By Sama Marwan,
The National Organization for Urban Harmony, headed by Engineer Mohamed Abu Saada, has included the name of political economist Abdul Hamid Shoman in the “Story of a Street” project. A plaque bearing his name and information has been placed on one of the streets in Nasr City.
Abdul Hamid Shoman was born in the village of Beit Hanina, in the Jerusalem district, in 1888. He received his early education in a traditional school but did not complete it and instead worked in the village’s quarries. Determined to pursue his ambitions, he left for the United States by sea in 1911.
Once there, he worked tirelessly and soon achieved great success, establishing a factory bearing his name in New York City for ready-made clothing, which generated substantial profits.
During his years in the U.S., he engaged in various social, charitable, and journalistic activities. He purchased land for a Muslim cemetery in New York, provided financial support for Arab students, supported Arabic-language newspapers, and even launched his own Arabic newspaper, Al-Dabbour. He also actively collected and sent donations to support the nationalist movements in both Palestine and Syria.
Driven by a deep national consciousness, Shoman envisioned creating a jointly owned Arab bank to help develop Arab economies and foster regional cooperation. Believing in the critical role of banking in a nation’s economy, he proposed the idea to Talaat Pasha Harb, chairman of Bank Misr, during his first visit back home after 18 years in exile. However, circumstances prevented the realization of this project. On May 21, 1930, Shoman successfully founded the Arab Bank and sought to expand its branches across Arab capitals to fulfill his vision of a bank that served the entire Arab world.
Throughout his life, Shoman remained politically engaged. He was an advocate of Arab nationalism, a supporter of Egyptian-Syrian unity, and a proponent of Arab liberation movements. His commitment to Arab unity was evident when he stated:
“When I decided to establish this bank, I did not name it after myself, my village Beit Hanina, or even Palestine. Instead, I named it after the Arab nation and my greater homeland: I called it the Arab Bank.”
Thanks to his dedication and the principles he instilled, the Arab Bank grew into one of the largest banking institutions with regional and global influence.
Shoman played an active role in Palestinian national movements. He was a member of the Central Committee for the Relief of Palestinian Victims, established by the Supreme Muslim Council on September 5, 1929, following the Buraq Revolt. He was also closely associated with the founders of the Independence Party in 1932 but chose to stay away from direct party politics to focus on managing his bank.
On April 22, 1936, Shoman, along with prominent figures such as Awni Abdul Hadi, Mohammad Izzat Darwaza, and Ajaj Nweihid, issued a statement from Jerusalem calling for continued participation in the General Strike against British colonial policies. He was among five representatives from Jerusalem’s National Committee at the National Committees Conference on May 7, 1936, where it was decided to withhold tax payments until Britain changed its pro-Zionist policies. He was also elected to the Committee for Supplies and Boycotts, which supported those affected by the strike.
Shoman was arrested by British authorities in July 1936, spending several months in the Sarafand detention camp near Ramla. He was re-arrested in 1938 and detained in Al-Mazra’a prison near Acre.
Despite the devastation of the 1948 Nakba, Shoman managed to safeguard the deposits of thousands of customers and expanded his bank across several Arab and foreign countries, ensuring it remained a vital financial institution for Palestinians.
In his will, Shoman instructed the establishment of a foundation dedicated to cultural, scientific, and technological research for the benefit of Arab countries. His vision materialized in 1978 when his son, Abdul Majid Shoman, founded the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in Amman. The foundation includes Abdul Hameed Shoman Cultural Forum, a public library and information system, a children’s library, and Darat al-Funun (The Home of Arts).
Shoman, who maintained close ties with numerous Arab leaders and politicians, was a self-made man and a symbol of perseverance. He was deeply patriotic, supportive of Arab unity, and committed to economic independence. He, along with his relative Ahmed Helmi Abdel Baqi, played a crucial role in Palestinian banking history and was instrumental in saving the Arab Bank from the aftermath of the Nakba.
Abdul Hamid Shoman passed away in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, on September 12, 1974. His body was transferred to Jerusalem, where he was buried near Al-Aqsa Mosque.
