| Hassan Khaled حسن خالد | |
| Birth Date: | 1921 |
| Birth Place: | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Death Date: | 16 May 1989 |
| Death Place: | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Nationality: | Lebanese |
Hassan Khaled (Arabic:حسن خالد; born in 1921 – 16 May 1989) was the leader of Lebanon's Sunni Muslim community. As a grand mufti, he presided over Islamic courts in Lebanon for 23 years, and served as Head of the Islamic Coalition, a body which included past and present prime ministers, Sunni parliamentary figures, and Sunni members of Lebanon's government. He was considered a moderate, and upon his assassination was named as the "father of moderation," as he worked throughout his career to bring unity to the warring factions of the Lebanese Civil War.[1] Khaled's assassination in 1989 was widely believed to be the work of Syria.
Hassan Khaled was born in Beirut, French Lebanon, in 1921. He attended his primary school at Al Makkased Islamic schools in Beirut, continued his study of intermediate and secondary education at the Institute of Azhar Lebanon in Beirut, and pursued his university education at Al-Azhar University.[2] at the Faculty of Theology in Cairo, where he obtained the bachelor's degree (BA) in 1946.
He started his public life after graduating from legitimacy School in Beirut as a professor of Logic and Tawhid (Monotheism). In 1954 he was appointed as Deputy Chief Judge of Beirut, then in 1957 he was appointed as a judicial Judge in the province of Akkar in North Lebanon. Khaled then transferred in 1960 to the Mount Lebanon Legitimacy (sharia) Court district.[2]
He also headed the Higher Judicial Legitimacy Council in Lebanon, and presided over the Islamic Gathering, which was a weekly meeting that included the present and past Lebanese prime ministers, present and past Lebanese ministers, Muslim Parliamentary figures. He was also The Chairman of the higher Muslim Legitimacy Council in Lebanon, and the Vice-President of the founding Council of the Muslim World League in Mecca, and Vice-President of the International Islamic charity association in Kuwait, and a member of the Theology Council Association in Muslim world League in Makkah, a member of the Theology Assembly of the Organization of Islamic countries in Jeddah, and a member of Islamic Research Assembly in Egypt.
He was unanimously elected by Islamic scholars, political leaders and opinion leaders in Lebanon as the Grand Mufti of Lebanon on 21 December 1966.
Khaled wrote on many issues of Islam, including:
Khaled had a national role through chairing for many years the “Islamic Gathering,” a weekly political meeting that was held at Dar Alfatwa that gave its views on Lebanese politics during the civil war in Lebanon. He was personally involved as a representative of Lebanon in many Islamic and Arab conferences, or sent representatives to different Arab and world countries.
Mufti Hasan Khaled was married to Salwa Balhawan and had nine children. Their names from oldest to youngest: Bahiyya, Saadeddine, Ammar, Mohammad, Hala, Hani, Hisham, Mazen, and Layla.
On 16 May 1989, a 300-pound (136 kg) car bomb was detonated next to Khaled's car as he drove through Beirut. Khaled and 21 others were killed.[1] Syrian intelligence is widely believed to be behind the assassination; Khaled had been a critic of Syrian intervention in Lebanon.[2] [3] [4] As Khaled had been killed while returning from a meeting with anti-Syrian general Michel Aoun, his killing was believed to be a warning to all those who cooperated with Aoun.[2]