ABSTRACT
This chapter offers two examples for the transfer of bodies as a meaningful act in nationalism. The first case is Yasin al-Hashimi's funeral in January 1937 in Damascus. Al-Hashimi died in Beirut on 21 January 1937, in the presence of his brother Taha al-Hashimi. The procession of Yasin's coffin from Beirut to Damascus and the funeral on January 22 combined several layers of symbolism, including Arab nationalist references to Saladin and tributes to the battle of Maysalun. Ibn al-'Arabi is one of the most revered figures in the history of Islam and his works belong to the most influential Sufi teachings. When 'Abd al-Qadir died in 1883, his burial next to his mystical forbear Ibn al-'Arabi followed the Algerian's own wish. The two nationalist funerals of this chapter illustrate how the semiotics of elite nationalism rub against populist and popular dynamics of street politics, and how they intersect with religion in the public sphere.
