Wiam Maher Najib Wahhab (; born on 11 October 1964) is a Lebanese politician and journalist from Jahlieh,

Chouf District Chouf (also spelled Shouf, Shuf or Chuf; ) is a historic region of Lebanon, as well as an administrative district in the governorate ( muhafazat) of Mount Lebanon. Geography Located south-east of Beirut, the region comprises a narrow coastal stri ...

, and the founder of the Arab Unification Party.

Biography

Born to a

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

family, he ran for parliamentary elections in

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and won 12,000 votes but lost the elections. He heads the Arab Unification Party that he founded on 26 May 2006, and whose principles are based on cross-border:

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...

, sects, doctrines and narrow fanaticism, and his rejection of all forms of injustice, exploitation, feudalism, deprivation and sanctification of public freedoms and human rights. Wahhab was the target of assassination attempts in the

Hasbaya District The Hasbaya District is one of the four districts in the Nabatiyeh Governorate of Lebanon. It lies in the southeast, bordering Syria to the east and Israel to the south. The capital of the district is Hasbaya, a town with a population that is most ...

in 2006 and in the town of Kfar Him,

in 2008 for rejecting the feudal reality in the Druze community. Wahhab was in the 2018 parliamentary elections against the

March 8 Events Pre-1600 * 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem '' Shahnameh''. * 1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León. * 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between ...

and

March 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland. * 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the H ...

alliances, and the slogan of his battle was the war on corruption, and the list that led by a number of independent candidates for March 8 and 14. He received 13,000 votes and defeated candidate

Marwan Hamadeh Marwan Hamadeh (; born 11 September 1939) is a Lebanese journalist and politician, who served in various capacities in different cabinets, including minister of education, minister of telecommunications, minister of economy and trade, minister o ...

by preferential votes, with 7,391 votes against 7,266 yet still lost the elections since his list failed to reach the required electoral quotient. In the 2022 parliamentary elections Wahhab formed an electoral alliance with FPM and

Talal Arslan Emir Talal Arslan () is a Lebanese politician and political chief of the Druze sect. He is the chief of the Arslan family, who claim to be descendants of the Lakhmids. Early life Arslan was born in Choueifat to the late Druze leader Emir Maj ...

yet lost the elections once again.

Controversy

During a television interview, Wahhab made disparaging comments about the

Niqab A niqāb, niqab, or niqaab (; ), also known as a ruband () or rubandah (), is a long garment worn by some Muslim women in order to cover their entire body and face, excluding their eyes. It is an interpretation in Islam of the concept of ...

which Saudi women wear. Sunni Muslim groups protested. Wahhab apologized to Saudi women for the niqab remarks. Wahhab commented on

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

's warnings to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

during the 2011 uprising by claiming that Syria and

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

were prepared to launch 100,000 rockets at Turkey if it tried to invade. The US has placed financial sanctions on Wahhab. Following the

Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present) An ongoing conflict between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel began on 8 October 2023, when List of projectile attacks from Lebanon on Israel and the Golan Heights, Hezbollah launched rockets and artillery at Israeli positions ...

and its impact on Lebanon, Wahhab was quoted saying: “We must permanently abandon this mentality of war with Israel,”, he continued and said: “the only victor in the region is Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

, who continues to reshape the Middle East.”

Personal life

Wahhab's daughter, Rida, played for the

Lebanon national football team The Lebanon national football team, controlled by the Lebanese Football Association (LFA), have represented Lebanon in association football since their inception in 1933. The squad is governed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) contin ...

References

External links

*
نشأة حزب التوحيد العربيمبادئ الحزبLebanon: Shouf-Aley District to Turn into Electoral Battleground
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wahhab, Wiam 1964 births Living people People from Chouf District Lebanese Arab nationalists Lebanese Druze people Political party founders Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List