Karim Azkoul

Karim Azkoul (Arabic: کریم عزقول) was a Lebanese diplomat and philosopher born in Rashaya, Lebanon on July 15, 1915.[1] His most notable achievements include his participation in the original writing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Personal life

Azkoul married Eva Corey in 1947.[1] They had a son and a daughter. The son, Jad Azkoul is a world-renowned classical guitarist.[2] Eva and Karim Azkoul both died in 2003, one week apart.

Azkoul's leisures included reading and writing.[1]

Education

Azkoul attended the Jesuit University of St Joseph in Beirut, and later the Universities of Paris, Berlin, Bonn and Munich.[1]

Career

Azkoul was a professor of History, Arab and French Literature and Philosophy in various colleges in Lebanon from 1939 to 1946. He was the Director of an Arabic publishing house and monthly Arabic review The Arab World in Beirut from 1943 to 1945.[1]

Karim Azkoul was Lebanon's representative at the United Nations' talks on Human Rights at the time of their establishment.[3][4]

There, he is known to have worked closely alongside Charles Malik.[5][6][7]

He was Rapporteur of the Committee on Genocide in 1948. Other work of his with the U.N. includes having been Acting Permanent Delegate to the U.N. from 1950 to 1953 and Head of U.N. Affairs Department (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lebanon) from 1953 to 1957.[1][8]

On 10 November 1950, he was photographed at a U.N. radio alongside René Cassin, Georges Day and Herald C.L. Roy, participating in a roundtable discussion for the use of French-speaking countries.[9]

He went on to become the Head Permanent Delegation to the U.N. from 1957 to 1959.[1] He was photographed shaking hands with Dag Hammarskjöld (then U.N. Secretary General) when receiving his credentials there in 1958.[10]

From 1959 to 1961, Azkoul was Consul General of Lebanon in Australia and New Zealand. From 1961 to 1964, he was Ambassador to Ghana, Guinea and Mali, and to Iran and Afghanistan from 1964 to 1966.[1]

Azkoul was a journalist from 1966 to 1968 before teaching as Professor of Philosophy at the Beirut College for Women from 1968 to 1972. In 1970 to 1972 he was a Professor of Philosophy at the Lebanese University.[1]

In 1978, he was Chief Editor of The Joy of Knowledge (Arabic Encyclopaedia) and responsible for ten volumes therein.[1]

He is also credited as having been Vice Chair to the Committee for Defence of Human Rights in Lebanon and Member of the Board of Trustees, BD of Man. of Theological School of Balamand, Lebanon. Likewise as PEN, Emergency World Council, Hague in 1971.[1]

Azkoul featured as an actor in a full-length film entitled Le Voyage étranger by Serge Roullet, released in 1992. Azkoul plays the role of "Le viel homme", or "the old man".[11]

Awards and recognition

Azkoul was awarded the National Order of the Cedar, Lebanon, the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, the Order of Saint Marc, Alexandria, the Order of The Brilliant Star, Republic of China, the Order of Southern Star, Brazil and the Order of Saint Peter and Paul, Damascus.[1]

Politics and philosophy

Karim Azkoul was of a firmly anti-Zionist political stance. He also strongly advocated Arab unification, and often spoke out against foreign national intervention in the Middle East. He predicted that tensions would worsen if the United States continued to increase its military presence in the Middle East. He also maintained that Lebanon (and the rest of the Arab world) was well on its way towards genuine democracy, as long as the western powers did not act against United Nations wishes when involving itself in the region's politics.[12]

Publications

Reason and Faith in Islam (German), 1938. Reason in Islam (Arabic), 1946. Freedom (co-author), 1956. Freedom of Association (U.N.), 1968[1]

Translated into Arabic: Consciencism (Nkrumah), 1964. Arab Thought In The Liberal Age (Albert Hourani), 1969[1]

References
  1. The International Who's Who 2004. Europa Publications. 2003. p. 86. who's who karim azkoul.
  2. Azkoul, Jad. "BIO (English)". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  3. Morsink, Johannes (1999). The Overlooked Lebanese Solution. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812217470. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  4. "THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS The travaux préparatoires VOLUME I October 1946 to November 1947" (PDF).
  5. Elias, Amin. "La liberté de conversion : le débat dans l'Islam est désormais quotidien". Fondazione Internazionale Oasis. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  6. Photo/YES, UN (19 August 1958). "General Assembly Continues Middle East Debate". www.unmultimedia.org. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  7. Photo/TW, UN (25 September 1957). "Lebanese Delegation to the 12th Session of the UN General Assembly". www.unmultimedia.org. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  8. Photo/MB, UN (26 August 1953). "Representatives from Lebanon". www.unmultimedia.org. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  9. Photo/MB, UN (10 November 1950). "Round Table Discussion over U.N. Radio". www.unmultimedia.org. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  10. Photo/MB, UN (17 March 1958). "New Permanent Representative of Lebanon Presents Credentials". www.unmultimedia.org. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  11. "Karim Azkoul". IMDB. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  12. Azkoul, Karim. "U.S. Support of Zionists Criticized by Lebanese". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
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