Wikipedia

Khalaf Ali Alkhalaf

Khalaf Ali Alkhalaf (Arabic: خلف علي الخلف); born 10 November 1969 in Raqqa, is a poet and writer. He holds Swedish nationality. He lived in Saudi Arabia from 1993 until 2001, then in the same year he moved to Greece and stayed there until the summer of 2002. He went back to Syria and returned to Saudi Arabia again. In the spring of 2008, he left Saudi Arabia, went to Egypt and stayed in Alexandria.

Khalaf Ali Alkhalaf
Khalaf Ali Alkhalaf
Born (1969-11-10) 10 November 1969 (age 54)
NationalitySwedish
Known forPoet, writer and political activism

Biography edit

His first book appeared in 2004 (N of Shepherds). At the end of 2005, Khalaf founded Jidar website. It was an independent cultural platform for freethinking and supporting beginning and independent writers. It had been rated as the first among the Syrian culture websites and had high ranking. The Syrian government blocked the website later.[1][2] Alkhalaf had been called for investigation by the Syrian Intelligence authorities almost every time he published one of his works.[1] The last investigation call Alkhalaf received by them was in the summer of 2007.

Later that year Alkhalaf travelled to Saudi Arabia, where he continued writing articles criticizing the Syrian regime and calling for a democratic alternative. He wrote an article under the title 'A public Self-Declaration to the Syrian Security Authorities'[3] and ever since then he couldn't come back to Syria until 2013, when Raqqa was not under Assad regime any more.[4][5]

In September 2008 Alkhalaf, together with other Arab writers (Hamed Bin Aqeel and Suzan Khawatmi), founded 'Jidar for culture and publishing'. It was a non-profit publishing house. In this time Jidar began publishing many books, especially those criticizing the Assad regime and diaries of a Syrian prisoner.

Regularly he publishes some of his work in Elaph electronic newspaper. Since 2003 in addition on other websites and blogs like Jidar and Ahewar.[6] He has also published in many Arabic newspapers. Alkhalaf has been awarded at the Fujairah International Monodrama Festival[7] competition in 2009.[8] He won the second prize by writing the script of a monodrama called 'Gilgamesh Wears Tennis Shoes'.

Most of his articles are published on Elaph electronic newspaper[9] since 2003. In the years that follow, he has been publishing in addition on other newssites, newspapers and Arab magazines[10][11]

Khalaf studied Economics at the University of Aleppo. Also, he studied International Relations at Malmö University, Content Producer at Malmö Yrkeshögskola, Digital Humanities at Kalmar University and Master program in Journalism at Södertörn University

Bibliography edit

  • 2004 N of Shepherds – poetry
  • 2007 Al Tanzeel – poetry
  • 2008 Kouhl of Desire – poetry[12]
  • 2008 Stranger's Howling, a tale never been knocked by a bird – poetry[13]
  • 2009 Poems on a Single Shoe – poetry[14]
  • 2010 Gilgamesh Wears Tennis Shoes – Monodrama
  • 2010 About the Country Without Hope: Al Assad Jr...His kingdom and his opposition – Political articles
  • 2011 Black and White Votes – Dialogues with writers
  • 2012 Two Facts and One Actor – Monodrama[15]
  • 2013 Najla Bah and Qaradawi are Two Sides of the Same Coin – Political articles
  • 2015 Diaries of Present Wartime – poetry[16]
  • 2016 Diaries of Present Wartime – poetry English translation
  • 2017 I am from Islamic State - Monodrama
  • 2018 Diaries of Present Wartime - poetry German translation
  • 2019 It is All ِِAbout Senses - poetry
  • 2021 * The The Sumerian Harranians - On Origin and Beliefs of Agrarian Class in Mesopotamia and Euphrates (with Qussai Muslat Alhwaidi)

Awards edit

  • Second prize award of Ali Al-Safi poetry 2005 in Kuwait for his poem: 'My Lord! My Black Unmatched to Tears; Lord' 'مولاي.. يا أسوداً لايضاهى بدمع.
  • At the Fujairah International Monodrama Festival competition in 2009.[7][8] Second prize for his script of a monodrama called 'Gilgamesh Wears Tennis Shoes'.

Political and cultural activities edit

Before the Syrian revolution began, Alkhalaf was known for his cultural activities and as a critical writer against the Assad regime. Alkhalaf began his political activity during the Arab Spring, which resulted in the Syrian Revolution, it began on 15 March 2011 when he was in Egypt. He participated in the organization of the first demonstration in front of the Syrian embassy in Cairo that day, demanding to topple the regime, they were assaulted by the embassy elements.[17] In addition to his involvement in organizing protests in front of the embassy, he began covering the events of the Syrian revolution from Egypt through Arabic satellite channels,[18][19][20][21] newspapers and websites.[22][23] He became participated with a group of activists in the establishment of the 'Coalition of Democratic Voices',[24] which is the first Syrian political rally during the revolution. The rally didn't last long.

Alkhalaf was one of the main organizers of the Syria Conference for Change which took place in the Turkish city of Antalya between 31–3 May June 2011 in order to support the Syrian revolution and the search for solutions to save Syria from tyranny and put it on the path of freedom and dignity.[25] This is considered as the first extended conference in the history of the Syrian opposition.[26]

Since the beginning of the Syrian revolution, Alkhalaf was calling for the continuation of nonviolent resistance and peaceful protests.[27] from the first uprising he was against arming the revolution. In his opinion such would destroy the country: "Arming the uprising will lead us to the whirlpool of civil war, and using force will put us in the court of the regime in which he fully masters playing there".[citation needed] He wrote many articles and studies that explain why civil resistance works.[28]

In April 2012, Alkhalaf participated with more than 60 Syrian political and cultural figures in establishing the 'Syrian Democratic Platform'. He was elected as a member of the leadership,[29] and was re-elected in the first conference of the SDP which was in Cairo in ِApril 2012,[30] SPD was a cultural gathering: intellectually politically calling for democratic change in Syria. The platform did not last long due to the direction of the militarization of the revolution.

At the end of 2012 Alkhalaf participated with a group of Syrian activists in establishing 'our-right movement': Haquna. It was a youth movement of civil protest, calling for change through peaceful means. It had been an active movement in Raqqa after becoming outside the regime's control. Haquna movement lead many activities and nonviolent resistance against the Islamic extremist groups that occupied the city.[31] Alkhalaf was a trainer for Haquna's members on nonviolent action.

By nonviolent resistance Haquna has faced Jabhat Al Nusra,[31] a Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, Ahrar ash-Sham, as well as ISIS after their killing of 3 Syrians at the main square in Raqqa city.[32] Haquna organized a sit-in for 3 days at same square, then ISIS arrested members of Haquna, still one of them Still unaccounted for.

In May 2013 he participated in the preparatory conference for the establishment of the Syrians Democratic Union. He was a member of the Preparatory Committee for the First Conference, which was held in Istanbul in September 2013.[33]

Alkhalaf co-founded the Syrian Writers Association, which was established in 2012 as an alternative to the regime controlled Arab Writers Union.

Alkhalaf co-founded the Syrian Journalists Association in February 2013, wrote their statutes and became a member of the Membership Committee.

Alkhalaf co-founded the Association of Syrian Writers and Journalists in December 2017 in Malmo, wrote its rules of procedure and became its chairman.

See also edit

Syrian Civil War

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Press, Media, and the Internet". www.shrc.org. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  2. ^ Beirut, Alexandra Sandels in. "Arab bloggers defy arrest". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  3. ^ "khalaf ali alkhalaf – A public Self-Declaration to the Syrian Security Authorities". الحوار المتمدن (in Arabic). Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  4. ^ "يوميات الرقة في ظل الحرية (1) عندما التقيت أمير جبهة النصرة". elaph.com. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  5. ^ "يوميات الرقة في ظل الحرية (2) قصة تحرير المدينة". elaph.com. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Modern Discussion – Modern Discussion". الحوار المتمدن (in Arabic). Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  7. ^ a b contributors, Sergey Pimenov and Metro UI CSS. "FIAF". FIAF. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ a b "The Announcement of the Results of the International Monodrama Competition - www.alowais.com". www.alowaisnet.org. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Elaph – إيلاف". elaph.com. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  10. ^ "The lost opportunity of the Syrian opposition powers". Democratic Republic Studies Center (in Arabic). Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  11. ^ "الوسط الثقافي السوري من حروب الفتات إلى حرب التمويلات الكبرى". @Elaph. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  12. ^ Alkhalaf, Khalaf Ali. كُحلُ الرَغبَة | KOUHL OF DESIER (in Arabic). Lulu.com. ISBN 9781445227108.
  13. ^ Alkhalaf, Khalaf Ali (22 November 2008). نواح الغريب: حكاية لم ينقرها الطير | STANGE'S HOWLING (in Arabic). Lulu.com. ISBN 9781445227085.
  14. ^ alkhalaf, Khalaf ali. قصائد بفردة حذاء واحدة | Poems on a single shoe (in Arabic). Lulu.com. ISBN 9781445227047.
  15. ^ "Al Mondasa". ElMadina for Performing and Digital Arts. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  16. ^ "Diaries of the Ongoing War". The Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  17. ^ "مثقفون مصريون يتضامنون مع يوم الغضب السورى". اليوم السابع (in Arabic). 15 March 2011.
  18. ^ jidarnet (21 June 2011), جزء من لقاء خلف علي الخلف على قناة الاورينت, retrieved 28 February 2016
  19. ^ jidarnet (21 June 2011), مداخلة خلف علي الخلف على قناة النيل حول خطاب بشارالأسد, retrieved 28 February 2016
  20. ^ jidarnet (16 June 2011), مداخلة لـ خلف علي الخلف عن وضع اللاجئين السوريين, retrieved 28 February 2016
  21. ^ jidarnet (21 June 2011), مداخلة خلف علي الخلف عن انهيار الليرة السورية, retrieved 28 February 2016
  22. ^ "Tahrir Café: La revolución siria". tahrircafe.blogspot.se. 13 August 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  23. ^ "Syrian dissidents slam regime's attempts of portraying revolution as Islamic". 3 May 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  24. ^ "ائتلاف أصوات ديموقراطية". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  25. ^ "Syria's Assad grants amnesty as 5 killed in crackdown". Reuters. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  26. ^ "Syrian opposition in exile plans to meet in Turkey". Reuters. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  27. ^ "Amidst Talk of Militarization, Activists in Syria Vow Non-Violent Resistance –". www.ikkevold.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  28. ^ "خلف علي الخلف – لماذا المقاومة المدنية تنجح وتحقق الإنتقال إلى دولة ديموقراطية؟". الحوار المتمدن (in Arabic). Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  29. ^ "معارضون سوريون يعلنون من القاهرة تشكيل المنبر الوطنى السورى". بوابة الأهرام. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  30. ^ "المنبر الديمقراطي السوري يعلن عن انعقاد جمعيته العمومية تأيدا للثورة, أخبــــــار". archive.aawsat.com. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  31. ^ a b "Under the black flag of al-Qaeda, the Syrian city ruled by gangs of extremists". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  32. ^ "الحركات المدنية في سورية.. "إبعد يا متلثم عني"". The New Arab. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  33. ^ "شخصيات معارضة تتجه لتأسيس "إتحاد الديمقراطيين السوريين"". elaph.com. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
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