Well-known for his writings on the social and political problems of the Islamic World and advocating non-violent political struggle against dictatorship and non-democratic regimes in the Middle East since the 1950s, Said passed away at the age of 90 in Istanbul on January 30^th, 2022 where he had been living since leaving Syria after the eruption of the Civil War in 2012. During his stay in Turkey, he also visited Circassia.

Born in 1931 in the Golan Heights to the Circassian family of the Tsey, Said read Arabic Language and Literature at Al Azhar University in Cairo. Upon graduation, he worked as a teacher in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria. From the late 1950s onwards, he began to publish books and articles about the social and political lives of the Arabic and Islamic societies. After the foundation of the Baath regime in Syria in 1965 he was jailed many times for his political beliefs. His works are widely published in Arabic and translated into Turkish. He gave talks and seminars in the countries of the region. The full list of his writings can be accessed at https://www.jawdatsaid.net.

Said was a rare and somewhat lonely voice in the political and cultural scenes of the Islamic World for his unyielding stance against political violence even for just causes such as opposing the despotic local regimes and the American policies in the Middle East. He saw peaceful struggle as the only way forward towards a democratic and tolerant society where Islam could turn towards science and the developments of the new age. By doing so, he not only drew the wrath of the regime in Syria but also of the Islamic opposition movements in the region that has resulted in his and his message being marginalised amidst the chaos and political violence of the Middle East.

The Center for Circassian Studies offers their condolences to Said’s family and followers.