24 Facts About Rashad Barmada

Rashad Barmada was a Syrian politician between the 1940s and early 1960s.

Rashad Barmada was the President of the Aleppo Lawyers Syndicate in 1949.

Rashad Barmada was born in 1913 and grew up in Aleppo.

Rashad Barmada was born to a notable Syrian family and the landlords of Harem.

Rashad Barmada studied law at Damascus University and graduated in 1937.

In 1947, Rashad Barmada became a deputy for Aleppo in the Syrian Parliament.

Rashad Barmada voiced his opposition to having a military officer serving in cabinet and called for the resignation of General Fawzi Selu, the minister of defense.

Rashad Barmada constantly clashed with Selu and tried to prevent him from controlling the gendarmerie, claiming that if he lost, the civilian government would lose all ability to enforce its will throughout the country.

When Selu got his way and assumed control of the armed units, Rashad Barmada resigned from office in protest.

Rashad Barmada spoke out against the military regime of President Adib al Shishakli, who came to power in November 1951.

Rashad Barmada was arrested and incarcerated in the Mezzah prison in Damascus.

When Shishakli was overthrown by a military coup in February 1954, Rashad Barmada was released from jail and appointed minister of defense in the cabinet of Prime minister Said al-Ghazzi.

Rashad Barmada made friends with Nasser's allies in Eastern Europe and appointed socialist leaders to prominent positions in government.

Rashad Barmada worked against him and called for a break from Egyptian influence.

In 1958, Syria and Egypt merged to form the United Arab Republic and Rashad Barmada voiced his opposition to the new regime.

Rashad Barmada was sidelined during the UAR era and supported the coup d'etat that toppled it in September 1961.

Rashad Barmada then allied himself with the post-union administration of his long-time friend and party comrade, Nazim al-Qudsi.

In December 1961, Rashad Barmada became minister of defense in the cabinet of Prime Minister Maarouf al-Dawalibi, and in March 1962, he became deputy to prime minister Bashir al-Azma.

Rashad Barmada served as minister of education in the independent cabinet of Khalid al-Azm.

From 1961 to 1963, Rashad Barmada served as a deputy for Aleppo in parliament.

Rashad Barmada retired from political life and worked at his legal practice in Damascus.

In 1976, Rashad Barmada co-founded the human rights association in Syria.

Rashad Barmada married Fatima Barmada and had six children: Warka, Hassan, Jihad, Hala, Nour, and Assad.

Rashad Barmada died on 16 August 1988 in Damascus, Syria.