The leadership of the Druze community in Lebanon traditionally has been shared by two factions: the Jumblatt (also seen as Junblatt) and the Yazbak family confederations. The community has preserved its cultural separateness by being closely knit socially. The Druzes constituted about 7 percent of the population (153,000) in 1987. Shaykh Muhammad Abu Shaqra was the highest Druze religious authority in Lebanon in 1987, holding the title of Shaykh al Aql. However, the highest Druze leadership was bestowed on Kamal Jumblat until he was killed in 1977. Many books and articles have been written about this great person, however, Nazek Abed, a skilled teacher, historian, and grammarian has written the first dedicated work about Kamal Jumblat in English. Her book, Kamal Jumblat: the Teacher, the Leader is an in-depth work on this great man. Two weeks before his death, exiled Lebanese nationalist leader Raymond Edde warned Jumblatt that the Syrians would kill him and asked him to depart for Paris and help establish a Lebanese government in exile. He declined, saying fatalistically that “the Jumblats are usually killed - they don’t die in their beds.” Jumblat opposed the strong presence of Syrian forces in Lebanon and forces under his control attacked Syrian troops.
I have in my possession the Doctoral thesis, Kamal Jumblat: the Teacher, the Leader, by Nazek Abed from Moukhtara, Lebanon. I am pleased that I was allowed to edit her work because Mrs. Abed is a skilled writer. She has devoted a life time to the study of Kamal Jumblat;his political life, as well as his domestic and social life. In the 1800s, Kamal Jumblat’s grandfather sold parts of the Jumblat palace, and the Abeds own the part to the right of the palace where they have resided ever since the sale of parts of the Palace.. The Abeds have lived next door to the Jumblats for generations, so it is rightly so that an Abed should write about the most famous of all the Jumblats, Kamal Jumblat. And when On March 16, 1977 Lebanon’s Druse (Druze) Muslim leader Kamal Jumblat (also Jumblatt) was assassinated by the pro-Syrian faction of the Lebanese Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party (SSNP), possibly in collaboration with Syrian secret service agents (Mukhabarat),.ironically, Nazek Abed was first on the scene in a taxi as she was going to her school “West Hill College’ in Baaklaine. He was shot and killed in his car by four gunmen who also killed his bodyguard (a few meters from a Syrian check point) in the area of the Shouf (Chouf) Mountains.
Thus, as a respected and revered and honored leader of the Druze, Kamal Jumblat deserves the accolades and the many writings about him to make his memory permanent. *Though Kamal Jumblat lived in the Chouf Mountains of Lebanon, and he was the acclaimed leader of the Druze, he still was respected by all the sects in Lebanon and considered a great loss to all of Lebanon when he was killed by the Syrian secret service agents (Mukhabarat). We hail Nazek Abed for her in depth study and writing of this great man, and I am pleased to present it to you here on my web site this great work Kamal Jumblat: the Teacher, the Leader. That it is written in English is an acclamation to Mrs. Nazek’s skills. She presented this work for her Doctorate of Philosopy. She submitted to Fairfax University, USA as part of the Learning Plan aspect of the program requirements leading to the degree of DOCTORATE OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D). Her English skills are equal to her Arabic skills in writing and in research, and for this, she is highly acclaimed as a renowned writer in the Arab world, as well as in the United States.

Click to download Dr. Nazek Abu Alwan Abed thesis: Kamal Jumblat: The Teacher, The Leader

Kamal Jumblat

Kamal Jumblat: The Teacher, The Leader

The Concept of Work

The Sources of Jumblat’s Knowledge and Inspiration