Taryam Omran Taryam, paragon of Arab cause

On May 16, 2002, Taryam Omran Taryam, an Arab nationalist, seasoned politician, and accomplished media personality, passed away after being overcome by his terminal illness in a London hospital following a life in which he was resilient to the circumstances he faced, the battles he fought and the obstacles he encountered.

He was a man of free will, unwavering determination and resolve and firm positions. This is evidenced perhaps by the key role that he and his brother Dr. Abdullah Omran Taryam, may God have mercy on them, played in all stages through which the UAE was founded.

His gentle smile still resonates in the hearts of his fans, students and acquaintances; he was gentle and kind, firm and decisive, without arrogance or stubbornness. His humility remains a matter of remembrance and appreciation by those who mixed with him, as a great person needs not to confirm or demonstrate what he truly is.

Reflecting on some of the pivotal milestones in Taryam Omran’s career, his political role stands out. He was one of the early Emirati diplomats abroad, by order of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul in peace. He also co-founded the Dar Al Khaleej Press, Printing and Publishing with his brother Dr. Abdullah Omran in 1970, serving as chairman of its board of directors until he passed away.

The late Taryam Omran Taryam was born in Sharjah in 1942. He completed his primary and preparatory education at Al Qasimiyah School in Sharjah. He then moved to Kuwait, where he studied briefly with his late brother, Dr. Abdullah, at Al Shuwaikh High School. They then returned to Sharjah to complete their secondary education at Al Qasimiyah School.

In the early 1960s, Taryam moved to Egypt and enrolled in the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University. There, his Arab nationalist personality crystallized, as he was keen on attending intellectual and political forums and joining Egyptian and Arab student organizations, where he was influenced by the Nasserist vision of leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, which called for independence and unity, and was a key activist in introducing the Egyptian student community to the Gulf Region.

He also took part in establishing student unions, and after graduating, he worked at Al Orouba Boys Secondary School and then as principal of Al Maaref School in Sharjah.

An outstanding diplomat

When the UAE was founded in 1971, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan appointed him as the UAE’s ambassador to Cairo, where he ran diplomatic service for approximately five years. In 1976, he headed the UAE delegation to the Arab League, serving as its first representative. He was valued for never missing any of the Arab League’s meetings and activities. He was a diplomat who left his mark on every proposal, recommendation and resolution that contributed to joint Arab action, supported Arab solidarity and strengthened Arab relations within the Arab League.

In 1977, Taryam chaired the Federal National Council (FNC) for two consecutive terms. He made a notable and commendable impact in demanding the expansion of federal powers and the reduction of local authorities, so that the local and federal authorities would work together for the public interest, giving priority to it in general, and avoiding bias towards tribalism. He also insisted that federal legislation and draft laws approved by the FNC apply throughout the country, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Taryam and Abdullah Omran were part of the Emirate of Sharjah’s official delegation in the negotiations that preceded the federation of seven emirates, and were among those who called for the unification of the nine Gulf emirates in the early 1970s, following the end of the British occupation.

Major milestone

1970 marked a major leap forward in the careers of the late Taryam and Abdullah Omran in media work, when they founded Al Khaleej newspaper. In order to bring the newspaper to fruition, they faced many obstacles, problems, wars, and modest resources. Their story began when they published Al Shorouk, a monthly political magazine.

They faced various difficulties at that time, as there were no qualified printing presses in Sharjah and the Trucial States, so they decided to head to Kuwait and chose Fajhan Hilal Al Mutairie, who was a publisher and owned a modern printing press and who promised them to print the magazine and later Al Khaleej newspaper on account. The material was written in Sharjah, and in the last week of every month, Taryam Omran would carry it to Kuwait and return with a printed magazine.

Later, they thought of publishing Al Khaleej, the first political newspaper and a daily publication that covered current events and reviewed new developments. The newspaper was published in October 1970 and was issued between Sharjah and Kuwait, where journalists in Sharjah were responsible for collecting news, writing it up, sending it to Kuwait and waiting for it the next morning. You can imagine how difficult this was with a daily flight between Kuwait and Sharjah.

Facing battles 

Since its first publication, Al Khaleej has been engaged in professional and political battles, including demands from newspaper owners in Kuwait to stop publishing it in their country, in addition to the newspaper’s war with some movements due to its insistence on the Arabism of the Gulf and the Emirati islands.

During a meeting with Dr. Abdullah Omran, Sir William Luce, the British Minister, demanded that the newspaper be shut down and that it cease writing about the islands negotiations but Dr. Abdullah refused.

His response, along with that of his brother Taryam, was that Britain had occupied the region for nearly 150 years, during which no education, healthcare or other services were provided, and that when it decided to pull out, it asked its people to remain silent about handing over part of its territory to the Shah of Iran.

Taryam was an active member and vice chairman of the board of trustees of Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation as well as a member of the board of trustees of the Centre for Arab Unity Studies, Gulf Development Forum and several Arab and international organizations, among others.

He was committed to the issues of his nation and a supporter of just causes in the world. He was also a symbol of the independent movement and left behind a legacy of journalistic writings that addressed various national and pan-Arab issues.

He chaired the board of directors of the Center for Gulf Studies, which issued reports on Arab issues in general and Gulf issues in particular. He also chaired the board of directors of the Taryam Omran Taryam Foundation for Cultural and Humanitarian Works. He authored numerous books on the foundation of the UAE and was an active member of numerous research and study centres.