Abdul Karim Paz (born Santiago Ricardo Paz Zuberbühler Bullrich) is an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

Shi'i

sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

, head

imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

of the At-Tauhid ("the Oneness") mosque in the Floresta neighbourhood. He is known for holding pro-Iran views on

AMIA bombing The AMIA bombing occurred on 18 July 1994 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and targeted the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA; ), a Jewish Community Centre. Executed as a suicidal attack, a bomb-laden van was driven into the AMIA buildi ...

case."Argentinos que estudian para ayatollahs"
, ''Clarín'', Retrieved 04 August 2018 Paz serves also as a representative of Organización Islámica Argentina."Sheikh Abdul Karim Paz"
''Center for Security Policy'', Retrieved 04 August 2018 He holds close links with social leader Luis D'Elía and '' piquetero'' leader Fernando Esteche, as well as with Mohsen Rabbani, former cultural attaché at the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires and accused in the AMIA trial."El sheij iraní que es primo de Patricia Bullrich"
''En Orsai'', Retrieved 04 August 2018

Biography

Paz is descended from an aristocratic Argentine family. He was educated at the elitist Catholic school San Martín de Tours but later converted to Islam, at the age of 18, after becoming acquainted with Arab and

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

cultures through a college professor, while pursuing philosophy studies at UBA."Isis, Estado Islamico y organizaciones extremistas en Medio Oriente"
''YouTube'', Retrieved 04 August 2018 He then spent 5 years studying in

Qom Qom (also spelled as "Ghom", "Ghum", or "Qum") ( fa, قم ) is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. Qom is the capital of Qom Province. It is located to the south of Tehran. At the 2016 census, its popul ...

, Iran, studying

Islamic jurisprudence ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and e ...

and theology at the

Al-Mustafa International University Al-Mustafa International University (MIU) ( ar, جامعة المصطفىٰ العالمية; fa, جامعه المصطفی العالمیه, ''Jam'h-e Almistâfi-ye Al'alâmih'') is an international academic, Islamic and university-style seminar ...

, returning to Buenos Aires in 1993 with the honorific title of Hujjat al-Islam and a master's degree in Islamic theology. He then briefly moved to Santiago Chile, where he set up an Islamic cultural centre. His wife, Masuma Assad Paz, is the head of the Argentine Muslim Women's League, the editor of Moazzen, and director of the activities of the Argentine Islamic Aid and Relief Committee and the Argentine Islamic Cultural Institute."The mounting Hezbollah threat in Latin America"
''American Enterprise Institute'', Retrieved 04 August 2018 Paz is a cousin of

Patricia Bullrich Patricia Bullrich (born 11 June 1956) is an Argentine politician. She was Minister of Security under President Mauricio Macri and is the chairwoman of Republican Proposal. Born in Buenos Aires, Bullrich graduated from the University of Palermo a ...

and close relative to

Esteban Bullrich Esteban José Bullrich (born 26 May 1969, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine politician. A member of Republican Proposal (PRO), he served as a National Senator for Buenos Aires Province from 2017 to 2021, and as Minister of Education from 2015 to 2 ...

, both of them being Ministers of the

Macri Macri or Macrì is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Antonio Macrì (ca. 1902 – 1975), Italian leader of the 'Ndrangheta *Dumitru Macri (born 1931), Romanian footballer * Federica Macrì (born 1990), Italian artistic gymnast *F ...

administration."El sheij iraní que es primo de Patricia Bullrich"
''En Orsai'', Retrieved 04 August 2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paz, Abdul Karim Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Argentine Muslims Argentine religious leaders Converts to Shia Islam from Catholicism University of Buenos Aires alumni