Adnan Zahid Abdulsamad was a former member of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, representing the

first district First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

. Born in 1950, Abdulsamad studied political science and worked in the Oil Ministry before being elected to the National Assembly in 1981. While political parties are technically illegal in Kuwait, Abdulsamad affiliates with the National Islamic Alliance, which is a

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the ...

party.

Supported severing ties with Denmark

On November 6, 2006, the parliament voted 22-15 to approve severing diplomatic ties with

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

over the

Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy The ''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons controversy (or Muhammad cartoons crisis, da, Muhammedkrisen) began after the Danish newspaper '' Jyllands-Posten'' published 12 editorial cartoons on 30 September 2005, most of which depicted Muhamm ...

and spending about US$50 (€39.20) million to defend the prophet's image in the West. Both votes were nonbinding, meaning the Cabinet did not have to abide by them. Abdulsamad voted in favor of cutting diplomatic ties, saying, ""We have to cut diplomatic and commercial ties with Denmark... We don't have to eat Danish cheese."

Temporary marriage mini-series controversy

On September 16, 2007, Abdulsamad and fellow Shia MP

Saleh Ashour Saleh Ashour (; born 1953) is a member of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, representing the first district. Early life Ashour was born in 1953 in Kuwait, to Ahmed Ashour. He is of Iranian descent from Tarakma. Ashour studied economics and serve ...

spoke out against a planned

Ramadan soap opera An Arab television drama or Arab soap opera (also known as musalsal ( ar, مسلسل), plural musalsalat ( ar, مسلسلات)) is a television form of melodramatic serialized fiction. The musalsalat are similar in style to Latin American telenove ...

miniseries titled ‘’Sins Have a Price’’, which was to revolve around and criticize the Shiite form of temporary marriage known as "

Mutaa ''Nikah mut'ah'' ar, نكاح المتعة, nikāḥ al-mutʿah, literally "pleasure marriage"; temporary marriage or Sigheh ( fa, صیغه ، ازدواج موقت) is a private and verbal temporary marriage contract that is practiced in ...

.” In a public statement, Abdulsamad accused the series of giving "a total distortion of Shiism ... It also incites sectarianism... It is very provocative and comes at a sensitive time amid the sectarian tension in the region." Abdulsamad charged that besides stoking sectarianism, the serial insults and distorts the Shia faith by mocking temporary marriage, a valid, sanctioned concept in Shiism despite the controversy and social taboos surrounding the practice.

Expulsion from Popular Action Bloc

On February 19, 2008, the Popular Action Bloc expelled Abdulsamad and fellow Shiite MP

Ahmed Lari Ahmed Lari is a member of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, representing the first district. Born in 1955, Lari studied Statistics and worked in the Municipal Council before being elected to the National Assembly in 2006. While political parties are ...

for taking part in a ceremony eulogizing

Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's paramil ...

's slain top commander, Imad Mughniyeh. The ceremony's description of the fugitive Lebanese militant — killed in a February 12 car bombing in Syria — as a hero sparked public outrage in a country that holds him responsible for hijacking a Kuwait Airways flight and killing two of its Kuwaiti passengers 20 years prior. The two lawmakers were only expelled from their bloc, and remained in the legislature. After the expulsions of the two, the seven member bloc was down to five members.http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/20/africa/ME-GEN-Kuwait-Mughniyeh.php

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdulsamad, Adnan Zahid 1950 births Living people Members of the National Assembly (Kuwait) Kuwaiti Shia Muslims Kuwaiti people of Iranian descent National Islamic Alliance politicians Popular Action Bloc politicians