Raja Hourani
Journalist, writer, and editor of Al-Tali‘a magazineA journalist and writer from Machghara associated with the intellectual magazine Al-Tali‘a in the 1930s, where he wrote on political and social questions and contributed to an early Arab discourse on freedom and human rights.
Biography
Raja Hourani was from Machghara and worked in journalism and intellectual writing during the 1930s. His name was closely connected with Al-Tali‘a, a Lebanese intellectual magazine launched in the middle of that decade, and he served as its editor.
The magazine published political and intellectual articles on war, colonialism, social justice, and Arab and international affairs. Arab periodical archives preserve Hourani’s articles, including A Letter to My Iraqi Brother and War: Who Pays Its Cost and Who Reaps Its Fruit?
In 1938 Al-Tali‘a helped publish Raif Khoury’s early book on human rights, for which Raja Hourani wrote the introduction. This places his work within an early organised Arab discussion of rights, freedoms, and opposition to fascism.
Notable Contributions
Edited the intellectual magazine Al-Tali‘a and published political and social commentary.
Helped publish and introduced an early Arabic book on human rights in 1938.
His articles are preserved in historical archives of Arab journals and periodicals.