Yonadam Yousip Kanna (, also known as Rabi Yacoub Yosep) is an Assyrian politician and the first

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

member of the Iraqi National Assembly since 2003. Kanna also served as the Secretary General of the

Assyrian Democratic Movement The Assyrian Democratic Movement (, , ADM), popularly known as Zowaa (), is an Assyrian political party situated in Iraq, and one of the main Assyrian parties within the Iraqi parliament. The Assyrian Democratic Movement states its aims are to e ...

from 2001 to 2023.

Early life and education

Yonadam Yousip Kanna was born in Al-Anbar,

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 ...

in 1951. He completed his tertiary education at the University of Sulaymaniyah in 1975, graduating with a B.S. degree in

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

Political career

Assyrian Democratic Movement

Yonadam Kanna is one of the founding members of the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM) and participated in the secret movement from its inception in 1979 until the

1991 uprisings in Iraq The 1991 Iraqi uprisings were ethnic and religious uprisings against Saddam Hussein, Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist Iraq, Ba'athist regime in Iraq that were led by Shia Islam in Iraq, Shia Arabs and Kurds in Iraq, Kurds. The uprisings lasted f ...

. In 1984, Kanna was sentenced to death in absentia by the Ba'ath led Iraqi government for participating in a group that opposed the Iraqi regime. Kanna was the former Secretary-General of the ADM after succeeding Ninos Pithyou in 2001 during the third congress of the ADM held in

Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...

. In addition to leading the ADM, Kanna also heads the Al-Rafidain National List that participates in the Iraqi parliamentary elections.

Kurdistan Regional Government

Kanna is a former

Kurdistan Regional Government The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the official executive body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The cabinet is selected by the majority party or list who also select the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdish poli ...

minister who was appointed as a Minister of Housing and Public Works in KRG from 1992 to 1999 and later served as Minister of Industry and Energy from 1999 to 2001.

Iraq Government

Kanna was a founding member of the

Iraqi Governing Council The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) was the provisional government of Iraq from 13 July 2003 to 1 June 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The IGC consisted of various Iraqi ...

that was created following the

Invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

led by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 2003. In the same year, Kanna held the position of Chairman of the 'Committee on Reconstruction and Public Services for the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian component'. In December 2004, Kanna was a member of the National Transitional Council and served as a chairman for Age and Public Services. He was elected to 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 ...

as head of the Al Rafideen National List in the

January January is the first month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the No ...

and

December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. December's name derives from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in t ...

2005 elections. During the same year, Kanna became a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee that developed the current

Constitution of Iraq The Constitution of the Republic of Iraq ( Kurdish: دەستووری عێراق) is the fundamental law of Iraq. The first constitution came into force in 1925. The current constitution was adopted on September 18, 2005 by the Transitional Nati ...

. From 2006 to 2010, Kanna was vice-chairman of the 'Economy, Investment and Reconstruction Committee'. During the Iraqi parliamentary election, 2010, Kanna was one of five Christians elected into the Iraq National Assembly, continuing from his first term in 2005. Kanna was re-elected for his third term during the Iraqi parliamentary election, 2014 claiming the Baghdad seat as part of the five seats in the Christian quota. In 2015, Kanna pushed for an educational curriculum that prevents the " Daesh mentality" through widespread and in-depth education and cultural programs to address feelings of injustice and exclusion. In addition to other Assyrian political figures, Kanna has pressured the Iraqi government to develop a self-governed province in the

Nineveh Plains Nineveh Plains (, Modern ; ; ) is a region in Nineveh Governorate in Iraq. Located to the north and east of the city Mosul, it is the only Christian-majority region in Iraq and have been a gathering point for Iraqi Christians since 2003. Control o ...

to be formed in the federal state of Iraq to protect minorities and allow them to govern their own communities.

External links

Interview with Yonadam Kanna in the Christian Science Monitor
August 2003
Interview with Kanna in Zinda Magazine
November 2002

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanna, Yonadam Assyrian nationalists Iraqi Assyrian politicians Members of the Council of Representatives of Iraq Iraqi Christians Rafidain List politicians Living people 1951 births People from Al Anbar Governorate University of Sulaymaniyah alumni Assyrian Democratic Movement politicians Iraqi Assyrian people