Samir Sumaidaie
Encyclopedia
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....
i politician and the Iraqi ambassador
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....
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was born 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...
in 1944 and left Iraq in 1960 to study in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where he obtained a degree in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
in 1965 and a postgraduate diploma in 1966. He returned to Iraq in 1966 but left again for the UK in 1973 after Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
seized power. He returned to Baghdad and was appointed member of the Iraq Governing Council
Governing Council
A Governing Council is a council which is mandated by the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus which was signed by Pope Benedict XVI on 4 November 2009 in order to help the ordinary run the personal ordinariate.The functions of the council are:...
in July 2003. He was appointed as Iraq's ambassador
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....
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in April 2006, after previously serving as the Iraq's Permanent Representative to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(from August 2004), and prior to that, as Baghdad's Interior Minister
Interior minister
An interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...
. He is secular and rejects any sectarian label.
During his years of exile, based in London, and traveling in the Mid- and Far- East, He was a leading figure in the opposition to Saddam's regime and helped form a number of political groups.
In July 2005 Sumaidaie demanded an inquiry into the fatal shooting (which he has described as "cold-blooded") of his cousin during a routine house to house search by US Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
in Iraq.
In November 2007 he visited The Fletcher School at Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
where he gave a speech on the history and current situation in Iraq.
In March 2010 he visited the renowned Elliott School of International Affairs
Elliott School of International Affairs
The Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University is a professional school in international relations. It is located in the heart of Washington, D.C...
at The George Washington University
His daughter, Rend Shakir, an entrepreneur based in Cambridge UK in the area of wireless mesh networking, is also a civil rights activist promoting communication between Muslims and non Muslims to mobilise support for fundamental freedoms and human rights.
External links
- The Ambassador speaks about cultural heritage at the Penn Museum
- The Washington Diplomat Newspaper - Ambassador profile
- Official bio
- BBC News: Iraq envoy accuses US of killing, July 2005
- CNN interview with Sumaidaie: Marines shot my cousin, May 2006
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/cambridgeshire/content/articles/2006/01/10/qandawifi_feature.shtml
- http://www.rendsworld.com/
- http://www.cambridgematrix.co.uk/index.php
- http://lake.blogs.com/my_weblog/2005/04/
- http://marchforfreeexpression.blogspot.com/
- http://www.whatnextjournal.co.uk/pages/Latest/MFE.html
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/62904285@N00/118075442
- http://muslim-action-committee.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html (Rend Shakir's speech at the March for Free Expression Rally in Trafalgar Square in March 2006