Adnan al-Malki

Adnan al-Malki was born in 1918 to a wealthy and prestigious Damascene family. Al-Malki's family were originally North African Ulama trained in the Maliki school of jurisprudence. == Military career ==

Adnan al-Malki graduated from the Homs Military Academy in 1935. In 1953, al-Malki submitted a memorandum that Colonel Shishakli at the Damascus airport upon his return from Cairo, to release all political prisoners and end the one party rule. After al-Shishakli's authoritarian rule over Syria ended, al-Malki was reinstated in the army and promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff. == Views and Baath Party Affiliation ==

Al-Malki never became a member of the Baath party. He was close to the military leadership of the Baath and his brother Riyad was a long time Baathist. Al-Malki was a Nasserist as well as an Arab nationalist. This collided in particular with the views of the Syrian nationalist SSNP who sought unity with Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Palestine instead of Egypt. ==Assassination==

On Friday 22 April 1955, senior officers including Adnan al-Malki went to the Damascus Municipal Stadium to cheer on the army's football team against a visiting Egyptian team. al-Malki was seated in the VIP box along with General Shuqayr and the Egyptian ambassador. Halfway through the game, military police sergeant Yunis Abdul Rahim fired two shots into al-Malki with his revolver killing him. Abdul Rahim appeared to have personal motivation in the assassination since a few months prior, al-Malki had denied him entry for sectarian reasons into the Homs Military Academy. According to Seale, the man behind al-Malki's assassination was actually Anisa Makhluf's first cousin, Badi' Makhluf. For this reason, he was subsequently tried, sentenced to death and hanged. == Legacy ==

The SSNP was outlawed in Syria. The leadership of the party was arrested or exiled. The aftermath of the assassination also entailed a split within the party. A large statue of Adnan al-Malki was placed in central Damascus and a luxurious neighborhood was named after him by the Ba'ath party that came to power in 1963. ==References==