Dr. Edmond Melhem.. Sa´adeh: A Martyr for a Great Cause
Sa´adeh was a revolutionary leader per excellence. By definition, revolutionary leaders “must be absolutely dedicated to the cause and able to demonstrate that commitment by giving time and effort to it, risking their lives, undergoing imprisonment, exile, persecution, and continual hardship… This commitment, which may end in martyrdom, must survive all defeats and setbacks”.[1] This definition is very applicable to Sa´adeh as a leader of a national movement seeking radical change on the basis of a new ideology. He devoted almost his entire time and energy to achieve his ‘noble’ mission. This led historians of modern Arab political thought to comment on his dedication and strong determination and energy in pursuit of his goals. Majid Khadduri is one such historian:
From the start and unlike other leaders of his time, Sa´adeh demonstrated absolute sincerity to his mission. He devoted all his energy and time to spread his principles, paying no attention to any personal advantage or benefit. He considered himself, like earlier prophets, a man with a mission whose duty is to spread it whatever the cost might be. Syria has never seen, during its modern history, a leader like him distinguished with this amount of conviction, enthusiasm, strong personality and charisma.[2]
The well-known contemporary historian Abu Khaldun Sati’ al-Husari had the following to say:
I cannot help but declare my great admiration for the energy and devotion of Sa´adeh, and my appreciation of most of his reform principles. His political and social ideas, which he ably supports with sound and logical dogmas, deserve the greatest admiration.[3]
Sa´adeh risked his life for what he believed in. He received many threats but was undaunted; he endured imprisonment and persecution but was not afraid to face his persecutors; he was exiled but never gave up hope and returned triumphantly. He suffered political oppression and continual hardship at home and in exile, but he always showed conviction and determination. With courage and willingness to risk, he dared to break the mold and offered dreams the possibility of fulfillment. With passion and intensity, he called upon his people to unite their energies and elevate their vision of the future. He had a clear sense of himself and his ideas and established new precedents in heroism that others followed in their footsteps. He led by example and he acted as a brave man by putting aside the question of personal safety and facing up to his responsibilities as a national leader. He had the chance to escape imminent death but chose to die for his beliefs. His last words were: “I am not concerned how I die but rather about what I die for. All of us die but few among us have the honour of dying for a belief”.[4]
[1] James MacGregor Burns, Leadership (New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1978), p. 202.
[2] Quoted in Ramiz Hourani, Literary Criticism and Its Intellectuals Fundamentals in the Philosophy of Antun Sa´adeh, 1st edition; (Beirut: Bissan, 1998), p. 20.
[3] Sati Al-Husari’, Arabdom Between Its Supporters and Critics (al-‘Uruba Bayna Du’atiha wa Mu’arideeha) (Beirut, Dar al-ilm Lilmalayeen, 1952), p. 74.
[4] See “The Priest to Whom Sa´adeh Confessed” by Said Taky Deen, Translated by Adel Beshara and Dennis Walker, in Edmond Melhem, The Road to Revolution, op. cit., appendix III. (pp. 126 -130).
