Hussain al-Shahristani

Hussain Ibrahim Saleh al-Shahristani is the current Iraqi Minister of Oil. The Shiite is a former nuclear scientist who was imprisoned in Abu Ghraib and subjected to torture for using his powerful government position to make and distribute pamphlets urging Iraq's Shiite soldiers to abandon the army and fight against their fellow soldiers and officers.Fact|date=June 2008 "While imprisoned and tortured at Abu Ghraib prison for 11 years under Saddam Hussein for 'religious activities,' he refused to help build a nuclear weapon for the country." [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1075417.ece Profile: Hussain al-Shahristani] , "Times Online", 2004-05-26 ]

An independent member of the United Iraqi Alliance, he was previously the deputy speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly under the Iraqi Transitional Government and was considered for the post of Prime Minister in the current government.Fact|date=February 2007

He was appointed oil minister in May 2006 after the Islamic Virtue Party, which is also Shia and previously held the oil portfolio had withdrawn from the government coalition. By August, however, he was under pressure as the fuel crisis had worsened under his tenure. [ [http://www.juancole.com/2006/08/civil-war-violence-explodes-throughout.html Civil War Violence Explodes Throughout Iraq] , "Informed Comment", 2006-08-28 ]

Further reading

*Glanz, J. Iraq Compromise on Oil Law Seems to Be Collapsing. New York Times (Late New York Edition) (September 13 2007) p. A1, A11
*Glanz, J. In Iraq, a Quest to Rebuild One More Broken Edifice: Science. New York Times (Late New York Edition) (August 31 2004) p. F1, F4
*Bond, M. Saying no to Saddam [Interview] . New Scientist v. 182 (June 26 2004) p. 44-7
*Watson, A. The Very Model of a Modern Iraqi Dissident [Interview] . Science v. 298 (November 22 2002) p. 1543-4
*Dyer, G. Two for the Peace Prize [nominating M. Vanunu and H. Shahristani] . World Press Review v. 45 no. 4 (April 1998) p. 48

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