Symbols and Figures of the State in Syria (14): Rushdi Al-Kikhya

• He was born in the city of Aleppo, Syria, in 1899 to a prestigious Aleppine family, and he received his education there.
• In 1910, his father sent him to continue his studies in Beirut at the Islamic College.
• He inherited properties and real estate in Turkey due to family ties.
• He studied law at the Sorbonne University.
• He emerged in the political arena as a resister pursued by the French Mandate government during the Great Syrian Revolution in 1925.
• He worked within the ranks of the National Bloc since its formation in 1927.
• He was one of the signatories of the treaty with France in 1936.
• He announced his retraction from the treaty in 1938-1939 when negotiations with France faltered, the treaty was not ratified, and the reputation of the Bloc suffered due to the concessions made.
• He was one of the prominent opponents of the annexation of the Iskenderun region to Turkey.
• He began to lead the opposition, and in 1947, he headed the Constitutional Bloc in the House of Representatives.
• In August 1948, this Bloc adopted the name (People’s Party), and he remained its president until the parties were dissolved following the formation of the Syrian-Egyptian unity.
• He left Syria to live alternately between Turkey and Lebanon.
• He was elected as a representative for Aleppo in the years 1936, 1943, 1947, and 1949.
• He served as Minister of Interior in Hashim al-Atassi’s government from August 14, 1949, until December 12, 1949, when he was elected as President of the House of Representatives.
• He presided over the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Syrian Constitution in 1950.
• He was an advocate for liberation from the leader Husni al-Za’im and the effects of military rule.
• Once the coup led by Colonel Sami al-Hinnawi occurred, he welcomed cooperation with him to achieve liberation from Husni al-Za’im’s coup.
• He was one of the main opponents of Adib al-Shishakli’s regime and demanded his departure, which happened in 1954.
• He refused to assume the presidency after the separation (the separation from the United Arab Republic formed by the unity between Syria and Egypt) and famously stated, “The hand that signed the unity document with Egypt will not sign the separation document,” even though Nasserite media accused him of treason due to his enthusiasm for unity with Iraq.
• After the Ba’ath Party seized power in 1963, he retired from political work following the arrest of Nazim al-Qudsi.
• He was arrested by Salah Jadid due to his opposition to socialism and his liberal ideas, despite having retired from political work and the dissolution of the People’s Party in 1966.
• His properties were confiscated, and he was transferred to Tadmur Prison until he was released in 1967.
• The Ba’ath authority requested him to leave Syria, so he headed to Lebanon and then to Cyprus.
• Leader Rushdi al-Khikhya lived far from his homeland until he died at the age of 87 in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, in 1987 and was buried in one of its mosques.

As we, the Syrian Future Movement (SFM), commemorate the founding statesmen of Syria, we bring to mind one of the influential figures in Syria, a symbol of the early Syrian state who contributed to shaping its structure: the national liberal leader “Rushdi Al-Kikhya.” This is part of a sequential file we present to you, which includes the symbols and icons of the Syrian state. Our intention is to connect our contemporary revolutionary present with a solid past and historical milestones, hoping to revive in our people the need to build and cultivate exceptional statesmen. We learn from their experiences, transcend their shortcomings, and build upon their history to preserve the homeland, safeguard achievements, and restore the dignity and glory of the Syrian state after years of oppression, tyranny, and corruption.