Samir Kassir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samir Kassir
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Posters of Samir Kassir
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| Born | 5 May 1960 Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon
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| Died | 2 June 2005 (aged 45) Achrafieh, Beirut
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| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Nationality | Lebanese, French |
| Education | Paris-Sorbonne University Pantheon-Sorbonne University |
| Occupation | Professor, journalist, activist, historian, |
| Years active | 1977–2005 |
| Political party | Democratic Left Movement |
| Spouse(s) | Giselle Khoury |
| Children | 2 |
Samir Kassir (Arabic: سمير قصير, born May 5, 1960 – died June 2, 2005) was a well-known Lebanese-Palestinian journalist and history professor. He taught at Saint-Joseph University. Samir Kassir was a strong supporter of democracy and openly spoke against the Syrian presence in Lebanon. He was killed in 2005 as part of a series of attacks on Lebanese political figures who opposed Syria. Other victims included Rafic Hariri and George Hawi.
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Early Life and Education
Samir Kassir was born on May 5, 1960. His father was Lebanese-Palestinian, and his mother was Syrian. His family belonged to the Antiochian Greek Orthodox faith.
He studied political philosophy and earned his degree in 1984. In the same year, he received a special diploma (like a Master's degree) in philosophy from Pantheon-Sorbonne University. He later earned his PhD in modern history from Paris-Sorbonne University in 1990. His PhD research focused on the Lebanese Civil War.
Journalism Career
Samir Kassir started his journalism career at age seventeen. He was still a high school student at the Lycée Français de Beyrouth. He wrote for the newspaper Al Nidā and the French-language daily L'Orient-Le Jour.
From 1981 to 2000, he wrote for the international political magazine Le Monde Diplomatique. In the early 1980s, he edited a newsletter called Le Liban en Lutte. This newsletter focused on the Lebanese people's efforts against the Israeli occupation. He also edited a weekly paper and was on the editorial board of the Revue des Etudes Palestiniennes.
In 1995, he started a new political and cultural magazine called L'Orient L'Express. He edited it until 1998. That same year, he became a professor at Saint-Joseph University in Beirut. He also began writing for the Al-Nahar newspaper. His weekly column became very popular. In it, he wrote strong articles against the pro-Syrian government. He also appeared often on TV as a political expert.
His Assassination
Samir Kassir was killed by a car bomb in Beirut on June 2, 2005. This happened just a few days after general elections in Lebanon. The investigation into his death is still ongoing, and no one has been officially charged.
Many people in Lebanon believe that Lebanese or Syrian intelligence groups were responsible. This is because Kassir had been receiving threats from these groups. The Syrian government has denied these accusations.
On June 4, a funeral was held for him in Beirut. Hundreds of people attended to pay their respects.
After the Assassination
Many people spoke out against the killing. Important opposition leaders blamed the Lebanese and Syrian governments. Saad Hariri, the son of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, said that the same people who killed his father also killed Samir Kassir.
Samir Kassir was one of the first victims in a series of political killings in Lebanon. These events happened between 2004 and 2008. After Kassir, other figures like George Hawi and Gebran Tueni were also killed by car bombs. There were also attempts to kill others, like May Chidiac, a TV journalist who survived but was badly injured. Many people believe Syria was behind these attacks on its opponents.
His Ideas and Beliefs
Samir Kassir was a strong supporter of left-wing ideas. He believed in freedom for Palestinians and democracy in both Lebanon and Syria. He was very open about his criticism of the Syrian presence in Lebanon. He also strongly supported secular democracy in the Middle East. This means a government that is separate from religion.
Kassir was known for his courage. He was not afraid to share his strong opinions. He always spoke up for the rights of Palestinians. He also supported young activists who worked for democracy and human rights, like Wissam Tarif. Many believe his strong views against the Syrian government led to his death.
He cared deeply about Syria, even though he criticized its actions in Lebanon. He was friends with many Syrian thinkers. He also helped start the Democratic Left Movement. This group won a seat in the Lebanese elections in 2005. Kassir and his party played a big role in the public protests that followed Rafik Hariri's killing.
His Books
Samir Kassir wrote several books in French and Arabic. These included a history of Beirut and a study of the Lebanese Civil War. He also wrote a book about the conflict between Palestine and Israel.
His last book in Arabic was about the "Damascus Spring." This book discussed how political changes in Syria affected Lebanon. Before he was killed, he was working on another book about the "Beirut Spring." This book was meant to cover the big changes happening in Lebanon at that time. After his death, a book with the same title was published. It contained translations of his articles written after Hariri's assassination.
- La guerre du Liban; De la dissension nationale au conflit régional (1975-1982), Paris, Karthala/Cermoc, 1994.
- Histoire de Beyrouth, Paris, Fayard, 2003. ISBN: 2-213-02980-6
- 'Askar 'ala mén? Lubnan al-jumhúriyya al-mafqúda, Beirut, Dár al-Nahár, 2004. (Soldiers against whom? Lebanon, the lost republic).
- Dímúqrátiyyat súria wastiqlál lubnan; al-ba`th 'an rabí' dimashq, Beirut, Dár al-Nahár, 2004. (Syrian democracy and Lebanese independence: in search of the Damascus Spring).
- Considerations sur le malheur arabe, Paris, Actes Sud, 2004.
- Liban: Un printemps inachevé, Actes Sud, 2006.
Personal Life
At the time of his death, Samir Kassir was married to Giselle Khoury (1961–2023). She was a TV talk-show host for Al-Arabiya television. Samir Kassir had two daughters, Mayssa and Liana, from an earlier marriage.
His Legacy
After Samir Kassir's death, his wife, Giselle Khoury, and his friends created the Samir Kassir Foundation. One of the goals of this foundation is to translate his books into other languages.
A special edition of l'Orient Express magazine was published in November 2005. It was called "The Unfinished Spring" and was dedicated to Kassir. This was his idea before he was killed. A square in downtown Beirut, near the Annahar building, was named in his honor.
In 2006, the European Union and the Kassir Foundation started a journalism award. It is called the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of Press. This award celebrates journalists who stand up for freedom of the press. On June 2, 2006, exactly one year after his death, a bronze statue of Samir Kassir was placed in the square named after him.
See also
In Spanish: Samir Kassir para niños
- List of assassinated Lebanese politicians
