Kasim Muhammad Taqi al-Sahlani

Kasim Muhammad Taqi al-Sahlani is an Iraqi politician. He is a member of the National Assembly of Iraq and is the head of the parliamentary bloc of the Islamic Dawa Party - Iraq Organisation, the fifth largest party within the ruling United Iraqi Alliance coalition. Further, he is a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee. [cite web| title = CAABU meeting with Iraqi Foreign Affairs Committee| publisher = Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding| date = 2007-03-14| url = http://www.caabu.org/events/past_events/meeting_iraqi_fac_march07/| accessdate = 2008-09-29]

Biography

Kasim Muhammad Taqi Al-Sahlani was born in Maysan in 1949. His Father Mohammad Taqi Ali Al-Sahlani was the Chief Administrator of the Maysan Governorate. Kasim Al-Sahlani Graduated from the Maysan Teaching Institute in 1969 and became a primary school teacher in Baghdad. Whilst teaching he also studied at the Al-Mustansiriya University. He graduated with a BA in Counselling, Guidance and Psychology.

In 1978 Kasim Al-Sahlani left Iraq for the USA where he studied for his PHD in Psychology. Unfortunately he was unable to complete the PHD as he became perused by members of the Bathist regime (Mokabaraat), and forced to abandon his studies. The next few years sow him travel to many countries before finally settling in the UK where he became an important figure in the Iraqi opposition to Saddam’s regime.

Kasim Al-Sahlani joined the Islamic Dawa Party in 1968 and became part of its leadership in 1994. Kasim Al-Sahlani was one of the first members of the Iraqi opposition to return to Iraq and begin his work in rebuilding the war torn country, he has been in Iraq since, and is currently a member of the Council of Representatives of Iraq, His eldest son Mohammed Kasim Al-Sahlani is an Iraqi diplomat working in the UK.

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