called the Istiqlali network which also included another journalist Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli.[5] Yasin began to work for the House of Saud in 1923 or in 1924.[4][8] Shukri Al Quwatli, future president of Syria, was instrumental in Yasin's new career.[9][10] Yasin intended to work as a teacher for the sons of King Abdulaziz.[8] He first became the head of the political section of the royal court and private secretary to the King.[11]
Yasin contributed to the establishment of a weekly paper in Mecca, Umm Al Qura, in 1924 of which he became the first editor-in-chief.[4][5][12] The paper soon functioned as the official gazette of the country.[13] He was made the political secretary of King Abdulaziz in 1926 and then, appointed an adviser to him in the 1930s.[4] He was also head of the press bureau and accompanied the king in his meeting with Amir Faisal, King of Iraq, in February 1930.[14]
Yasin became a Saudi citizen on 29 December 1930.[4] He suggested the addition of the phrase al-Sa’udiyyah to the name of the country, Al-Mamlakah al-'Arabiyyah al-Sa’udiyyah, known as Saudi Arabia, in 1932.[3] In 1937 he was part of the Saudi delegation who visited London to attend the coronation of King George VI.[15] The same year while officially visiting Baghdad, Iraq, upon the request of King Abdulaziz Yasin attempted to contact with a German arms company owned by Otto Wolff to buy rifles.[16] There Yasin also met with Fritz Grobba, Nazi Germany's ambassador to Iraq.[17]
Yasin signed the extradition treaty between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia on behalf of the latter that established the Saudi–Kuwaiti neutral zone in 1942.[11] The same year Yasin was the Saudi Arabian representative at the Arab League meeting in Alexandria, Kingdom of Egypt.[6] He accompanied King Abdulaziz in his meeting with Franklin D. Roosevelt on 14 February 1945.[18] Yasin signed a treaty of amity on behalf of Saudi Arabia with the Republic of China on 15 November 1946.[19]
Yasin replaced Fuad Hamza as deputy foreign minister in 1951 when Hamza died.[6][20] Between 1952 and 1955 Yasin was responsible for Saudi activities in the Buraimi Oasis and was a member of the Buraimi Arbitration Tribunal.[21][22] Following the death of King Abdulaziz, Yasin served as the state minister and the advisor to King Saud, successor of the king.[23][24] It was Yusuf Yasin who made an inauguration speech at the meeting of the council of ministers in the Murabba Palace on 7 March 1954.[24] Yasin was removed from the post of deputy foreign minister by Crown Prince Faisal on 15 May 1958.[25] Yasin's role as an aide to King Saud continued until his death in April 1962.[26]
Views
Yasin had a pan-Arab stance,[27] and one of his close companions was Rashid Rida, founder and editor of an influential conservative Egyptian publication, Al Manar.[28] As mentioned above Rida was one of Yasin's teachers.[29] Yasin was a major opponent of the close relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States,[30] and also, had an anti-British approaches.
Personal life and death
Yasin married twice and had eight children, five sons and three daughters.[4] One of his sons, Anas Yasin, was Saudi ambassador to the United Nations, India, and Turkey.[4] His other son, Hassan Yasin, was the advisor to the former Saudi foreign minister Saud bin Faisal Al Saud.[4]
Yusuf Yasin died of cardiac arrest in Dhahran on 19 April 1962.[4][31] However, an Egyptian newspaper Al Akhbar reported that Yasin was badly injured in an assassination attempt and died one day after the incident.[26]
Legacy
Joseph A. Kechichian wrote a book about Yusuf Yasin: The Arab Nationalist Advisor. Shaykh Yusuf Yassin of Sa’udi Arabia, which was released in December 2021.[3]