10 Iraqis You Should Know
By David Mac Dougall & Ghalib Tawfiq, Baghdad Bureau
After years of reporting from Iraq, viewers are familiar with some of the most common personalities connected with events here: from Saddam Hussein to Prime Minister Maliki; Moqtada al-Sadr to Ayatollah Sistani. But what about some other Iraqis making an impact in their chosen professions?
Nashat Akram, Dr Ala Bashir, Hussain al Shahristani, Dana Abdul Razzaq,
Maysoon al-Damluji, Zaha Hadid
We put together a list of ten people we think you should know about. Click their name to learn more about them!
Dana Abdul Razzaq: Iraqi Olympic athlete
Hassan Abdulrazzak: Author / playwright
Nashat Akram: Star player on Iraq’s national soccer team
Suhair al-Qaisi: Iraqi journalist for Arabiya TV
Dr Ala Bashir: Plastic surgeon
Ayad Jamal al-Din: Shiite member of parliament
Maysoon al-Damluji: Women’s rights activist
Nadhmi Auchi: Businessman & philanthropist
Hussain al Shahristani: Minister for Oil
Zaha Hadid: Architect
• Dana Abdul-Razzaq
21-year-old Dana Abdul-Razzaq is Iraq’s top female athlete, and the only Iraqi woman who’s heading to the Beijing Olympics in August. Although she’s only been sprinting for the last five years, she’s aiming to run 100 and 200 meter races in Beijing – and has already set a new Iraqi record over 200 meters at the Arab Games in Cairo last year. Dana has already faced many hardships preparing for the Olympics – shot at by a sniper while training, and getting caught in a drive-by shooting. And although she dresses modestly when she competes – leggings under shorts – she’s still received many threats from extremists.
• Hassan Abdulrazzak
Hassan Abdulrazzak was born in Iraq, but lived for many years in Egypt and Algeria. Although he’s a trained microbiologist, he’s also a talented playwright. His first ever play, “Baghdad Wedding” tells the story of three friends (an author, an engineer and a doctor) who return to Baghdad after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein to attend a wedding. They get caught up in the violence of post-war Iraq and endure terrible hardships. The play was produced in London in summer 2007, and went on to win a $20,000 award for new writing – it was also broadcast as a radio play earlier this year.
• Nashat Akram
The Iraqi soccer team - with Nashat Akram as captain - narrowly failed in their bid to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. However, they knocked out some big name teams, like China, along the way. Earlier this year Nashat Akram signed with English soccer side Manchester City, but was unable to take the job due to problems with his work permit. He currently plays club soccer in Qatar.
See also: www.nashatakram.net
• Suhair al-Qaisi
Born in Baghdad, 24 year old Suhair al-Qaisi is one of the most well-known anchors on Arabiya TV – a satellite news channel broadcast from Dubai, but seen across the Middle East. Originally training to be a dentist, she switched track to become a journalist instead. In 2007 she was selected by the Red Crescent to become one of their Goodwill Ambassadors. On Arabiya TV, Suhair al-Qaisi hosts a weekly program about Iraq called “From Iraq”.
• Ala Bashir
Dr Ala Bashir was one of the first plastic surgeons in Iraq, and he became nationally famous for treating thousands of victims during the Iraq-Iran war. His work brought him to the attention of Saddam Hussein – and for 15 years he worked as the former dictator’s personal physician, which he later wrote about in a book called “Saddam’s Doctor: An Insider’s Story”. Dr Bashir is also an accomplished artist, and his paintings are exhibited at a gallery in New Haven, Connecticut.
See also: www.alabashir.com
• Ayad Jamal Addin
Iyad Addin is a politician, a cleric, and a strong advocate for the separation of church and state. He’s also come under fire for his secular political beliefs, surviving at least four assassination attempts. Jamal Addin was born in Najaf, a mostly Shiite city in southern Iraq. He fled Iraq in the late 1970s, first to Syria, then to Iran, where he studied theology and philosophy for eight years. He returned to Iraq in 2003 following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, and is a member of parliament for the Iraqi National List party. He wears the traditional head-dress and robes of a Muslim cleric – but believes that Iraq should be a secular state, where politics is free from religious interference. He’s faced a lot of criticism from fellow Shiite clerics for his beliefs.
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• Maysoon al-Damluji
Maysoon al-Damluji is an Iraqi politician, a member of parliament for the city of Mosul. She’s also an architect and campaigner for women’s rights. After many years in exile in London, al-Damluji returned to Iraq after the war and worked inside government as Deputy Culture Minister. She also set up the Iraqi Independent Women’s Group (IIWG), an organization dedicated to promoting women’s rights issues. Two founding members of the IIWG have been assassinated in recent years, yet Maysoon al-Damluji continues her work despite the dangers.
See also: www.iiwg.org/index2.html
• Nadhmi Auchi
Billionaire, businessman, philanthropist and humanitarian – Nadhmi Auchi wears many hats. After graduating from Baghdad’s prestigious Mustansiriyah University, Auchi worked for Iraq’s oil ministry, before starting his own company – General Mediterranean Holding – of which he is still chairman. Now living in the UK, London’s Sunday Times last year named Madhmi Auchi the 18th richest person in Britain, with a fortune estimated around $3.8 billion. He recently launched a new fellowship in conjunction with the American University in Cairo, to mentor ten future business leaders from the Arab world. For his work in business and philanthropy, Nadhmi Auchi has received honors from the Pope and Queen Elizabeth, among others.
• Hussain al Shahristani
In charge of Iraq’s oil ministry, Hussain Shahristani is arguably one of the most powerful men in the country. Iraq has vast untapped oil wealth, and Shahristani has been at the center of negotiations to award contracts to western companies like BP, Shell, Chevron and Exxon. Each individual contract is said to be worth $500 million. In the 1970s, Hussain al Shahristani was one of Iraq’s most promising young nuclear scientists, but he was imprisoned and tortured at Abu Ghraib for 11 years for encouraging Shiites in the military to rebel against Saddam Hussein. During his time in prison, Shahristani reportedly refused to work on building a nuclear bomb. He is a member of the United Iraqi Alliance political party – an alliance of mostly Shiite politicians.
• Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid is an internationally renowned architect, who has designed some spectacular buildings around the world – including a museum building at Michigan State University, and a contemporary arts center in Cincinnati (which the New York Times described as “the most important American building to be completed since the cold war”).
Born in Baghdad, Hadid studied in Beirut and London – before setting up her own architectural practice in the early 1980s. She has taught at Harvard, Ohio State, Yale and the University of Illinois School of Architecture in Chicago. In 2004 she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize (the architecture world’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize)
See also:
www.zaha-hadid.com & www.contemporaryartscenter.org
Honorable Mentions
Dia Azzawi: One of Iraq’s best-known artists
Ghada al-Taie: Baghdad ballet school teacher
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Thanks for sharing — it’s nice to see something POSITIVE in the news, esp. about Iraq
Agreed– I’m thinking little of this would have been possible 7 or 8 years ago… good things are happening. Perseverance is key.
Let us never loose sight of the fact that the Iraqi PEOPLE are able to live better lives because we as a nation took action in Iraq. It has not been without challenge or struggle, but it is still the right thing to do. We must not quit just because things get hard, that is not the kind of nation we are. Our soldier’s are heros and are serving a noble cause in Iraq and they need the support of a grateful nation. A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR MEN & WOMEN IN UNIFORM. GOD BLESS YOU!
That brought tears to my eyes…they now have the freedom to become all that they can be and giving them the recognition they deserve is a great encouragement…thanks for sharing! I would like to read thier thoughts on America….thats what really matters.
Let us never loose sight of the fact that the Iraqi PEOPLE are able to live better lives because we as a nation took action in Iraq. It has not been without challenge or struggle, but it is still the right thing to do. We must not quit just because things get hard, that is not the kind of nation we are. Our soldiers are hero’s and are serving a noble cause in Iraq and they need the support of a grateful nation. A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR MEN & WOMEN IN UNIFORM. GOD BLESS YOU!
I think it is one of the greatest events in history to give 28 million Iraqs a possibility of freedom from dictators, most in America are to dumb, soldiers, marines etc have been lost in every war in history. As a veteran of Marine Corps. female marine, I feel I have a right to express this opinion. I was in WW2 and proud of this, I also am now old, disabled, not service connected, but each time all these Americans critize President Bush it makes in cringe. He only did what the information told him, and we all make decisions that don’t come out correctly, but now events are improving, but I don’t think any country will ever be without fear, strife and violence. I am glad Bush was and is a god-fearing man, so many in our country are “politically correct” and the state I live in is one of the worst. This state of Oregon gives sanctuary to illegals, and Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Oregon says, any couple can go to any open establishment and have open sex at any time and can’t be arrested because it is Freedom of Expression, which is a bunch of crap in my humble opinion. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to express my feelings. Good for the Iraqs, they lived under a dictator for so long, it took a while to trust coaliation and to be able to have faith that things were going to be better, difficult road, but improving. goldie
So good to see some good news for a change. thanks!
Encouraging information, and inspiring biographies. I just hope you have not put together a hit-list for the Islamists who not only want the U.S. out of Iraq, but they also do not want anything in the way of home-grown government or cultural progress.
Outstanding! We wish this were published on the front page of all news media.
I just hope these people appreciate the UNITED STATES and ALL the sacrifices that have been made for them by, not only, our GREAT, BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN of the UNITED STATES MILITARY and ALL OF THE COALITION FORCES who have been fighting to bring them to where they are NOW!
I just hope these people appreciate ALL THE SACRIFICES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE NOT ONLY BY OUR
BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY, BUT ALSO , OF THE COALITION FORCES.
Let’s hope that they can start doing SOMETHING POSITIVE FOR THEIR OWN COUNTRY, NOW.
I agree - really uplifting to see positive news about Iraq.
The cover story on this week’s Economist is a really good positive story about Iraq. Their economy is being bolstered by high oil prices and violence is way down. Still, the mainstream media prefers only negative stories about Iraq.
I love reading about people that are out there making an impact and a difference. Bravo for the Iraqis listed above. I am sure there are countless more whose story needs to be heard. There is always good news coming out of Iraq!! You have to search it out or just talk with our brave soilder’s fighting the good fight. The media of coarse wants you to think otherwise. Keep it up Fox news!!
A refreshingly positive article about some extrodinary, independant and talented professionals in Iraq. Let’s hope that it is these kind of folks who will lead Iraq into the future!
The democrats are right, these people were better off before.
The good news was always there, the media went out of their way not to report it. Just as Harry Truman was found to be right fifty years later, we shall find that Pres. Bush was right in invading Iraq.
article on Iraqui geniuses
deserves five ***** stars
And of course, just forget about General Geoges Sada, who served as Air Vice Marshal of the Iraqi Airforce and is responsible for saving several British and US Pilots that were shot down over Iraq during Desert Storm. This action wound up having him forced to retire and serving a prison term. Whats remarkable is the fact that he is and always has been a Christian. Even publicly in Iraq. This saved his life when he defied Saddam’s orders to execute the POWs when the ground war started. Any of his Muslim Generals would of been executed, but General Sada was held in high regard by Saddam due to General Sadas strong moral beliefs and his display of strong character while in his service. He was the only General that wasnt afraid to tell Saddam when he was making a mistake. Saddam respected that and spared his life, despite his sons urging to execute him. This guy is a true hero from Iraq and should top this list in my opinion.
ABOUT : NADHMI AUCHI
This info came from the Chicago Tribune dated 4/15/2008
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama’s name came up again at the Antoin “Tony” Rezko corruption trial and in a way that earlier filings in the case did not telegraph.
Stuart Levine, the prosecution’s star witness, said he and Obama were at a party Rezko threw at his Wilmette mansion on April 3, 2004, for Nadhmi Auchi, a controversial Iraqi-born billionaire who Rezko was trying to get to invest in a South Loop real-estate development.
Auchi, now a citizen of the United Kingdom, has faced criminal charges in Europe. He also figured in the revocation of Rezko’s bond early this year after attempting to wire him more than $3 million. Upon learning of that attempt, U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve declared Rezko a flight risk and ordered him held in a federal jail in the Loop.
The Rezko party in 2004 was designed to induce Auchi to pour money into the South Loop investment. Obama’s presence at the party was not previously known. At the time, Obama was fresh off a surprise win in the Illinois Democratic primary for U.S. Senate and was riding a crest of national publicity.
…
This comes from the Tribunes “Gavel to Gavel” coverage of the Rezko trial. I previously posted on the connection between Auchi and Rezko along with the appearance that money Rezko loaned Obama for his house purchase came from Auchi at a time when Rezko was in financial distress. Auchi is an interesting character with ties to Saddam and the oil for food program.
Thanks for introducing us to these wonderful people. Please continue this type of reporting. I hope we hear more from the people of Iraq, more positive news. It would be great to hear about the important work our soldiers have done to improve their lives. Many soldiers get their families to send things from home so they can help the children of Iraq.
Thanks for the great article. Americans are still truly one of the greatest people, because we are willing to back up our words and thoughts with deeds.
This is such a wonderful thing to publicize especially in light of all the bad press the war has been receiving. If there was more of an effort to focus on the good things happening due to the American soldiers doing their part to better the lives of the Iraqi people, then I KNOW that the American population would be behind them 110% and the issue of prematurely pulling out would not exist. I wish I could put this article in the hands of ever politician.
This was a great uidea in principle, until we got to number eight - Nadhmi Auchi. No mention of his haviong made his money from “Oil for Food.” No mention of his relationship with Tony Rezko.
Makes one wonder if there are hidden issues with the rest of the list.
Also makes one wonder about the quality of the editing.
My compliments to the Baghdad Bureau team on this timely, well presented, and factually precise presentation. This is how human interest stories should be done.
Bravo!
I think this list would have been more impressive had it been limited to fulltime residents of Iraq.
While this is a nice article, The museum you talk about at MSU is still just a thought on paper. There is no whole in the ground yet.
2nd to what Jon said — you’re list is missing Georges Sada.
[...] Abdul-Razzaq is a 21-year-old Iraqi woman. She is the top female athlete in Iraq and will be competing in the Beijing Olympics. She has only been able to train for the last five [...]