Mohammed Hadid (January 1, 1907 – August 3, 1999) was an Iraqi

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

, democracy advocate,

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

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 ...

between 1958 and 1960 and the father of internationally recognized architect

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-born British architect, artist, and designer. She is recognised as a key figure in the architecture of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. Born ...

Early years and family

Mohammed Hadid was born into a rich Mosulite family at the beginning of the 20th century. He married Wajeeha Sabonji, with whom he had three children; Haithem, the writer and businessman, Foulath, and the noted architect

Years of study

Hadid attended the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

between 1928 and 1931, and achieved a degree in

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

. It was there that he is said to have been influenced by the ideas of Professor

Harold Laski Harold Joseph Laski (30 June 1893 – 24 March 1950) was an English political theorist and economist. He was active in politics and served as the chairman of the British Labour Party from 1945 to 1946 and was a professor at the London School of ...

, a "widely known socialist and agnostic". He was also influenced by the works of

Sidney Webb Sidney James Webb, 1st Baron Passfield, (13 July 1859 – 13 October 1947) was a British socialist, economist and reformer, who co-founded the London School of Economics. He was an early member of the Fabian Society in 1884, joining, like Geo ...

Hugh Dalton Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton, (16 August 1887 – 13 February 1962) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party economist and politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947. He shaped Labour Party foreig ...

John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist and philosopher whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originall ...

and other economists and socialists whose Fabian ideas held the promise for a new social order to be constructed in the aftermath of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

Politics

In 1931, Hadid returned to Baghdad and joined the Iraqi Ministry of Finance. More importantly, he became a founding member of the politically progressive Ahali group which embraced the ideals of Britain's Labour Party and attracted other leading personalities such as , , Kamil Chadirji and

Hikmat Sulayman Hikmat Sulayman (1889 – 16 June 1964) () was Prime Minister of Iraq from October 30, 1936 to August 12, 1937 at the head of a Party of National Brotherhood government. Sulayman, of Iraqi Arab, Circassianİsmail Hâmi Danişmend, ''Osmanlı ...

Ahali group

In 1936, the Ahali group was involved in a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

that was led by army general

Bakr Sidqi Bakr Sidqi al-Askari (; 1890 – 11 August 1937) was an Iraqi general of mixed Arab- Kurdish origin, Sidqi, the Chief of the Iraq General Staff of the nation's military, was born in 1890 and assassinated on 11 August 1937, in Mosul. a Kurdish ...

. When Sidqi sought dictatorial power at the expense of the group's plans for public welfare and reform, the group resigned en bloc in 1937. In 1946, Hadid became Vice-President of the National Democratic Party. The party, essentially the social democratic wing of the Ahali group, championed agrarian reform, workers' rights and state control of Iraq's nascent oil industry.

International voice

While representing Mosul in the Chamber of Deputies, Hadid became a leading member of the Council of the Federation of Iraqi Industries. British influence was still immense in Iraq. During visits to the United Kingdom he supplied the press with calls for genuine parliamentary Iraqi democracy. He also opposed Iraqi participation in the pro-Western defence organisation known as the

Baghdad Pact The Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), formerly known as the Middle East Treaty Organization (METO) and also known as the Baghdad Pact, was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed on 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, ...

. In 1956, when Britain joined France and Israel in attacking Suez, he spearheaded the Front of National Union through which Iraq's political parties united in demanding "the combating of imperialist encroachments".

Another coup

Following a 1958 coup, Hadid became

in the government formed by the leading rebel, Brigadier

Abd al-Karim Qasim Abdul-Karim Qasim Muhammad Bakr al-Fadhli Al-Qaraghuli al-Zubaidi ( ' ; 21 November 1914 – 9 February 1963) was an Iraqi military officer and statesman who served as the Prime Minister and de facto leader of Iraq from 1958 until his ...

,Historical Dictionary of Iraq - Beth K. Dougherty
/ref> who became Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. As Minister of Finance, Hadid used credit loans from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to foster industry and pay for ambitious schemes to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi masses. He served in that capacity until March 1960. In 1963, another coup put the

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

briefly into power, and Hadid was put on trial, interned and deprived of his assets. Zaha Hadid Grave Brookwood Cemetery

Later years

After the third coup, he focused on business rather than politics. In 1995, he relocated to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he died on August 3, 1999, at the age of 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadid, Mohammed 1907 births 1999 deaths Arab people from the Ottoman Empire People from Mosul Iraqi emigrants to the United Kingdom Alumni of the London School of Economics Burials at Brookwood Cemetery Finance ministers of Iraq