Preceded by Position established Name Ali Eid Residence Tripoli, Lebanon Role Political leader Succeeded by Rifaat Eid | Spouse(s) Fatat Marouch Died December 25, 2015 Profession Politician Party Arab Democratic Party | |
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Born 14 July 1940
Tripoli, Lebanon ( 1940-07-14 ) Children Youssef, Alissar, Rifaat Eid, Zoulficar (born 1978, died in 1989), Noureddine, Mohsen, Lubna, Issa, Zoulficar (born 1990) Alma mater PSPA at American University of Beirut Education American University of Beirut | ||
Organizations founded Arab Democratic Party Political party Arab Democratic Party | ||
Ali Eid (14 July 1940 – 25 December 2015) was a Lebanese politician. He was the leader of the Alawite Community. He founded the Arab Democratic Party in 1972 and until his death served as General Secretary of the Arab Democratic Party.
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Early life
Ali Eid was born in Tabbaneh, Tripoli, Lebanon. The eldest son of Youssef Eid, a wheat dealer and his wife Amoun Eid. He began his studies at Tripoli Boys School (TBS), also known as the American School in Tripoli. In the summer he would study at the place of Sheikh Khoder in Tabbaneh, he always excelled in his studies coming first in his class.
Political career
In 1960 Ali Eid decided to continue his studies in United States of America, majoring in Biochemistry. Ali Eid was known amongst his peers for his patriotism, revolutionary spirit, and enthusiasm towards justice. While there he shared the same vision and ideas as the late Martin Luther King, Jr., which bounded a friendship between the two men against the suppression of African Americans, that friendship built up his character in wanting to help his people back home politically and socially since they were deprived from their rights too.
Ali Eid returned to Lebanon in 1960, and attended the American University of Beirut (AUB) and majored in Political Science & Public Administration (PSPA). During his studies and time in Beirut, he discovered that the political structure of the Lebanese system deprived the people of his religious sect, Alawites, of their rights at any level.
In 1972 Ali Eid began his political life after he founded The Young Alawite Movement, and his alliance with the late Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad. In 1977 Ali Eid and a group of friends founded The Front Opposing Patriotism party. Its founders were Souhale Hamadah (General Secretary) Ali Eid as (Vice president), Rashid Al-Mukadim, George Mourani, and Nasib Al-Khatib. In 1982 The Front Opposing Patriotism was resolved and The Arabic Democratic Party was founded with Ali Eid being the general secretary. In 1989 he was hit by a catastrophe, the death of his son Zoulficar due to an unexploded bomb from the Lebanese civil war.
Ali Eid was appointed to newly established Alawite seat in the Lebanese Parliament in 1991 as a deputy, which was created following the Taif Agreement.
He was the general secretary of the Arab Democratic Party in Lebanon, and though he and his party were pro-Syrian during the Lebanese Civil War, he and other Lebanese Alawites have since become more neutral due to the involvement of the Syrians in him losing the Alawite Parliament Seat to former Alawite Deputy Ahmad Habous in 1996 .
In 2010, explosives were found near his home in Jabal Mohsen, Tripoli, and subsequently dismantled.
Death
On 25 December 2015, it was announced that Eid died in Damascus, Syria at the age of 75.