Al Tariq (magazine)

Al Tariq was founded by Raif Khoury with the assistance of other members of the League Against Nazism and Fascism in Syria and Lebanon in 1941.^[1] The group included leftist figures such as Antun Thabit, Umar Fakhuri, Yusuf Ibrahim Yazbek and Kamil Ayyad.^[1] Antun Thabit was the owner of Al Tariq.^[2] The first issue of the magazine appeared on 20 December 1941.^[3][4][5] The cover page of its inaugural issue featured a man who was breaking a huge swastika with an ax into pieces.^[5]

Al Tariq was headquartered in Beirut and came out bimonthly.^[3][2] The editorial board of the magazine consisted of Umar Fakhuri, Antun Thabit, Raif Khoury and Yusuf Yazbek.^[3] In 1943 Kamil Ayyad joined the editorial board.^[3] The editor-in-chief of the magazine was Qadri Al Qalaji.^[3][4]

Al Tariq aimed at informing the masses about the ideological context of ongoing World War II.^[6] Over time it became a forum not only for leftist authors, but also for those from other intellectual and political backgrounds.^[1] Their common goal was to support the anti-Fascist struggle.^[5]

Al Tariq paid a special attention to the Indian leader Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian poet and social activist Rabindranath Tagore.^[3] In the first issue Al Tariq featured quotes from Tagore.^[3] In the following issues Nehru was praised in the editorials of the magazine.^[1] Following the end of World War II the magazine became an organ of the Partisans of Peace group.^[4] One of the contributors was Husayn Muruwwa.^[7] It folded in 1945.^[2]