Mish'an al-Juburi
Encyclopedia
Misha'an al-Juburi is an Iraq
i politician from the Sunni Arab
community, who is currently in exile in Syria
. He led the Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc
which held 3 seats in the Iraqi Council of Representatives from 2005-2010. Juburi is the publisher of the al-Itijah al-Akhar newspaper and the owner of the Syria
n-based Arrai TV
. He is a Sheikh
of the Al-Jiburi tribe which is powerful in Salahuddin Governorate.
, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
's home town. In an interview in 1995, Juburi said the President met him in 1975 and gave him cash, a car and facilitated him becoming a journalist
, buying his loyalty and admiration. During the Iran–Iraq War, he helped Saddam recruit 50,000 Juburi people to form the Special Republican Guard and Republican Guard. He said he became an "intimate friend" of Uday Hussein
and "enjoyed the pleasures of Baghdad".
In the late 1980s, his young son died and he went on television to criticise the hospital as incompetent, which resulted in him being jailed. After he was released he moved away from politics towards business, exporting wool from Salahuddin to Britain
.
In 1989, he started planning a coup against the President. The coup was planned for Army Day in 1990 but was discovered before it could take place. Al-Jiburi was the only plotter to survive as he was outside the country at the time. Jibouris tried to assassinate him twice more, in 1991 by bombing a house he was staying in and in 1992, when al-Jiburi's brother plotted to decapitate him.
. Hussein killed almost 100 members of Juburi's family in retaliation including his brother and brother-in-law.
He founded the Iraqi Homeland Party in Syria and published a newspaper called the "Other Direction". He is a relative of the Iraqi Ambassador to Tunisia
, Hamid al-Jabouri, who defected and sought political asylum in Britain
in 1993.
He was a member of the Follow-Up and Arrangement Committee
grouping of Iraqi exiles.
with the aid of Kurdish peshmerga
, and took over a former palace owned by Ali Hassan al-Majid
. He was recognised as a powerbroker during the selection of the first Mosul City Council in May 2003
His party, the Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc
stood in the Iraqi legislative election of January 2005 where it won one seat. In the subsequent December elections
, it increased its representation three seats. Juburi said they supported the Iraqi insurgency
, although opposed suicide bombings, and called for the Multinational Force in Iraq
to be replaced by United Nations
-led peacekeepers.
In 2005 al-Jibouri was backed by the Sunni Arab
dialogue council as their candidate for speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly, but he was vetoed by the United Iraqi Alliance
due to his personal links with Uday Hussein
.
Jabouri was among the minority of Sunni Arabs who supported the constitution of Iraq
in the referendum.
Jabouri was indicted in December 2005 with the theft of millions of dollars of government money intended to protect oil pipelines near Kirkuk against attack. The money had been given to him in 2004. He was suspected of diverting the money towards the Iraqi insurgency
. Following the indictment he fled to Syria
.
In exile he founded Al-Zawraa TV
, a twenty four hour satellite channel which was broadcast by the Arabsat satellite to an area including the Middle East and North Africa. The station's transmissions on the Egypt
ian-owned Nilesat
satellite network ceased in February 2007. Al Zawraa has broadcast songs eulogising Iraqi victims of "the American occupiers", has described the Iraqi insurgency
as "freedom fighters" and the Shi'ite leader Muqtada al-Sadr
as a "gangster"
In an interview following the execution of the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
he described Hussein as a brave martyr, and said the ones who killed him were like those who killed the second Caliph
of Islam
, Umar
In 2009 he offered on TV to buy weapons to give to the resistance to fight the US-led Multi-National Force – Iraq. He said he wanted to obtain medium range missiles so they could attack and leave before the forces traced the site.
In 2010 he criticised Gulf governments and TV companies for broadcasting anti-Shiite statements from an Egyptian cleric, Muhammed al-Zoghbi. Zoghbi had called for Shiites to be purged from Muslim countries and called on Allah to inflict them with cancer and freeze the blood in their veins. Jabouri called the cleric a liar and a lunatic and called for him to be banned from TV.
During the 2011 Libyan civil war
, he went on TV to say he supported Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
, saying protests should focus on pro-American governments. His channel Arrai TV
has been used by overseas Libyans to defend the Gaddafi regime and denounce the replacement government and to keep morale up of those which have fled Libya since the revolution. The channel has aired a number of audio messages from Gaddafi and his aides since they fled Tripoli.
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....
i politician from the Sunni Arab
Arab
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...
community, who is currently in exile in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. He led the Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc
Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc
The Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc or Kutla al-Musalaha wa't-Tahrir is an Iraqi political party. The Sunni, liberal, and secularist party was founded as the Iraqi Homeland Party in Jordan in 1995 by exiles from Saddam's regime. A prominent member was Saddam's son-in-law Hussein Kamel al-Majid...
which held 3 seats in the Iraqi Council of Representatives from 2005-2010. Juburi is the publisher of the al-Itijah al-Akhar newspaper and the owner of the Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n-based Arrai TV
Arrai TV
Arrai TV is an Arabic-language television station based in Syria. The channel is owned by Misha'an al-Juburi. It is used by overseas Libyans to defend the Gaddafi regime and denounce the replacement government and to keep morale up of those which have fled Libya since the revolution...
. He is a Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
of the Al-Jiburi tribe which is powerful in Salahuddin Governorate.
Role under Saddam
Al-Juburi was born in a village near TikritTikrit
Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
, Iraqi President 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...
's home town. In an interview in 1995, Juburi said the President met him in 1975 and gave him cash, a car and facilitated him becoming a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, buying his loyalty and admiration. During the Iran–Iraq War, he helped Saddam recruit 50,000 Juburi people to form the Special Republican Guard and Republican Guard. He said he became an "intimate friend" of Uday Hussein
Uday Hussein
Uday Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti , was the eldest son of Saddam Hussein from his first wife, Sajida Talfah. He was the brother of Qusay Hussein. Uday was for several years seen as the heir apparent of his father; however, Uday lost his place in the line of succession due to his erratic behavior and...
and "enjoyed the pleasures of Baghdad".
In the late 1980s, his young son died and he went on television to criticise the hospital as incompetent, which resulted in him being jailed. After he was released he moved away from politics towards business, exporting wool from Salahuddin to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
In 1989, he started planning a coup against the President. The coup was planned for Army Day in 1990 but was discovered before it could take place. Al-Jiburi was the only plotter to survive as he was outside the country at the time. Jibouris tried to assassinate him twice more, in 1991 by bombing a house he was staying in and in 1992, when al-Jiburi's brother plotted to decapitate him.
Exile under Saddam
After the coup attempt Al-Jibouri relocated to SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Hussein killed almost 100 members of Juburi's family in retaliation including his brother and brother-in-law.
He founded the Iraqi Homeland Party in Syria and published a newspaper called the "Other Direction". He is a relative of the Iraqi Ambassador to Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Hamid al-Jabouri, who defected and sought political asylum in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1993.
He was a member of the Follow-Up and Arrangement Committee
Follow-Up and Arrangement Committee
The Follow Up and Arrangement Committee was an alliance of Iraqi opposition groups formed in the run up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.-Members:The members of the committee were:...
grouping of Iraqi exiles.
Post-invasion
During the Invasion of Iraq, Juburi took control of the city of MosulMosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
with the aid of Kurdish peshmerga
Peshmerga
Peshmerga or Peshmerge is the term used by Kurds to refer to armed Kurdish fighters. Literally meaning "those who face death" the Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan have been in existence since the advent of the Kurdish independence movement in the early 1920s, following the collapse of the Ottoman...
, and took over a former palace owned by Ali Hassan al-Majid
Ali Hassan al-Majid
Ali Hassan Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti , , was a Ba'athist Iraqi Defense Minister, Interior Minister, military commander and chief of the Iraqi Intelligence Service...
. He was recognised as a powerbroker during the selection of the first Mosul City Council in May 2003
His party, the Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc
Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc
The Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc or Kutla al-Musalaha wa't-Tahrir is an Iraqi political party. The Sunni, liberal, and secularist party was founded as the Iraqi Homeland Party in Jordan in 1995 by exiles from Saddam's regime. A prominent member was Saddam's son-in-law Hussein Kamel al-Majid...
stood in the Iraqi legislative election of January 2005 where it won one seat. In the subsequent December elections
Iraqi legislative election, December 2005
Following the ratification of the Constitution of Iraq on 15 October 2005, a general election was held on 15 December to elect a permanent 275-member Iraqi Council of Representatives....
, it increased its representation three seats. Juburi said they supported the Iraqi insurgency
Iraqi insurgency
The Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...
, although opposed suicide bombings, and called for the Multinational Force in Iraq
Multinational force in Iraq
The Multi-National Force – Iraq was a military command, led by the United States, which was responsible for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Multi-National Force – Iraq replaced the previous force, Combined Joint Task Force 7, on 15 May 2004, and was later itself reorganized into its successor, United...
to be replaced by United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
-led peacekeepers.
In 2005 al-Jibouri was backed by the Sunni Arab
Arab
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...
dialogue council as their candidate for speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly, but he was vetoed by the United Iraqi Alliance
United Iraqi Alliance
The National Iraqi Alliance , also known as the Watani List, is an Iraqi electoral coalition that contested the Iraqi legislative election, 2010. The Alliance is mainly composed of Shi'a Islamist parties...
due to his personal links with Uday Hussein
Uday Hussein
Uday Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti , was the eldest son of Saddam Hussein from his first wife, Sajida Talfah. He was the brother of Qusay Hussein. Uday was for several years seen as the heir apparent of his father; however, Uday lost his place in the line of succession due to his erratic behavior and...
.
Jabouri was among the minority of Sunni Arabs who supported the constitution of Iraq
Constitution of Iraq
The Constitution of Iraq is Iraq's fundamental law.-History:Iraq's first constitution, which established a constitutional monarchy, entered into force under the auspices of a British military occupation in 1925 and remained in effect until the 1958 revolution established a republic...
in the referendum.
Jabouri was indicted in December 2005 with the theft of millions of dollars of government money intended to protect oil pipelines near Kirkuk against attack. The money had been given to him in 2004. He was suspected of diverting the money towards the Iraqi insurgency
Iraqi insurgency
The Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...
. Following the indictment he fled to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
In exile he founded Al-Zawraa TV
Al-Zawraa TV
Al-Zawraa TV was an Iraqi satellite television channel that was known for airing video footage of insurgent attacks on US-led coalition forces.-Broadcasts:...
, a twenty four hour satellite channel which was broadcast by the Arabsat satellite to an area including the Middle East and North Africa. The station's transmissions on the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian-owned Nilesat
Nilesat
Nilesat is an Egyptian company, and the name of a series of Egyptian communications satellites. It was established in 1996 with the purpose of operating Egyptian satellites and their associated ground control station and uplinking facilities...
satellite network ceased in February 2007. Al Zawraa has broadcast songs eulogising Iraqi victims of "the American occupiers", has described the Iraqi insurgency
Iraqi insurgency
The Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...
as "freedom fighters" and the Shi'ite leader Muqtada al-Sadr
Muqtada al-Sadr
Sayyid Muqtadā al-Ṣadr is an Iraqi Islamic political leader.Along with Ali al-Sistani and Ammar al-Hakim of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, Sadr is one of the most influential religious and political figures in the country not holding any official title in the Iraqi government.-Titles:He is...
as a "gangster"
In an interview following the execution of the former Iraqi President 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 described Hussein as a brave martyr, and said the ones who killed him were like those who killed the second Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Umar
Umar
`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c. 2 November , was a leading companion and adviser to the Islamic prophet Muhammad who later became the second Muslim Caliph after Muhammad's death....
In 2009 he offered on TV to buy weapons to give to the resistance to fight the US-led Multi-National Force – Iraq. He said he wanted to obtain medium range missiles so they could attack and leave before the forces traced the site.
In 2010 he criticised Gulf governments and TV companies for broadcasting anti-Shiite statements from an Egyptian cleric, Muhammed al-Zoghbi. Zoghbi had called for Shiites to be purged from Muslim countries and called on Allah to inflict them with cancer and freeze the blood in their veins. Jabouri called the cleric a liar and a lunatic and called for him to be banned from TV.
During the 2011 Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
, he went on TV to say he supported Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
, saying protests should focus on pro-American governments. His channel Arrai TV
Arrai TV
Arrai TV is an Arabic-language television station based in Syria. The channel is owned by Misha'an al-Juburi. It is used by overseas Libyans to defend the Gaddafi regime and denounce the replacement government and to keep morale up of those which have fled Libya since the revolution...
has been used by overseas Libyans to defend the Gaddafi regime and denounce the replacement government and to keep morale up of those which have fled Libya since the revolution. The channel has aired a number of audio messages from Gaddafi and his aides since they fled Tripoli.