Hussein Maziq
Encyclopedia
Hussein Yousef Maziq a Libyan politician (1918 – 12 May 2006 http://www.rulers.org/2006-05.html) was Prime Minister of Libya
from 20 March 1965 to 2 July 1967. He was one of the most important men in the Kingdom era of Libya
.
, Libya
. Haddouth, from whom the family bears its name, had been in 1822 already in charge of leading the Barasa. Later, he was murdered by members of another Barasi family. Instantly, his son Abubakr, assumed the leadership of Barasa, and avenged the murder of his father. In 1844, the Ottoman Empire
appointed him a Bey
over all the Harabi tribes (including Barasa and Ubaidat). He had involved in 1860 in The Barasa-Ubaidat War
, but he had not survived to see its end. He moved to Benghazi
and died there in 1870. His son Maziq inherited the leadership and managing the conflict until the combatants agreed to make peace in 1890.
Maziq (Hussein's grandfather) remained as the leader of Barasa until his death in 1909. He'd left four sons: El Mabrouk (his political heir), Yousef (Hussein's father), Bushdeig, and Uroug, a folk-poet.
As the Italians invaded Libya in 1911, El Mabrouk led the Barasa against them, as the leaders of other tribes did. He was killed at the battle of "Ain Bumansur" near Derna in 1912. Since he had born no children, Yousef became the Barasa's leader.
(120 km east of Benghazi
). Because of Yousef's connection to the resistance leaders, Libya's Italian government arrested and expatriated him along with his wife, Mardiya, and the newly born Hussein to Cyrene
, where Yousef stayed until his death in 1934.
A long time before his death, Yousef has lost his sight, so the Barasa's leadership was transferred to his brother Bushdeig. In 1929, Bushdeig attended the Sidi Rhuma talks between the resistance leaders, headed by Omar Mukhtar
, and Libya's Italian government, headed by Pietro Badoglio
. Hussein, at 11, also was there, and, as he told more than once, met Mukhtar who knows his Parents.
Maziq studied in an Italian school in Cyrene
for a while, but the Italian government prevented him from continuing his studies. In 1937, he was a supervisor at the Via Balbia road project, he was responsible of organizing the accounts describing the salaries and savings of Libyan workers.
In 1940, Maziq was invited along with several famous men from Cyrenaica
, to visit Italy
, where they met Benito Mussolini
. Fearing of being attacked by Allies’ Navy, he wished to go back to Libya
before the Italian involvement in war, and he reached Libya some two weeks before the Italian declaration of war on France
and Britain
on 10 June 1940.
In 1943 during World War II
, Italians were expelled from Libya
, and in 1944, emir Idris Senussi returned to it from exile, and approximately in 1946, he met Maziq for the first time and admired him. This was the beginning of Maziq's political career.
. Although this independence could be considered nominal because of the high British influence, forming a new government was necessary. After a short-lived government under Omar Pasha El Kikhia, Muhammad Sakizli
formed a new cabinet in 1950, and under him, 32-year old Maziq became a minister for interior and education. After King Idris I of Libya
declared its independence 24 December 1951, Sakizli's title changed to be "Governor" of Cyrenaica
and remained in that post until May 1952, when Maziq was assigned to be the governor.
During Maziq's governorship, one of the most critical events faced him is the murder of Ibrahim El Shalhi, King Idris's loyalist aide, on 5 October 1954, by a young grandson of Ahmed Sharif es Senussi
(King Idris's cousin and father-in-law). The killer was trialed, then executed. But for the King, agitated by Busairi El Shalhi (the victim's son), this was not enough, he persecuted the killer's cousins. Maziq opposed this extension of punishment. However, this opposition didn't harm his relation with the King, but he disliked some close men to the King, Busairi was one of them, so he often disagreed with him, and this will lead eventually to Maziq's resignation in 15 October 1961.
Thereafter, Maziq headed no political posts until January 1964, when he became a foreign minister in Mahmud al-Muntasir
's cabinet. At that time, troubles were not very far. On 22 February 1964, President Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt
made a speech in his country saying that:" … [the foreign military] bases existing in Libya
…are a danger to the whole Arab
nation." This speech, accompanied with anti-Libyan propaganda in the Egyptian media, agitated the Libyan people, so al-Muntasir decided to commence the negotiations of evacuation with Great Britain
and United States
, and Maziq was assigned to run the negotiations. Unexpectedly, when Maziq was attending an Arab
summit in Cairo
the same year, President Nasser told him, after an American pressure on Nasser, not to be in a rush to eject the American forces from Libya
. This meant actually suspension of the evacuation's negotiations. Maziq told the story of this meeting while defending himself at the Libyan People's Court
in 1970.
Unfortunately, troubles came again. After the defeat of the Arab countries at the Six Day War in June 1967, many Libyans, angry and depressed, attacked the U.S. and British embassies, and attacked bloodily the Jews in Libya, thus Maziq had to permit the Jews to leave the country. At last, King Idris asked him to resign, and so he did in 29 June.
of 1 September 1969 occurred. However, he returned and, like most officials from the Kingdom era, was placed on trial in the Libyan People's Court
and later imprisoned. In court he defended his relationship with King Idris. Maziq was sentenced to a ten-year prison sentence in 1971, but he was released in 1974.
Maziq lived the rest of his life at his home in Benghazi
. He died on 12 May 2006.
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
from 20 March 1965 to 2 July 1967. He was one of the most important men in the Kingdom era of Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
.
Family background
Maziq was a descendant of the Haddouth family of the Barasa tribe living in CyrenaicaCyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. Haddouth, from whom the family bears its name, had been in 1822 already in charge of leading the Barasa. Later, he was murdered by members of another Barasi family. Instantly, his son Abubakr, assumed the leadership of Barasa, and avenged the murder of his father. In 1844, the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
appointed him a Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
over all the Harabi tribes (including Barasa and Ubaidat). He had involved in 1860 in The Barasa-Ubaidat War
Barasa-Ubaidat War
The Barasa–Ubaidat War refers to a military conflict that took place between 1860 and 1890 in northern Cyrenaica, Libya between the tribes of Barasa and Ubaidat...
, but he had not survived to see its end. He moved to Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
and died there in 1870. His son Maziq inherited the leadership and managing the conflict until the combatants agreed to make peace in 1890.
Maziq (Hussein's grandfather) remained as the leader of Barasa until his death in 1909. He'd left four sons: El Mabrouk (his political heir), Yousef (Hussein's father), Bushdeig, and Uroug, a folk-poet.
As the Italians invaded Libya in 1911, El Mabrouk led the Barasa against them, as the leaders of other tribes did. He was killed at the battle of "Ain Bumansur" near Derna in 1912. Since he had born no children, Yousef became the Barasa's leader.
Early life
Hussein Yousef Maziq was born in 1918 near TacnisTacnis
Tacnis or Taknis, Tècnis, also is a small town in Jebel Akhdar region in north eastern Cyrenaica, Libya. It's located east of Benghazi. It is on the inner road between Marj and Lamluda. There is a minor road connecting the town to the north with Libyan Coastal Highway...
(120 km east of Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
). Because of Yousef's connection to the resistance leaders, Libya's Italian government arrested and expatriated him along with his wife, Mardiya, and the newly born Hussein to Cyrene
Cyrene, Libya
Cyrene was an ancient Greek colony and then a Roman city in present-day Shahhat, Libya, the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region. It gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica that it has retained to modern times.Cyrene lies in a lush valley in the Jebel Akhdar...
, where Yousef stayed until his death in 1934.
A long time before his death, Yousef has lost his sight, so the Barasa's leadership was transferred to his brother Bushdeig. In 1929, Bushdeig attended the Sidi Rhuma talks between the resistance leaders, headed by Omar Mukhtar
Omar Mukhtar
Omar Mukhtar , of the Mnifa, was born in the small village of Janzour, near Tobruk in eastern Barqa in Libya. Beginning in 1912, he organized and, for nearly twenty years, led native resistance to Italian colonization of Libya. The Italians captured and hanged him in 1931...
, and Libya's Italian government, headed by Pietro Badoglio
Pietro Badoglio
Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...
. Hussein, at 11, also was there, and, as he told more than once, met Mukhtar who knows his Parents.
Maziq studied in an Italian school in Cyrene
Cyrene, Libya
Cyrene was an ancient Greek colony and then a Roman city in present-day Shahhat, Libya, the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region. It gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica that it has retained to modern times.Cyrene lies in a lush valley in the Jebel Akhdar...
for a while, but the Italian government prevented him from continuing his studies. In 1937, he was a supervisor at the Via Balbia road project, he was responsible of organizing the accounts describing the salaries and savings of Libyan workers.
In 1940, Maziq was invited along with several famous men from Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
, to visit Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where they met Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
. Fearing of being attacked by Allies’ Navy, he wished to go back to Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
before the Italian involvement in war, and he reached Libya some two weeks before the Italian declaration of war on France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 10 June 1940.
In 1943 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Italians were expelled from Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, and in 1944, emir Idris Senussi returned to it from exile, and approximately in 1946, he met Maziq for the first time and admired him. This was the beginning of Maziq's political career.
Governor
In 1 June 1949, emir Idris declared the "independence" of CyrenaicaCyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
. Although this independence could be considered nominal because of the high British influence, forming a new government was necessary. After a short-lived government under Omar Pasha El Kikhia, Muhammad Sakizli
Muhammad Sakizli
Muhammad Sakizli was the Prime Minister of Cyrenaica from 18 March 1950 to 24 December 1951 he was later appointed as the Prime minister of Libya from 19 February 1954 to 12 April 1954.-Government of Cyrenaica:...
formed a new cabinet in 1950, and under him, 32-year old Maziq became a minister for interior and education. After King Idris I of Libya
Idris I of Libya
Idris, GBE , , was the first and only king of Libya, reigning from 1951 to 1969, and the Chief of the Senussi Muslim order.- Early life :...
declared its independence 24 December 1951, Sakizli's title changed to be "Governor" of Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
and remained in that post until May 1952, when Maziq was assigned to be the governor.
During Maziq's governorship, one of the most critical events faced him is the murder of Ibrahim El Shalhi, King Idris's loyalist aide, on 5 October 1954, by a young grandson of Ahmed Sharif es Senussi
Ahmed Sharif es Senussi
Ahmed Sharif as-Senussi , the supreme leader of the Senussi order , although his leadership between the years could be considered nominal...
(King Idris's cousin and father-in-law). The killer was trialed, then executed. But for the King, agitated by Busairi El Shalhi (the victim's son), this was not enough, he persecuted the killer's cousins. Maziq opposed this extension of punishment. However, this opposition didn't harm his relation with the King, but he disliked some close men to the King, Busairi was one of them, so he often disagreed with him, and this will lead eventually to Maziq's resignation in 15 October 1961.
Thereafter, Maziq headed no political posts until January 1964, when he became a foreign minister in Mahmud al-Muntasir
Mahmud al-Muntasir
Mahmud al-Muntasir was the first Prime minister of Libya from 29 March 1951 to 19 February 1954, and his second term was from 20 January 1964 to 20 March 1965...
's cabinet. At that time, troubles were not very far. On 22 February 1964, President Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
made a speech in his country saying that:" … [the foreign military] bases existing in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
…are a danger to the whole Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
nation." This speech, accompanied with anti-Libyan propaganda in the Egyptian media, agitated the Libyan people, so al-Muntasir decided to commence the negotiations of evacuation with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Maziq was assigned to run the negotiations. Unexpectedly, when Maziq was attending an Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
summit in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
the same year, President Nasser told him, after an American pressure on Nasser, not to be in a rush to eject the American forces from Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. This meant actually suspension of the evacuation's negotiations. Maziq told the story of this meeting while defending himself at the Libyan People's Court
Libyan People's Court
The Libyan People's Court is an emergency tribunal founded in Libya after the "revolution" of 1 September 1969. Although its initial purpose was to try the officials of the overthrown Kingdom, many others also were trialed by this court...
in 1970.
Prime Ministership
On 20 March 1965, al-Muntasir resigned for health reasons. Maziq was assigned now to form the government. He continued executing the five-year plan for development (1963–1968) as the two former governments did. But he still dislikes some men around the King. Although Busairi El Shalhi had already died in a car accident in 1964, another man is still there, named Abdullah Abid es Senussi. Maziq sent to King Idris a report about Abdullah Abid's financial violations.Unfortunately, troubles came again. After the defeat of the Arab countries at the Six Day War in June 1967, many Libyans, angry and depressed, attacked the U.S. and British embassies, and attacked bloodily the Jews in Libya, thus Maziq had to permit the Jews to leave the country. At last, King Idris asked him to resign, and so he did in 29 June.
Trial and death
For the rest of the Kingdom era, Maziq headed no posts. He was abroad when the coup d'étatCoup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
of 1 September 1969 occurred. However, he returned and, like most officials from the Kingdom era, was placed on trial in the Libyan People's Court
Libyan People's Court
The Libyan People's Court is an emergency tribunal founded in Libya after the "revolution" of 1 September 1969. Although its initial purpose was to try the officials of the overthrown Kingdom, many others also were trialed by this court...
and later imprisoned. In court he defended his relationship with King Idris. Maziq was sentenced to a ten-year prison sentence in 1971, but he was released in 1974.
Maziq lived the rest of his life at his home in Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
. He died on 12 May 2006.