About - Who was Kawaakibi

Who was Kawaakibi?

Abdulrahman al-Kawaakibi (1855-1902)

Abdulrahman al-Kawaakibi (1855-1902), was a leading Syrian Muslim intellectual of the Arab renaissance of the 19th century. He was exiled for his fierce advocacy of liberty, constitutionalism and free speech. His influential book “The Nature of Tyranny” continues to inspire over a century after it was published.

The state of living under tyranny is unnatural and runs counter to God’s intent for humanity”
Tyranny of the majority is worse than the tyranny of the few, for it has a semblance of legitimacy”
Political reform always leads to religious reform, and religious reform always leads to political reform”