'Ali Ahmad Nasir Al-Sallami – the Nationalist Teacher
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Neues aus der Forschung Thanos Petouris ‘Ali Ahmad Nasir al-Sallami – The nationalist teacher “We wanted to have a great country in his dismissal, he taught at the famous colony.7 Al-Sallami would therefore the south of Arabia. A republic to radi- BaZara‘a Islamic Charitable School have had no difficulty in exemplifying ate peace and justice in the whole re- (Madrasa BaZara‘a al- Khairiyya the discriminatory character of British gion. In that country we wanted to live al-Islamiyya) in Crater, founded in colonial policies to his students, and with each other, and with others.”1 1912 by the Hadrami Shaykh Ahmad the need to rid South Arabia of Brit- This is how the veteran South Yemeni ‘Umar BaZara‘a.4 One of his students ish imperialism. Indeed, it was one politician ‘Ali Ahmad Nasir al-Sallami there was the later prime minister of these students who later became described the vision he and his genera- (1986–1990) of the People’s Demo- one of the most notorious assassins of tion shared for the future of the then cratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), Dr the National Liberation Front (NLF – British-administered Colony and Pro- Yassin Sa‘id Nu‘man.5 al-Jabha al-Qawmiyya li-Tahrir Janub tectorate of Aden. And although this ‘Ali al-Sallami then worked at the al-Yaman al-Muhtall).8 The student vision has remained untenable until Islamic Educational Institute in Crater was sent to Ta‘iz for a week of train- today, both for the southern provinces (al-Ma‘had al-Ta‘limi al-Islami) along- ing at the Egyptian military camp, and of Yemen and the country as a whole, side another teacher and five-times- afterwards joined the ranks of the NLF ‘Ali al-Sallami is rare among Yemeni prime-minister (1967–1975) of the out of personal allegiance to his teach- politicians: he played an active politi- Yemen Arab Republic (YAR), Muhsin er.9 He eventually became responsible cal role during all historical periods of Ahmad al-‘Aini.6 The institute was for a number of high profile assassina- contemporary Yemen as well as out- opened in 1957 by Shaykh Muham- tions in the colony, including that of lived the series of internal purges that mad b. Salim al-Qudadi al-Bayhani, the Speaker of the Aden Legislative bedevilled the South Yemeni regime. the so-called ‘blind preacher’. Both Council, Sir Arthur Charles, in 1965.10 His life exemplifies that of many edu- schools had been founded mainly for Ultimately, in 1961, the institute ex- cated Yemenis of his generation who boys of protectorate families living pelled al-Sallami and a group of fellow were politicised in the context of the in Aden, who did not have access teachers due to their inciting students Egyptian revolution and Third World to the governmental schools of the to strike. anti-colonial movements. But also sim- ilarly to many of his contemporaries, he became progressively compromised – some argue that he was merely prag- matic – by the various regimes he was subsequently called to serve. Born in 1934 in the village of al-Majhafa of the district of Tuban (in what was then the ‘Abdali Sul- tanate of Lahj), his family is a cadet branch of the ruling ‘Abdalis. His father moved with his family to the township of Shaykh ‘Uthman, within the confines of Aden Colony, when ‘Ali was six years old.2 This gave him the opportunity to complete his pri- mary and secondary education in the colony, graduating from Aden College in 1953, the year the college opened. Subsequently, he completed his educa- tion at the Teacher Training College of Aden, from where he qualified as a schoolteacher after a two-year study.3 After his graduation from the Teacher Training College, al-Sallami was employed by the Department of Education to teach in governmental elementary and intermediate schools in Aden. However, the nationalist, anti-colonial message he imparted to his students led to his expulsion, along with six of his colleagues, from the department in 1958, which meant that he could then only find employ- The author with ‘Ali al-Sallami at his home in Sakaniat al-Jaza’ir in Sana‘a, 2010 ment in the private sector. Thus, after all photographs except 3: Thanos Petouris Jemen-Report Jg. 48/2017, Heft 1/2 21 Neues aus der Forschung Petouris: ‘Ali Ahmad Nasir al-Sallami – The nationalist teacher As his nationalist credentials and ac- promoting unity between the colony League did not seem to offer a mean- tivism prevented him from finding jobs and its hinterland in direct opposi- ingful ideological foundation for the in education, ‘Ali al-Sallami spent four tion to the exclusionary message of fight against colonialism. Instead, it months working for the oil company the Aden Association, ‘Aden for the received increasing material support Shell, before resigning his post and Adenis’,13 which explains its appeal from Saudi Arabia and appeared to dedicating his life entirely to political to people such as al-Sallami who had be in alliance with some of the most activism and the nationalist struggle. come from the protectorate to live and conservative elements of Southern so- This personal watershed coincided work in Aden. ciety: local rulers and tribal chiefs. with the outbreak of the North Yem- ‘Ali al-Sallami also joined the in- The 1950s were formative years for eni revolution on 26 September 1962, cipient labour movement, becoming the nationalist movement of South Ara- and the Egyptian intervention in the secretary-general of the Teachers’ bia, insofar as various forms of politi- ensuing royalist-republican civil war. Union in 1956.14 He is considered by cal activity were introduced leading to However, by this point, al-Sallami had ‘Abdallah al-Asnaj to be among the the politicisation of different segments already been involved in the politics founding members of the Aden Trades of society. The cultural clubs, trades of South Arabia for the better part of Union Congress (ATUC) in that same unions, and early political parties and the preceding decade. year.15 Because of the openness of his associations complemented each oth- Like many young Adenis of his time, work among his students, and the er’s activity, and shared – to a certain ‘Ali al-Sallami had joined the ranks trade unionist activity he developed, degree – a common membership. ‘Ali of the South Arabian League (SAL al-Sallami quickly came to the atten- al-Sallami is a product of this time, – Rabitat Abna’ al-Janub al-‘Arabi), tion of the colonial authorities, which and one could argue that he belongs to becoming a member in 1954. The followed his movements closely. By those nationalists who explored all the League was founded in 1950 by Sayyid 1958 he was reported to be part of different forms of anti-colonial strug- Muhammad ‘Ali al-Jifri from Lahj, and the League cell under ‘Abdallah ‘Ali gle available to them at the time. His Shaykhan ‘Abdallah al-Habshi from ‘Ubaid, a prominent trades unionist teaching profession gave him the abil- Hadramaut.11 A significant number of and president of the Petroleum and ity to convey his nationalist message later nationalist leaders of different General Workers Union. According to to the youth of the colony both in the ideologies passed through the ranks the authorities, this cell was represent- schools and the cultural associations. of the SAL in its early years, includ- ing SAL interests within the ATUC.16 He is particularly remembered for his ing Qahtan Muhammad al-Sha‘bi However, most of the young, educated eloquence and the capacity to reach (Arab Nationalists), ‘Abdallah ‘Abd members of the SAL became increas- out to each person in the crowd.17 It is al-Razzaq BaDhib (Communists), ingly disillusioned by the fact that its no coincidence that a significant num- and ‘Abdallah ‘Abd al-Majid al-Asnaj leadership maintained close ties with ber of later prominent members of the (Socialists). In this sense, the League a number of the protectorate ruling NLF came from the ranks of teachers.18 served as a virtual school in anti- élites and was dominated by mem- By the end of the 1950s, the first colonial politics for young activists, bers of sayyid families. Furthermore, Southern graduates from Arab uni- who would subsequently find them- at a time when the Arab world was versities started to return home, af- selves in opposing camps.12 The SAL experiencing a vigorous political and fected by their experiences in the vari- was the first political organisation to intellectual debate between the propo- ous Arab capitals and contacts with represent the protectorate Arabs by nents of Nasserism and Ba‘thism, the influential Arab political activists. One of them was Faysal ‘Abd al-Latif al-Sha‘bi, who during his study in Cairo had joined the Movement of Arab Nationalists (MAN – Harakat al-Qawmiyyun al-‘Arab) in 1955, be- coming close friends with the Move- ment’s founder, George Habash.19 Al-Sallami and Faysal ‘Abd al-Latif are credited with founding the Yemeni (both North and South) branch of the MAN in Shaykh ‘Uthman in October 1959. Al-Sallami led the branch in Faysal’s absence during his studies in economics in Cairo. They were also joined in the early MAN leadership by Sayf Ahmad Salih al-Dala‘i, Taha Ahmad Muqbil, and Sultan Ahmad ‘Umar al-‘Absi, or «Faris», who repre- sented North Yemen.20 MAN’s origins in the Palestinian struggle and early ideological commit- ment to Arab unity, as expressed by President Nasser, suited social condi- tions in pre-revolutionary South Ara- bia well.