Abdul-Latif Ali al-Mayah
Encyclopedia
Prof. Dr. Abdul-Latif al-Mayah (1949/1950 - January 19, 2004) was a humanities professor born in Basra
, who became chairman of the Arab World Research and Studies Centre at Mustansiriya University, head of the Baghdad Centre for Human Rights, and was an outspoken critic of the Iraq Interim Governing Council
, which was the provisional government of Iraq
from 2003 to 2004, established by the US-led multinational coalition occupying Iraq, following the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
. He was assassinated on January 19, 2004.
region, and became the head of the Arab World Research and Studies Centre of Mustansiriya University. Students and colleagues said that he was an enthusiastic teacher and that he used his own money to buy computers for his classroom.
, but not in the way the Ba'ath Party was implementing this.
While Saddam Hussein
remained in power as president of Iraq, Al-Mayah called for election
s. Because of this, he was imprisoned. He was released from prison, partly because one of his former students was one of the interrogators.
Following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq
, Al-Mayah was against both the occupation and the previous dictatorship.
According to Dr Talal Nathan al-Zuhary, director of the Mustansiriya University library, Al-Mayah believed that "one day he would be bumped off by the Mossad
or the CIA" and that "More recently[following the invasion] , he was more worried about the looters who came after the regime fell and stole so much.".
Al-Mayah became well-known as a human rights
and pro-democracy
campaigner.
On the evening of January 18, 2004, on the television channel al-Jazeera, he had criticised what he called the corruption of the Iraqi Governing Council
(IGC), appointed by the US
authorities, and demanded universal election
s as soon as possible, as had earlier done during the presidency of Saddam Hussein
. He is quoted as saying, "I can endure any Iraqi government, but the feeling of being under occupation is terrible for me."
Since US authorities were planning a caucus
system for choosing a new government rather than representative democracy
by all Iraqi adult citizens, al-Mayah's public declaration directly opposed United States policy in Iraq.
Al-Mayah's bodyguard, Mohamed Sahib, did not have a gun since he was still waiting for a gun licence from US authorities. Sahib stated, "They shouted for the car to stop... I remember one person fired directly at al-Mayah inside the car and I think another group also fired from the other side. He was shot three times in his head just as he was opening the car door to get out. He fell dead on to the ground."
reporter, "You can look no further than the Governing Council (IGC)
. There are political parties in this city who are systematically killing people. They are politicians that are backed by the Americans and who arrived to Iraq from exile with a list of their enemies. I've seen these lists. They are killing people one by one."
Al-Mayah's brother told the New Statesman
that his brother had received many email
s advising him to "be less outspoken in his criticism of the IGC." At least one came from an IGC member. Al-Mayah's brother stated, "He never told me the name of this man, only that he was a dual national, someone who had come back from exile after the Americans invaded. He told me the man never actually threatened him. It was a sort of warning that it would be safer if he left the country. He was determined not to be swayed."
At Al-Mayah's funeral procession, a banner alleged that "America and the Zionists" were responsible for his death.
One of Al-Mayah's students, Salam Rais, supported the claim that a systematic campaign to kill Iraqi academics
existed, stating "His assassination is part of a plan in this country, targeting any intellectual
in this country, any free voice."
, which recognizes "extraordinary heroes of conscience".
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, who became chairman of the Arab World Research and Studies Centre at Mustansiriya University, head of the Baghdad Centre for Human Rights, and was an outspoken critic of the Iraq Interim Governing Council
Iraqi Governing Council
The Iraqi Governing Council was the provisional government of Iraq from July 13, 2003 to June 1, 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority...
, which was the provisional government of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
from 2003 to 2004, established by the US-led multinational coalition occupying Iraq, following the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. He was assassinated on January 19, 2004.
Academic career
Abdul-Latif Al-Mayah taught the politics of the ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
region, and became the head of the Arab World Research and Studies Centre of Mustansiriya University. Students and colleagues said that he was an enthusiastic teacher and that he used his own money to buy computers for his classroom.
Political positions
Abdul-Latif Ali Al-Mayah was for some time a low-level member of the Ba'ath Party. He voluntarily quit the party in 1991 due to dissatisfaction with it. He believed in the original Ba'ath ideal of Arab unityPan-Arabism
Pan-Arabism is an ideology espousing the unification--or, sometimes, close cooperation and solidarity against perceived enemies of the Arabs--of the countries of the Arab world, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea. It is closely connected to Arab nationalism, which asserts that the Arabs...
, but not in the way the Ba'ath Party was implementing this.
While Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
remained in power as president of Iraq, Al-Mayah called for election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s. Because of this, he was imprisoned. He was released from prison, partly because one of his former students was one of the interrogators.
Following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, Al-Mayah was against both the occupation and the previous dictatorship.
According to Dr Talal Nathan al-Zuhary, director of the Mustansiriya University library, Al-Mayah believed that "one day he would be bumped off by the Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
or the CIA" and that "More recently
Al-Mayah became well-known as a human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and pro-democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
campaigner.
On the evening of January 18, 2004, on the television channel al-Jazeera, he had criticised what he called the corruption of the Iraqi Governing Council
Iraqi Governing Council
The Iraqi Governing Council was the provisional government of Iraq from July 13, 2003 to June 1, 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority...
(IGC), appointed by the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
authorities, and demanded universal election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s as soon as possible, as had earlier done during the presidency of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
. He is quoted as saying, "I can endure any Iraqi government, but the feeling of being under occupation is terrible for me."
Since US authorities were planning a caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
system for choosing a new government rather than representative democracy
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
by all Iraqi adult citizens, al-Mayah's public declaration directly opposed United States policy in Iraq.
Circumstances of death
On the morning of January 19, 2004, Professor Al-Mayah left his house at 8am and starting driving his car, with another professor, Sarhan Abbas, in the passenger seat. Due to the road shape and traffic, he slowed down the car, and passed an outdoor shish kebab restaurant, El Banouk (The Bank), which was just about to open for the day. About a hundred metres further on, he slowed the car again because of a large pothole. A group of seven or eight men with their faces concealed by red keffiyehs (headscarves) appeared from a side road. Al-Mayah thought they were carjackers and was ready to hand them the keys. The attackers then shot al-Mayah more than 20 times.Al-Mayah's bodyguard, Mohamed Sahib, did not have a gun since he was still waiting for a gun licence from US authorities. Sahib stated, "They shouted for the car to stop... I remember one person fired directly at al-Mayah inside the car and I think another group also fired from the other side. He was shot three times in his head just as he was opening the car door to get out. He fell dead on to the ground."
Speculations regarding death
A senior commander at the headquarters of the Iraqi police, who insisted on remaining anonymous in fear for his safety, told the New StatesmanNew Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
reporter, "You can look no further than the Governing Council (IGC)
Iraqi Governing Council
The Iraqi Governing Council was the provisional government of Iraq from July 13, 2003 to June 1, 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority...
. There are political parties in this city who are systematically killing people. They are politicians that are backed by the Americans and who arrived to Iraq from exile with a list of their enemies. I've seen these lists. They are killing people one by one."
Al-Mayah's brother told the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
that his brother had received many email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
s advising him to "be less outspoken in his criticism of the IGC." At least one came from an IGC member. Al-Mayah's brother stated, "He never told me the name of this man, only that he was a dual national, someone who had come back from exile after the Americans invaded. He told me the man never actually threatened him. It was a sort of warning that it would be safer if he left the country. He was determined not to be swayed."
At Al-Mayah's funeral procession, a banner alleged that "America and the Zionists" were responsible for his death.
One of Al-Mayah's students, Salam Rais, supported the claim that a systematic campaign to kill Iraqi academics
Violence against academics in post-invasion Iraq
Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Iraqi academics have frequently been threatened with violence, kidnapped, or murdered. Although it is impossible to determine the exact scale of the violence and intimidation, the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education reported that over 3,250 academics had fled the...
existed, stating "His assassination is part of a plan in this country, targeting any intellectual
Anti-intellectualism
Anti-intellectualism is hostility towards and mistrust of intellect, intellectuals, and intellectual pursuits, usually expressed as the derision of education, philosophy, literature, art, and science, as impractical and contemptible...
in this country, any free voice."
Posthumous award
Al-Mayah was posthumously awarded the Train Foundation's Civil Courage PrizeCivil Courage Prize
The Civil Courage Prize is a human rights award which is awarded to "steadfast resistance to evil at great personal risk — rather than military valor." It is awarded by the Trustees of The Train Foundation annually and may be awarded posthumously....
, which recognizes "extraordinary heroes of conscience".