Safia Taleb Ali al-Suhail

Safia Taleb Ali al-Suhail is an Iraqi politician and a member of the Council of Representatives of Iraq who was elected in December 2005 for the secular Iraqi National List.

Background

Safia was born in 1965 to a Lebanese mother. Her father, Sheikh Taleb al-Souhail al-Tamimi, was himself also the leader of the Banu Tamim tribe. He fled Iraq with his family to Lebanon after the Baath Party coup of Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr in 1968. Safia later lived in Amman, Washington and Paris. [http://quickstart.clari.net/qs_se/webnews/wed/ci/Qiraq-netherlands.RWqQ_DNK.html Iraqi activist fights for democracy and women's rights] , "Agence France Press" via "ClariNet", 2003-11-20, accessed on 2007-09-21]

Sheikh al-Tamimi was assassinated in Beirut in 1994, reportedly after planning a coup against Saddam Hussein which was foiled when the United States allegedly tipped off Hussein. [ [http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=1379 US Secretly Helped Saddam] , "Al-Bawaba" via "TruthSeeker", 2003-12-20, accessed on 2007-09-21] Safia took over her father's opposition role, arming opposition Iraqi groups, editing the opposition newspaper "Al Manar Al Arabi" and becoming the advocacy director for the International Alliance for Justice, a Paris-based human rights organisation.

In December 2002 she met Prime Minister Tony Blair to report the human rights abuses in Iraq under Saddam Hussein. The following month she wrote an article criticising the United Nations for investigating weapons of mass destruction but not investigating "crimes against the Iraqi people". She called for the establishment of a UN Commission to investigate human rights abuses and for Saddam Hussein to be indicted for genocide and crimes against humanity. [http://www.defenddemocracy.org/usr_doc/Ongoing_War.pdf] Saddam Hussein’sWar Against Iraq, "Foundation for the Defense of Democracy", 2003-01-01, accessed on 2007-09-21]

She was also appointed in December 2003 as a member of the anti-Saddam Hussein opposition in exile "Follow-Up and Arrangement Committee" as a member of the "National Campaign to Free Iraq from Dictatorship".

Return to Iraq

al-Suhail returned to Iraq following the Invasion of Iraq in March 2003 by the United States and allied forces.

In June 2004, her Kurdish husband, Bakhtyar Amin, was appointed Minister of Human Rights in the Iraqi Interim Government of Iyad Allawi. [http://www.kurdistancorporation.com/government_iraq_ambassadors.htm LIST OF NEWLY APPOINTED IRAQI AMBASSADORS AROUND THE WORLD] , "Kurdistan Development Corporation", 2007-02-09, accessed on 2007-09-21] The following month, al-Suhail was appointed as Iraqi Ambassador to Egypt. [ [http://www.juancole.com/2004/10/womens-issues-in-iraq-ash-sharq-al.html Women's Issues in Iraq] , "Ash-Sharq al-Awsat" via "Informed Comment", 2004-10-12, accessed on 2007-09-21]

In February 2005 she appeared next to Laura Bush for President George W Bush's 2005 State of the Union Address as leader of the "Iraqi Women's Political Council". [ [http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2005/photoessay3/03.html State of the Union 2005] , "The White House", 2005-02-02, accessed on 2007-09-21] She then put herself forward as a candidate for the President of Iraq. [ [http://www.aina.org/news/20050225100330.htm Iraqi Woman Ambassador to Vie for Presidency] , "Assyrian International News Agency", 2005-02-25, accessed on 2007-09-21]

During negotiations over the Constitution of Iraq she called for Islam to be made "a" main source" for legislation and not "the" main source". She complained that the gains in women's rights since 1959 had been lost. [ [http://sharoncobb.blogspot.com/2005/08/remember-iraqi-woman-who-sat-next-to.html Iraqi activist taken up by Bush recants her views] , "The Independent", 2005-08-28, accessed on 2007-09-21]

In November 2005 she was reported to have started a list - the "Iraqi Pledge Coalition" - with other Iraqi Women to campaign in the forthcoming elections to amend Article 39 of the Constitution of Iraq which deals with personal status law. [ [http://www.hri.org/news/balkans/rferl/2005/05-11-03.rferl.html IRAQI WOMEN ANNOUNCE ELECTORAL LIST] , "Radio Free Europe", 2005-11-03, accessed on 2007-09-21] However, following the elections she was nominated a member of the Council of Representatives of Iraq for the secular Iraqi National List of Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

In September 2007 she was reported to have left the Iraqi National List grouping in the Council of Representatives, complaining that Allawi was highhanded and the party lacked strategic vision. [ [http://www.juancole.com/2007/09/allawi-rejects-al-malikis-charge-of.html Allawi Rejects al-Maliki's charge of Treason] , "al-Sharq al-Awsat" via "Informed Comment", 2007-09-21, accessed on 2007-09-21]

References

Literature

*Johanna Awad-Geissler: "Safia. Eine Scheichtochter kämpft für ihr Land." Droemer, München 2006. "Safia, la hija de un jeque lucha por el futuro de Irak." Maeva, Madrid 2004. "De muze van Bagdad." Arena, Amsterdam, 2005.