Mohsen Abdel Hamid
Encyclopedia
Mohsen Abdel Hamid is an Iraqi politician and Islamic scholar who was a member of the Interim Iraq Governing Council (president, February 2004), created following the United States
's 2003 invasion of Iraq
.
and is of Kurdish
background. He studied Islamic Law in Cairo
and returned to Iraq in 1986 to work as a professor at Baghdad University. Abdel Hamid has written over 30 books on interpretation of the Qur'an
. He was arrested in 1996 by the government of Saddam Hussein
but opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Until 2004 he was the secretary general of the Iraqi Islamic Party
, the largest Sunni party in Iraq, and as a result was appointed to the Iraqi Governing Council.
On May 30, 2005, Abdel Hamid was mistakenly arrested by U.S.
troops.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's 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...
.
Biography
Abdel Hamid was born in 1937 in KirkukKirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
and is of Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
background. He studied Islamic Law in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and returned to Iraq in 1986 to work as a professor at Baghdad University. Abdel Hamid has written over 30 books on interpretation of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
. He was arrested in 1996 by the government 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...
but opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Until 2004 he was the secretary general of the Iraqi Islamic Party
Iraqi Islamic Party
The Iraqi Islamic Party is currently the largest Sunni Islamist political party in Iraq as well as the most prominent member of the Iraqi Accord Front political coalition. It is currently part of the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki...
, the largest Sunni party in Iraq, and as a result was appointed to the Iraqi Governing Council.
On May 30, 2005, Abdel Hamid was mistakenly arrested by U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
troops.