Muhammad Fuad Masum ( ar, محمد فؤاد معصوم هورامي, translit=Muḥammad Fū’ād Ma‘ṣūm; , born 1 January 1938) is an Iraqi
Kurdish politician who served as the seventh
president of Iraq
The president of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Con ...
from 24 July 2014 to 2 October 2018. He was elected as president following the
2014 parliamentary election.
Masum is the second non-Arab president of
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, succeeding
Jalal Talabani
Jalal Talabani ( ku, مام جەلال تاڵەبانی, translit=Celal Talebanî; ar, جلال طالباني ; 1933 – 3 October 2017) was an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the sixth president of Iraq from 2006 to 2014, as well as ...
, also Kurdish, and was a confidant of Talabani.
Early life and education
Fuad Masum was born in the city of
Koya
Koya may refer to:
Places Iraq
* Koya; ( ar, كيويسنجق), a town in Iraqi Kurdistan
** Koya University, a university in that town
Japan
* Mount Kōya, a mountain in Japan
** Kōya, Wakayama, a town on the top of Mount Kōya
* Kōya Stati ...
. He was the son Mullah Masum Khider, a former head of the
Association of Muslim Scholars
The Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq (Arabic: هيئة علماء المسلمين في العراق ''Hayat al-Ulama al-Muslimin Fi al-Iraq'') is a group of religious leaders in Iraq. It was formed on the April 14, 2003, four days after t ...
in Kurdistan, who belongs to an established political dynasty with Muslim clerical links. His family descends from the village of Khabanen, which is part of
Hawraman.
He studied at various religious schools in
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan ( ku, باشووری کوردستان, Başûrê Kurdistanê) refers to the Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of "Kurdistan" in Western Asia, which also inc ...
until the age of 18. He studied
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
and
Sharia
Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
at
Baghdad University
The University of Baghdad (UOB) ( ar, جامعة بغداد ''Jāmi'at Baghdād'') is the largest university in Iraq, tenth largest in the Arab world, and the largest university in the Arab world outside Egypt.
Nomenclature
Both University ...
.
In 1958, Masum traveled to
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metr ...
to complete his higher education at
Al-Azhar University
, image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg
, image_size = 250
, caption = Al-Azhar University portal
, motto =
, established =
*970/972 first foundat ...
.
He worked as a professor in
Basrah University in 1968.
He earned his PhD in
Islamic philosophy
Islamic philosophy is philosophy that emerges from the Islamic tradition. Two terms traditionally used in the Islamic world are sometimes translated as philosophy—falsafa (literally: "philosophy"), which refers to philosophy as well as logic, ...
from Al-Azhar in 1975.
Political career
Communist Party
Masum joined the
Iraqi Communist Party
The Iraqi Communist Party ( ar, الحزب الشيوعي العراقي '; ku, Partiya Komunista Iraqê حزبی شیوعی عێراق) is a communist party and the oldest active party in Iraq. Since its foundation in 1934, it has dominated the ...
in 1962, until 1964, where he travelled to
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
to meet the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel ...
secretary there,
Khalid Bakdash
Khalid Bakdash (occasionally spelled Khalid Bagdash or Khaled Bekdache, ar, خالد بكداش) (1912 – July 15, 1995) was a Syrian politician who lead the Syrian Communist Party (SCP) from 1936 until his death in 1995. In 1954, Bakdash became ...
.
After Masum discovered Bakdash's attitudes against the
Kurds ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...
, he quit the party to join the
Kurdistan Democratic Party
The Kurdistan Democratic Party ( ku, Partiya Demokrat a Kurdistanê; پارتی دیموکراتی کوردستان), usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK, is the largest party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional G ...
(PDK).
Kurdistan Democratic Party
In 1968, Masum was the
PDK representative in
Basra
Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is han ...
. He was also the representative of the
Kurdish Revolution in Cairo until 1975.
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Masum was one of the founders of the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK; ku, یەکێتیی نیشتمانیی کوردستان, translit=Yekîtiya Nîştimanî ya Kurdistanê) is a political party active in Kurdistan Region and the disputed territories in Iraq. The PUK descri ...
(PUK) in 1976.
By 1992, he was the first
Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region.
In 2003, following the
invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
, Masum returned to
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
to be a member of the delegation representing Kurdistan, and was a member of the constitution drafting committee.
In 2010, Masum became the first
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** In ...
of the
Council of Representatives.
Presidency
In 2014, he was elected by the parliament representatives as the seventh president of Iraq.
Masum won 211 votes while his closest competitor,
Barham Salih
Barham Salih ( ku, بەرھەم ساڵح, Berhem Salih; ar, برهم صالح; born 12 September 1960) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the eighth president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022.
He is the former prime minister of the Kurdist ...
,
only received 17.
The decision was made during a secret vote of Kurdish MPs, who traditionally have control over the presidency for the sake of political balance.
United Nations Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Ministe ...
was present in Iraq when the decision was made, meeting with Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki about the need for a more inclusive government.
Masum accepted the position, noting the "huge security, political and economic tasks" he faces as president.
On 26 August, Masum appointed a new prime minister,
Haider al-Abadi
Haider Jawad Kadhim al-Abadi ( ar, حيدر جواد كاظم العبادي; born 25 April 1952) is an Iraqi politician who was Prime Minister of Iraq from September 2014 until October 2018. Previously he served as Minister of Communication fro ...
.
Masum's appointment of Haider al-Abadi as new prime minister was considered illegal by
Nouri al-Maliki and in violation of the constitution. Maliki said that in spite of his erosion of power it was his duty to remain in power because the appointment was a conspiracy rooted from outside of Iraq. Al-Maliki referred the matter to the federal court claiming, "the insistence on this until the end is to protect the state."
However, on 14 August 2014, in the face of growing calls from world leaders and members of his own party, the embattled prime minister announced he was stepping down, paving the way for al-Abadi to take over.
Personal life
Masum is married to Rounak Abdulwahid Mustafa and has five daughters: Shereen (b. 1969),
Juwan (b. 1972), Zozan (b. 1977), Shilan (b. 1979) and Veian (b. 1983). He had a son, Showan (1973–1988), who died from a childhood illness.
References
External links
*
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masum, Fuad
1938 births
Al-Azhar University alumni
Iraqi Kurdish people
Iraqi politicians
Iraqi Sunni Muslims
Kurdish Muslims
Living people
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan politicians
People from Koy Sanjaq
Presidents of Iraq
Prime Ministers of Kurdistan Region
Speakers of the Council of Representatives of Iraq
Kurdish politicians