Allal al-Fassi

Muhammad Allal al-Fassi (Arabic: محمد علال الفاسي, romanized: Muḥammad ʿAllāl al-Fāsī; January 10, 1910 – May 13, 1974) was a Moroccan nationalist leader, politician, writer, poet, Pan-Arabist and Islamic scholar who was one of the early leaders of the Moroccan nationalist movement. He later became the president for life of the Istiqlal Party after independence representing it until his death in 1974. He served briefly as Minister of Islamic Affairs from 1961 to 1963.

Born into the prominent scholarly Fassi Fihri family, he became involved in the Moroccan nationalist movement at a young age during his years as a student at al-Qarawiyyin. In response to the Berber Dahir, he helped to arouse protest and began to coordinate with other nationalists leading to the formation of nationalist parties like the Moroccan Action Committee. After riots broke out in 1937, al-Fassi was exiled to Gabon for 10 years. During his exile, the Istiqlal Party was formed and he was given the honorary role of zaʿīm.

After returning from him exile, he went into self-exile to Cairo. Whilst in Cairo, he collaborated with other nationalist leaders from the Maghreb. He supported militant nationalists like the Moroccan Army of Liberation after Mohammed V's exile and after independence became the leader of the Istiqlal which at that point had expanded massively becoming divided between a right and left wing later culminating into a split within the party. He was also involved as the head of the codification commission for the Mudawana. As Minister of Islamic Affairs, al-Fassi promoted the institution of a new constitution but he eventually resigned after the controversial Baháʼí Affair. After his resignation, al-Fassi became a prominent opposition leader against Hassan II's government. He died of a heart attack on a trip to Romanian leader Nicolae Ceaușescu.

He was a "neo-Salafist" who advocated for the synthesis of nationalism and reformist Salafism. As an advocate for an Arab-Islamic identity for Morocco, he wanted a Morocco that imposed Arabisation and ruled by Sharia. He developed the idea of Greater Morocco which later came to influence the official policy of the Moroccan government. He was also a prolific writer who wrote over forty books and articles.

He has been described as the "father of Moroccan nationalism".