Rashid Ali al-Gaylani (1892–August 28, 1965) served as
Prime Minister of the
Kingdom of IraqThe Kingdom of Iraq was the sovereign state of Iraq during and after the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. The League of Nations mandate started in 1920. The kingdom began in August 1921 with the coronation of Faisal bin al-Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi as King Faisal I...
on three occasions. He is chiefly remembered as an
Arab nationalistArab nationalism is a nationalist ideology which rose to prominence amongst Arabs from the early 20th century onwards. Its central premise is that the peoples and countries of the Arab World, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea, constitute one nation and are bound together by their common...
that attempted to remove the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
influence from
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
. During his brief tenures as Prime Minister in 1940 and 1941, he attempted to negotiate settlements with the
Axis powersThe Axis powers comprised the countries that were opposed to the Allies during World War II. The three major Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, which officially founded the Axis powers...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in order to counter British influence in Iraq.
Early life
Rashid Ali born as the son of Sayyad Abdul Wahhab al-Gaylani into the prominent
BaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is coterminous. Having a municipal population estimated at 6.5 million, it is the largest city in Iraq and the second largest in the Arab World....
-based Gaylani family. The Sunni Muslim Gaylani were known as
sadeh, signifying that they were a family of religion that traced their ancestry back to the the
IslamIslam Islam Islam ( al-’islām,
[There are ten pronunciations of Islam in English, differing in whether the first or second syllable has the stress, whether the s is or , and whether the a is pronounced as in father, as in cat, or (when the stress is on the i) as in the a of sofa...]
ic prophet
MuhammadMuhammad ibn ‘Abdullāh , is the founder of the religion of Islam [ إِسْلامْ ] and is regarded by Muslims as a messenger and prophet of , the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of Islamic prophets as taught by the...
. He was also related to Iraq's first Prime Minister,
Abd al-Rahman al-KayyaliHis holiness Qutb-ul Aqtaab Naqib Al Ashraaf Syed Abd ar-Rahman al-Qadri al Gillani was the first Prime Minister of Iraq, and its head of state. He is 15th direct descendant of Abdul Qadir Jilani, the Cardinal Sufi Saint in Sufi Islam. Al Gillani was chosen in 1920 to head the Iraqi Council of...
, though the two parts of the family were estranged. Rashid Ali enrolled in law school in Baghdad and became a lawyer prior to his political activism.
Political career
In 1924, Rashid Ali al-Gaylani began his career in politics in the first government led by
Prime Minister Yasin al-HashimiYasin al-Hashimi was an Iraqi politician who served twice as that country's prime minister. Like many of Iraq's early leaders, Hashimi, who was born Yasin Hilmi Salman, served as an officer during Ottoman control of the country...
. Yasin al-Hashimi appointed Gaylani as the Minister of Justice. The two men were ardent
nationalistsArab nationalism is a nationalist ideology which rose to prominence amongst Arabs from the early 20th century onwards. Its central premise is that the peoples and countries of the Arab World, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea, constitute one nation and are bound together by their common...
and were opposed to any
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
involvement in the internal politics of Iraq. They rejected the
Anglo-Iraqi TreatyThe Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930 was a treaty of alliance between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the British Mandate-controlled administration of the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq. The treaty was between the governments of George V of the United Kingdom and Faisal I of Iraq...
signed by the government of Prime Minister
Nuri as-SaidNuri Pasha al-Said was an Iraqi politician during the British Mandate and during the Kingdom of Iraq. He served in various key cabinet positions, and served seven terms as Prime Minister of Iraq.-Biography:...
in 1930. They formed the
Party of National BrotherhoodThe Party of National Brotherhood was an Iraqi political party formed in 1931 by Rashid Ali al-Gaylani. A strongly nationalist party, it became associated with opposition to the British Empire....
to promote nationalist aims. Gaylani served as Prime Minister for the first time in 1933 but held office for less than eight months.
On 31 March 1940, when Gaylani was again appointed Prime Minister,
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
had started and Iraq had just experienced the premature death of King
GhaziGhazi bin Faisal was the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq from 1933 to 1939. He was born in Mecca , the only son of Faisal I, the first King of Iraq.- Early life :...
. Ghazi's reign was followed by a
RegencyA regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Thus, the common use is for an acting deputy governor....
for his four-year-old son who was now the new King
Faisal IIFaisal II was the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq's last King. He reigned from 4 April 1939 until July 1958, when he was killed during the "14 July Revolution" together with several members of his family...
. Faisal's Regent was Ghazi's uncle,
EmirEmir , is a high title of nobility or office, used throughout the Arab World and historically in 19th-century Afghanistan and also in the medieval Muslim World...
Abdul-Illah. While Abdul-Illah supported Britain in the war, he was unable to control Gaylani, who used the war to further his own nationalist goals by refusing to allow troops to cross through Iraq to the front. He also rejected calls that Iraq break its ties with Fascist Italy and sent his Justice Minister,
Naji ShawkatMuhammad Naji Shawkat was born to an Arabized family of Turkish and Caucasian origins in the Iraqi town of al-Kut where his father was stationed as provincial governor...
, to meet with the then German ambassador to
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
,
Franz von Papen' was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933-1934...
, to win German support for his government.
1941 Iraqi coup d'état
Britain responded with severe economic sanctions against Iraq. Meanwhile, news of
British victories against Italian forces in North AfricaOperation Compass was the first major Allied military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War. It resulted in British and Commonwealth forces pushing across a great stretch of Libya and capturing almost all of Cyrenaica, 115,000 Italian soldiers, hundreds of tanks and...
dulled support for Gaylani's government, and, on 31 January 1941, under pressure from Regent Abdul-Illah, he resigned his post as Prime Minister. This only exacerbated his mistrust of Britain and its supporters in the government. Together with the members of the
Golden SquareThe Golden Square was a group of four officers of the Iraqi armed forces who played a part in Iraqi politics throughout the 1930s and culminated in supporting Rashid Ali al-Gaylani in his overthrow of government in 1941....
, Gaylani made plans to assassinate Regent Abdul-Illah and seize power. On 31 March, Abdul Illah discovered the plot to assassinate him and fled the country. On 1 April, the
coup d'étatA coup d'état , or coup for short, is the sudden unconstitutional deposition of a legitimate government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military...
was launched. And, on 3 April, Gaylani returned to power as Prime Minister. As one of his first acts, he sent an Iraqi
artilleryArtillery is a military combat Arm that employs weapons capable of discharging large projectiles in combat. They are generally capable of adding considerable fire power to the military capability of an armed force...
force to confront the
RAFThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
base situated in
HabbaniyaThe Habbaniya, or Habbania, are a Sunni Muslim tribe of the nomadic Bedouin Baggara people in the plains of Sudan's Darfur, North Kordofan, and South Kurdufan provinces....
,
RAF HabbaniyaRoyal Air Force Station Habbaniya, more commonly known as RAF Habbaniya, was a Royal Air Force station at Habbaniyah, about west of Baghdad in modern day Iraq, on the banks of the Euphrates near Lake Habbaniyah...
. By the end of April, the Iraqi armed forces were situated in strong positions on the escarpment above the base and a siege began.
Iraq had been a major supplier of
petroleumPetroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid found in rock formations in the Earth consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights, plus other organic compounds.The term "petroleum" was first used in the treatise De Natura Fossilium, published in...
to the
AlliedThe Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . The involvement of the Allies in World War II was either natural and inevitable they were invaded or under the direct threat of invasion by the Axis or compelled by concerns that the Axis powers...
war effort and represented an important landbridge between British forces in
EgyptThe Kingdom of Egypt was the first modern Egyptian state, lasting from 1922 to 1953. The Kingdom was created in 1922 when the British government released Egypt from the Protectorate, in place since 1914. Sultan Fuad I became the first king of the new state...
and
IndiaThe British Raj was the British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule...
. To secure Iraq,
Prime MinisterA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician. In many systems, the prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet, and...
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
ordered General Archibald Wavell to protect the air base at Habbaniya. On 18 April, British forces from India landed in
BasraAl-Baṣrah is the capital of Basra Province, and had an estimated population of 3,800,200 as of 2009. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it is incapable of deep water access, which is handled at the the port of Umm Qasr...
,
Sabine ForceIraqforce was a British and Commonwealth formation that came together in the Kingdom of Iraq. The formation fought in the Middle East during World War II....
. In the British Mandate of Palestine, another force was created to enter Iraq from the west and relieve RAF Habbaniya,
Habbaniya ForceHabforce was a British Army military unit created during the Anglo-Iraqi War and still active during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign.-Creation and composition:...
.
Anglo-Iraqi War
At Habbaniya, the besieging Iraqis demanded the cessation of all training activities and of all flights in and out of the base. On 2 May, the commander at RAF Habbaniya,
Air Vice-MarshalAir Vice-Marshal is an air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries...
Harry George SmartHarry George Smart, CBE, DFC, AFC, is best known as the commander of RAF Habbaniya during the first part of the Anglo-Iraqi War. Smart was a British officer in the British Army, the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the Royal Air Force...
, responded to the Iraqi demands by launching a pre-emptive strike against the Iraqi forces overlooking the air base. This action initiated the
Anglo-Iraqi WarThe Anglo-Iraqi War was a conflict between the United Kingdom and the rebel government of Rashid Ali in Iraq during the Second World War. The war lasted from 2 May to 31 May 1941. It is also referred to as the Rashid Ali Rebellion...
. Within a week, the Iraqis abandoned the escarpment. By mid-May, British forces from Habbaniya had moved on to
FallujahFallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly 69 kilometers west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries...
and, after overcoming Iraqi resistance there, moved on to Baghdad. On 29 May, fearing a British onslaught, Gaylani fled to Persia. Before he left Baghdad, Gaylani contaccted
Mulla EffendiMulla Abu Bakr Effendi, also Mulla Effendi , also Abu Bakr IIII or Küçük Mulla, was a senior Kurdish Muslim cleric, Islamic philosopher, scholar, astronomer, politician, and a prominent Iraqi personality from Erbil, Iraq.Mulla Effendi was born into a respected and intellectual family of Islamic...
and informed him that he had chosen his house as a safe haven for the Royal family to stay until the conflict ended.
On 31 May, an
armisticeAn armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
between the British and the Iraqis was signed. On 3 June, the Regent returned to Baghdad and his government was restored.
Persia, Germany, and Saudi Arabia
Gaylani was not to stay long in Persia. On 25 August 1941, armed forces of the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
invaded PersiaThe Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran was the invasion of the Imperial State of Iran by British, Commonwealth, and Soviet armed forces, codenamed Operation Countenance, from August 25, 1941 to September 17, 1941...
and removed the pro-
GermanNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
ShahShah is a Persian term for a king that has been adopted in many other languages.-Word history:"Shāh" was the title of Iranian kings including the Achaemenid dynasty which unified Persia and created a vast intercontinental empire...
Reza ShahNot to be confused with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, his son.Rezā Shāh, also Rezā Shāh Pahlavi , , was the Shah of the Imperial State of Iran from December 15, 1925 until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in September 16, 1941.In 1925, Reza Shah overthrew Ahmad...
. Gaylani now fled to Nazi occupied Europe. In
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
, he was received by German dictator
Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party...
and he was recognized as the leader of the Iraqi
government in exileA government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...
. Upon the
defeat of GermanyThe final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender took place in late April and early May 1945.- Timeline of surrenders and deaths :...
, Gaylani again fled and found refuge this time in
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south...
.
Later life and death
Gaylani only returned from exile after the revolution that overthrew the Iraqi monarchy in 1958. Once again he attempted to seize power, and plotted a revolt against Abdul Karim Kassem's government. The revolt was foiled and Gaylani was sentenced to death. Later pardoned, he returned to exile in
BeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan Area, which...
,
LebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon
[Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies...]
, where he died in 1965.