Al-Muthanna Club


The Al-Muthanna Club was an influential pan-Arab fascist society established in Baghdad ca. 1935 to 1937 which remained active until May 1941, when the coup d'état of pro-Nazi Rashid Ali al-Gaylani failed. It was named after Al-Muthanna ibn Haritha, an Iraqi Muslim Arab general who led forces that helped to defeat the Persian Sassanids at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah. Later known as the National Democratic Party, Nadi al-Muthanna was influenced by European fascism and controlled by radical Arab nationalists who, according to 2005's Memories of State, "formed the core of new radicals" for a combined Pan-Arab civilian and military coalition.

Sami Shawkat

In 1938, as fascism in Iraq grew, Sami Shawkat, a known fascist and a pan-Arab nationalist, was appointed director-general of education.
The al-Muthanna club, under German ambassador Fritz Grobba's influence, developed a youth organization, the al-Futuwwa, modeled on European fascist lines and on Hitler Youth, it was founded in 1939 by then director-general of Iraq's education pan-Arab activist Sami Shawkat, and was under his guidance.
He is also famous for his 1933 speech "The Manufacture of Death", in which he preached for the highest calling of accepting death for the pan-Arabism cause, he argued that the ability to cause and accept death in pursuit of pan-Arab ideals was the highest calling. It has been said, that Shawkat's path, influenced the Popular Army and youth organizations of the Baath Party, which appeared much later on.

Yunis al-Sabawi

Yunis al-Sab'awi was active in the al-Muthanna club and in the leadership of the al-Futuwwa.
He was a deputy in the Iraqi government, minister of economics.
Shawkat, al-Sab'awi had developed strong anti-Jewish sentiments, leading to the tragedy known in colloquial Iraqi Arabic as the Farhud, as a result, a mob led by al-Muthanna Club members and its youth organization attacked the Jewish community of Baghdad on June 1 and 2, 1941, killing and wounding many Jews.
Yunis al-Sabawi planned even a larger slaughter of Jews but it was avoided due to him being deported.