Kasim Muhammad Taqi al-Sahlani (1949 – 21 June 2009) was an

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

i politician. He was a member of the

National Assembly of Iraq The Council of Representatives is the '' de facto'' unicameral legislature of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, it is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the country. As of 2020, it comprises 329 seats and meets in Baghd ...

and was the head of the parliamentary bloc of the

Islamic Dawa Party - Iraq Organisation Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, the fifth largest party within the ruling

United Iraqi Alliance The National Iraqi Alliance (NIA or INA; ), also known as the Watani List, was an Iraqi electoral coalition that contested the 2010 Iraqi legislative election. The Alliance was mainly composed of Shi'a Islamist parties. The alliance was creat ...

coalition. Furthermore, he was a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee.

Biography

Al-Sahlani was born in

Maysan Maysan Governorate () is a governorate in southeastern Iraq, bordering Iran. Its administrative centre is the city of Amarah, and it is composed of six districts. Before 1976, it was named Amara Province. Etymology This region was called ''Messè ...

in 1949. His Father Mohammad Taqi Ali al-Sahlani was the Chief Administrator of the

Maysan Governorate Maysan Governorate () is a governorate in southeastern Iraq, bordering Iran. Its administrative centre is the city of Amarah, and it is composed of six districts. Before 1976, it was named Amara Province. Etymology This region was called ''Messè ...

. Kasim al-Sahlani graduated from the

Teaching Institute in 1969 and became a primary school teacher in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. Whilst teaching he also studied at the

Al-Mustansiriya University Al-Mustansiriyah University () is a public university located in Baghdad, Iraq. It traces its origin back to 1227. The modern form of the university was founded in 1963. History The original Mustansiriya Madrasah was established in 1227 (or 12 ...

. He graduated with a BA in Counselling, Guidance and Psychology. In 1979 Al-Sahlani left Iraq for the USA where he studied for his PhD in Psychology at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

. Al-Sahlani was unable to complete his PhD though, as he was pursued and harassed incessantly by members of the

Baathist Ba'athism, also spelled Baathism, is an Arab nationalist ideology which advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state through the rule of a Ba'athist vanguard party operating under a revolutionary socialist framework. The ideology is ...

regime (Mokabaraat), and forced to abandon his studies. The next few years saw him travel to many countries before finally settling in the UK where he became an important figure in the Iraqi opposition to

Saddam Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until his overthrow in 2003 during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He previously served as the vi ...

's regime. Kasim al-Sahlani joined the

Islamic Dawa Party The Islamic Dawa Party () is an Iraqi Shia Islamist political movement that was formed in 1957 by seminarians in Najaf, Iraq, and later formed branches in Lebanon and Kuwait. The Party backed the Iranian Revolution and also Ayatollah Ruholla ...

in 1968 and became part of its leadership in 1994. He was one of the first members of the Iraqi opposition to return to Iraq and begin his work in rebuilding the war-torn country, In 2004, Al-Sahlani was elected as a member of The National Council which consisted of 100 members: 81 members were elected to the interim National Council, and 19 members previously selected from the Governing Council. In the general elections of 2005 he was elected to the

Council of Representatives of Iraq The Council of Representatives is the ''de facto'' unicameral legislature of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, it is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the country. As of 2020, it comprises 329 seats and meets in Baghdad ...

and became the head of the parliamentary bloc of the

. Kasim al-Sahlani was killed in a traffic accident (21 June 2009), while traveling on official duties from

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

Nasiriyah Nasiriyah ( , ; , BGN: , ), also spelled Nassiriya or Nasiriya, is a city in Iraq, the capital of the Dhi Qar Governorate. It lies on the lower Euphrates, about south-southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. Its po ...

. His sudden death saw thousands of mourners turning out to pay their final respects all over Iraq and especially in the cities of Nasiriyah and

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

as his body was transported to its final resting place, He left behind his wife and 6 children.

References

1949 births 2009 deaths Members of the Council of Representatives of Iraq Islamic Dawa Party – Iraq Organisation politicians Islamic Dawa Party politicians Al-Mustansiriya University alumni University of Pittsburgh alumni {{iraq-politician-stub