Muhammad Ali Luqman

{{Short description|Yemeni lawyer, writer, and journalist}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Mohammed Ali Luqman

| image = Mohammed Ali luqman.jpg

| imagesize = 200px

| caption = Mohammed Ali Luqman{{Cite web |date=27 March 2013 |title=Today's Personality: Muhammad Ali Luqman |url=https://salsalafi.blogspot.com/2013/03/blog-post_27.html |access-date=6 July 2021 |website=salsalafi.blogspot.com |language=ar}}

| birth_date = {{birth date|1898|11|06|df=y}}

| birth_place = Aden, Aden Province

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1966|03|24|1898|11|06|df=yes}}

| death_place = Mecca, Saudi Arabia

| nationality = Yemen

| occupation = {{hlist|Lawyer|Writer|Journalist}}

}}

Muhammad Ali Luqman (6 November 1898 – 24 March 1966) was a Yemeni lawyer, writer, and journalist. He was born in Aden, which was formerly, under British rule. After completing his education, he worked in school administration in Aden. However, he was dismissed from his position after publishing a letter, entitled "Is This a Scrap of Paper?" (Arabic: هل هذه قصاصة ورقية؟), which criticized the educational system. From 1930 to 1934, he worked as an agent for Al-Bas Company in Somalia, and the studied law in Bombay, obtaining a degree in 1938.

In 1939, Luqman's novel Saeed was published. Some claim this to be the first Yemeni novel, although others have argued for Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Saqqaf's 1927 novel The Girl from Garut.{{cite web |title=Muhammad Ali Luqman |url=https://forumluqman.org/muhammad-ali-luqman/ |website=Academic Forum Muhammad Ali Luqman |access-date=10 May 2023}}{{cite news |last1=الحمامصي |first1=محمد |title="فتاة قاروت" رائدة الرواية اليمنية في طبعة جديدة |url=https://middle-east-online.com/%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A9-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AA-%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B7%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9 |access-date=15 October 2023 |work=Middle East Online |date=25 February 2021}}

Luqman established Faṫāṫ Al-Jazīrah ({{langx|ar|فَـتَـاة الْـجَـزِيْـرَة}}), the first independent newspaper in Yemen, in 1940.{{cite web |publisher=The British-Yemeni Society |title=Wordsworth into Arabic: The lost legacy of Ali Luqman |url=http://www.al-bab.com/bys/articles/luqman08.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514041606/http://www.al-bab.com/bys/articles/luqman08.htm |archive-date=14 May 2011}}Ulrike Freitag Indian Ocean Migrants and State Formation in Hadhramaut: Reform He also founded a weekly English-language newspaper, the Aden Chronicle, in 1953.

He was closely linked with the Free Yemeni Movement, and was one of the architects of the failed 1948 coup against Yemeni ruler Imam Yahya. On September 18, 1962, Luqman traveled to New York City at his own expense, following the United Kingdom's attempt to forcibly merge the colony of Aden into the Federation of South Arabia. Luqman succeeded in winning support from member states at the United Nations to prevent this from occurring.

He died in 1966, on his way to perform the Hajj, and was buried in Mecca. The two newspapers he established were maintained by his son, journalist Farouk Luqman, until South Yemen gained independence the next year, in 1967.