Nabih Berri
Encyclopedia
Nabih Berri is the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon
. He heads the mostly Shi'a Amal Movement
.
, Sierra Leone
to Lebanese parents. He went to school in Tebnine
and Ain Ebel
in southern Lebanon
and later studied at the Makassed and the Ecole de la Sagesse in Beirut
. He obtained a law degree in 1963 from the Lebanese University
, where he had served as the student body president, and became a lawyer at the Court of Appeals. During the 1960s, he joined the Arab Nationalist Movement
.
as a lawyer
for General Motors. He also lived in the Detroit area from 1976 to 1978.
He held a series of positions in the Amal movement
during the late 1970s, after the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr
, a Shi'a cleric who disappeared under mysterious circumstances while on a trip to Libya
in 1978, and who is thought to have been killed on the orders of Muammar al-Gaddafi
.
. He subsequently joined the National Unity government as Minister for Southern Reconstruction, and later, he served as Minister of Justice and of Electrical and Hydraulic Resources, under Prime Minister Rashid Karami
. He also was Minister of Housing and Co-operatives and Minister of State.
On 3 June 2003, he was elected President of the Arab Parliament
, which he assumed on 1 March the following year.
According to a Wikileaks cable, Berri is losing supporters due to his rampant corruption. Furthermore, prominent independent Shia leaders claim that Berri receives a US$400,000 a month from Iran for his political services.
Parliament of Lebanon
The Parliament of Lebanon is the national parliament of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year terms in multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's diverse Christian and Muslim denominations. Lebanon has universal adult suffrage...
. He heads the mostly Shi'a Amal Movement
Amal Movement
Amal Movement is short for the Lebanese Resistance Detachments the acronym for which, in Arabic, is "amal", meaning "hope."Amal was founded in 1975 as the militia wing of the Movement of the Disinherited, a Shi'a political movement founded by Musa...
.
Biography
He was born in BoBo, Sierra Leone
Bo is the second largest city in Sierra Leone and the largest city in the Southern Province. It lies about 164 miles south-east of Freetown and had a population 149,957 in the 2004 census, with a current estimate is 231,494 . The city serve as the capital and administrative center of Bo District...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
to Lebanese parents. He went to school in Tebnine
Tebnine
Tebnine is a Mediterranean village spread across several hills located about east of Tyre , in the heart of what is known as "Jabal Amel" or the mountain of "Amel". "Jabal Amel" designates the plateau situated between the western mountain range of Lebanon and the Galilee...
and Ain Ebel
Ain Ebel
Ain Ebel is a village located in the Caza of Bint Jbeil in the Nabatiye Governorate in Lebanon.-Etymology:Historians as Anis Freiha and Fr Youakim Moubarak believe that the name of Ain-Ebel derives from two words,"Ain" and "Ibl".The first means spring as many places in Lebanon are named,and the...
in southern Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and later studied at the Makassed and the Ecole de la Sagesse in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. He obtained a law degree in 1963 from the Lebanese University
Lebanese University
The Lebanese University is the only public institution for higher learning in Lebanon. Founded in 1951, it has 17 faculties as of 2006 and serves various cultural, religious, and social groups of students and teachers....
, where he had served as the student body president, and became a lawyer at the Court of Appeals. During the 1960s, he joined the Arab Nationalist Movement
Arab Nationalist Movement
The Arab Nationalist Movement , also known as the Movement of Arab Nationalists and the Harakiyyin, was a pan-Arab nationalist organization influential in much of the Arab world, most famously so within the Palestinian movement.-Origins & Ideology:The Arab Nationalist Movement had its origins in a...
.
Early career
In the early 1970s, he worked in BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
for General Motors. He also lived in the Detroit area from 1976 to 1978.
He held a series of positions in the Amal movement
Amal Movement
Amal Movement is short for the Lebanese Resistance Detachments the acronym for which, in Arabic, is "amal", meaning "hope."Amal was founded in 1975 as the militia wing of the Movement of the Disinherited, a Shi'a political movement founded by Musa...
during the late 1970s, after the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr
Musa al-Sadr
For the Twelver Shī‘ah Imām, see Mūsá al-KāżimMūsá aṣ-Ṣadr , also Musā-ye Sader and Moussa Sadr), was an Iranian-Lebanese philosopher and Shī‘ah religious leader who disappeared in August 1978...
, a Shi'a cleric who disappeared under mysterious circumstances while on a trip to Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
in 1978, and who is thought to have been killed on the orders of Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
.
Civil war years
In 1984, Berri was elected leader of the Amal movement, and led it during the fierce fighting of the Lebanese Civil WarLebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
. He subsequently joined the National Unity government as Minister for Southern Reconstruction, and later, he served as Minister of Justice and of Electrical and Hydraulic Resources, under Prime Minister Rashid Karami
Rashid Karami
Rashid Abdul Hamid Karami was a Lebanese statesman. He was one of the most important political figures in Lebanon for more than 30 years, including during much of Lebanese Civil War , and he served as Prime Minister eight times.- Background :Rashid Karami was born in Tripoli, into one of...
. He also was Minister of Housing and Co-operatives and Minister of State.
Later political career
Berri again served as a Cabinet minister from 1989 to 1992, and he was elected speaker of the National Assembly on 20 November 1992 at the head of the "Liberation of the South Movement" list. On 8 September 1996, his list, the Liberation and Development list, won the legislative elections and he was once again re-elected Speaker.On 3 June 2003, he was elected President of the Arab Parliament
Arab Parliament
At the Arab League Summit of 2001-Amman, the Arab states agreed to create an Arab Parliament, and came up with a resolution to give the Secretary General of the Arab League the power to start and create the Parliament...
, which he assumed on 1 March the following year.
According to a Wikileaks cable, Berri is losing supporters due to his rampant corruption. Furthermore, prominent independent Shia leaders claim that Berri receives a US$400,000 a month from Iran for his political services.
External links
- Lebanese Parliament Profile
- Nabih Berri collected news and commentary at Ya LibnanYa LibnanYa Libnan Oh Lebanon, is a Lebanese media outlet that delivers English-language news from Beirut to an international audience. Ya Libnan was founded by volunteers in Lebanon immediately after the assassination of Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005...
- Profile at LookLex Encyclopedia