Rashid al-Rifai
Encyclopedia
Rashid Muhammad-Said al-Rifai, (May 1, 1929 – September 3, 2009), was an Iraqi academic, Baathist, ambassador
and minister
of several establishments in Iraq
.
He was most noted for his highly successful posts as Oil
, Planning
, Housing
, Communication
s and Transportation Minister Between 1968 and 1975. Rifai is credited for playing a major role in the development
of the Iraqi infrastructure
during this seven year period.
He was later made Ambassador by special appointment to Belgium
(1975-1983), China
(1983-1986) and Japan
(1986-1993). After retiring in 1993, he served as an adviser to the Iraqi Foreign Minister, a member of the Iraqi Presidential Opinion Committee and a member of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad
, Iraq until the invasion and subsequent downfall of the government on April 9, 2003.
Rifai remained in Baghdad for the next three years but refused to participate in the new government on ideological bases. He left Baghdad in 2006 after the situation became intolerable and lived there with his wife, Nabiha al-Timimi in the Hashmite Kingdom of Jordan
. They have four children, Rabab, Said, Faris and Mazin.
south of the Capital. His mother, Fatima was a housewife until her death in 1982. As the oldest male in a family of seven children (2 girls and 5 boys), he spent most of his youth supporting his siblings.
with honors
, Rifai received a scholarship
to the American University of Beirut
(AUB), Lebanon
in 1949. There, while majoring in Mathematics
, he joined the Baath Party
in 1953. After graduating from AUB with honors, Rifai returned to Baghdad and was subsequently employed by the Iraqi National Telephone Company.
Rifai received another scholarship, this time to the University of Bristol
in the UK after the 1958 revolution which brought down the Iraqi Monarchy
at the time. Once again graduating with honors after four years, he returned again to the National Telephone Company in Baghdad.
Another scholarship came subsequently, this time to Purdue University
in Indiana
, USA. There Rashid graduated earned his M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering with honors which culminated in yet another scholarship at Rice University
in Houston, Texas
, this time earning him a Ph.D.
in the same subject.
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
and minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
of several establishments in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
He was most noted for his highly successful posts as Oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
, Planning
Planning
Planning in organizations and public policy is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior...
, Housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
, Communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
s and Transportation Minister Between 1968 and 1975. Rifai is credited for playing a major role in the development
Regional development
Regional development is the provision of aid and other assistance to regions which are less economically developed. Regional development may be domestic or international in nature...
of the Iraqi infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
during this seven year period.
He was later made Ambassador by special appointment to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
(1975-1983), China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(1983-1986) and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(1986-1993). After retiring in 1993, he served as an adviser to the Iraqi Foreign Minister, a member of the Iraqi Presidential Opinion Committee and a member of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq until the invasion and subsequent downfall of the government on April 9, 2003.
Rifai remained in Baghdad for the next three years but refused to participate in the new government on ideological bases. He left Baghdad in 2006 after the situation became intolerable and lived there with his wife, Nabiha al-Timimi in the Hashmite Kingdom of Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. They have four children, Rabab, Said, Faris and Mazin.
Early life
Rashid al-Rifai was born in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq at a time when it was very underdeveloped, the son of Muhammad-Said Alwan Rifai (1888-1979) a customs official who was originally from the city of Al Musayyib in Babil ProvinceProvince
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
south of the Capital. His mother, Fatima was a housewife until her death in 1982. As the oldest male in a family of seven children (2 girls and 5 boys), he spent most of his youth supporting his siblings.
Education
As a child, Rashid was gifted with an above average IQ, and says that he wanted to be an electrical engineer ever since he could remember. After graduating from high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
with honors
Honors student
An honors student is a person recognized for achieving high grades or high marks in their course work.Honors students may refer to# Students recognized for their academic achievement on lists published periodically throughout the school year, known as honor rolls, varying from school to school, and...
, Rifai received a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to the American University of Beirut
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
(AUB), 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...
in 1949. There, while majoring in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, he joined the Baath Party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
in 1953. After graduating from AUB with honors, Rifai returned to Baghdad and was subsequently employed by the Iraqi National Telephone Company.
Rifai received another scholarship, this time to the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
in the UK after the 1958 revolution which brought down the Iraqi Monarchy
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
at the time. Once again graduating with honors after four years, he returned again to the National Telephone Company in Baghdad.
Another scholarship came subsequently, this time to Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, USA. There Rashid graduated earned his M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering with honors which culminated in yet another scholarship at Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, this time earning him a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in the same subject.
Electrical Engineering
- The Effects of Drift Field and Field Gradient on the Quantum Efficiency of Photocells, Rice University, 1966.
Politics
- Iraq and Japan, Rationale and Horizons, Dept. of International Studies, Baghdad University, 1997
- Arabic Rationale , Kodansha, 1992
External links
- Purdue University Wall of Fame, 1964
- THE EFFECTS OF DRIFT FIELD AND FIELD GRADIENT ON THE QUANTUM EFFICIENCY OF PHOTOCELLS
- The Effects of Drift Field and Field Gradient on the Quantum Efficiency of Photocells.
- Japan National Press Club
- List of Official Mourners Representing Foreign Countries and International Organizations at the Funeral Ceremony of Emperor Showa
- The Iraqi Invasion: Tokyo Sees No Threat To Its Reserves of Oil
- Statement at the World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen, Denmark March 10, 1995
- http://books.google.com/books?id=P94aGqvRkjEC&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=rashid+rifai&source=bl&ots=_0Mjj94-hB&sig=zIri-QYROEG287-l6t1v_WPEByw&hl=en&ei=WIKtSpm8I52Ntgem47W1CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7#v=onepage&q=rashid%20rifai&f=false
- http://articles.latimes.com/1991-01-25/news/mn-792_1_military-transport
- http://rulers.org/fm2.html