Muhammad Ali Luqman


Muhammad Ali Luqman was a Yemeni lawyer, writer, and journalist. He was born in Aden, which was formerly under British Indian rule. After completing his education, he worked in school administration in Aden. However, he was dismissed from his position after publishing a letter, entitled "Is This a Scrap of Paper?", which criticized the educational system.
Like many Arabs in Aden, Luqman was an Indian Nationalist, having traveled across India with Ambedkar, and becoming Gandhi's Arabic and Gujrati Translator during his visit to Aden. However, by 1931 he had begun to change his mind due to anti-Arab sentiments. From 1930 to 1934, he worked as an agent for Al-Bas Company in Somalia, and the studied law in Bombay, obtaining a degree in 1938.
In 1939, Luqman's novel, Saeed was published. Some claim this to be the first Yemeni novel, although others have argued for Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Saqqaf's 1927 novel The Girl from Garut.
Luqman established Faṫāṫ Al-Jazīrah, the first independent newspaper in Yemen, in 1940. He also founded a weekly English-language newspaper, the Aden Chronicle, in 1953.
He was closely linked with the Free Yemeni Movement, and was one of the architects of the failed 1948 coup against Yemeni ruler Imam Yahya. On September 18, 1962, Luqman traveled to New York City at his own expense, following the United Kingdom's attempt to forcibly merge the colony of Aden into the Federation of South Arabia. Luqman succeeded in winning support from member states at the United Nations to prevent this from occurring.
He died in 1966, on his way to perform the Hajj, and was buried in Mecca. The two newspapers he established were maintained by his son, journalist Farouk Luqman, until South Yemen gained independence the next year, in 1967.

Works

  • Is This a Scrap of Paper? , essay
  • How Have the People of the West Succeeded in Making Progress?
  • The Love Commander , play
  • Journey through The Land of Somalia
  • Saeed , novel
  • Kamala Devi, novel
  • Rajab’s Letter
  • The British People: their History and Morals
  • In the Land of Al-Zahir
  • Victory of Thought in the French Revolution
  • The History of the Lahj Constitution
  • Aden Demands Autonomy
  • ''The History of the Yemeni Revolution''