Abdul Rahman Hassan Azzem (1893 - 1976) was an Egyptian diplomat. He served as the first secretary-general of the Arab League between 1945 and 1952.
Abd al-Rahman Azzam is generally considered as the father of the Arab League. He served as the League’s first Secretary-General between 1945 and 1952 as well as distinguishing himself in a long career as an ambassador and parliamentarian. As Vincent Sheean points out in his introduction to the book "The Eternal Message of Muhammad", ‘In Damascus as well as in Djakarta, Istanbul and Baghdad, this man is known for valour of spirit and elevation of mind... he combines in the best Islamic mode, the aspects of thought and action, like the Muslim warriors of another time who are typified for us Westerners by the figure of Saladin.’
Malcolm X’s reading of The Eternal Message of Muhammad and his meeting with Azzam Pasha are vividly recounted in his autobiography. It is clear that these events marked the point in his life at which Malcolm X turned towards orthodox traditional Islam.
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- "This will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades." (May 15, 1948, the outset of 1948 Arab-Israeli War)
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