Syrian History

Sami Moubayed is a Syrian political analyst and author. He was born in London in 1977 and studied political science at the American University of Beirut (AUB). He obtained his PhD in Middle East Affairs from the University of Exeter in Great Britain. During his college years, Moubayed was mentored by Munir al-Ajlani, a veteran politician from Syria who had fought against the French Mandate in the 1930s and 1940s. Ajlani was exiled from Syria during the Baathist regime, starting in 1963. Moubayed wrote his first book "The Politics of Damascus 1920-1946" in 1998, under Ajlani's guidance. His second book, "Damascus Between Democracy and Dictatorship" was published in Maryland, USA, in 2000. His third and fourth are due for release in the USA in 2005. One is called "Steel & Silk: Men and Women Who Shaped Syria 1900-2000" and the other is "Drunk Days in Palestine." Moubayed is considered one of the very few Syrians who writes in English to explain the Arab perspective to a Western audience, especially after the war on Iraq in 2003 and the increased tension between Syria and the USA under President George W. Bush. Among his recent articles which have aroused much controversy are "Crucify them all, their blood be on us and our children," published in the Beirut-based al-Balad newspaper, comparing the suffering of Jesus Christ with that of the Palestinian people, and "A Syrian Appeals to the President of the USA." Other famous articles are "The Cowboy's Swastika," comparing Bush to Hitler, and "A Syrian Appeals to the new American Secretary of State." The article that familiarized Arab readers with Moubayed's name was "A Syrian Appeals to his President," being an open letter to President Bashar al-Asad in August 2000, less than two week's after his innaugaration. It the first open letter to Dr Asad. He has written many articles and published many studies on Palestinian affairs, going to great lengths to defend the Palestinian leaer Yasser Arafat. Moubayed is a tireless advocate of the Palestinian Cause. He has worked for various regional newspapers, including The Daily Star in Beirut, Gulf News in Dubai, and al-Ahram in Cairo. In 2000-2003, he contributed monthly to the US-based The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (WRMEA). In 2003, he launched a website for his articles called www.mideastviews.com. One year later, in 2004, he created an online museum of Syrian history called www.syrianhistory.com