Hero Ibrahim Ahmed (born 12 June 1948) is the former First Lady of Iraq and the widow of

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 ...

Early life

She was born on 12 June 1948 to an active political family that was struggling against Kurdish oppression in

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 ...

. Her father,

Ibrahim Ahmad Ibrahim Ahmad (6 March 1914 – 8 April 2000) (alternatively spelt Ibrahim Ahmed or Ibrahîm Ehmed) ( kmr, Ibrahîm Ehmed, ckb, ئیبراهیم ئه‌حمه‌د) was a Kurdish writer, novelist, judge and translator who founded the Patrioti ...

was imprisoned at

Abu Graib Abu Ghraib (; ar, أبو غريب, ''Abū Ghurayb'') is a city in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq, located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000 (2003). The old road t ...

in the 1950s which motivated her to follow politics. Her family was exiled to

Kirkuk Kirkuk ( ar, كركوك, ku, کەرکووک, translit=Kerkûk, , tr, Kerkük) is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located north of Baghdad. The city is home to a diverse population of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, ...

in 1954 and placed under house arrest until their return to

Silemani Sulaymaniyah, also spelled as Slemani ( ku, سلێمانی, Silêmanî, ar, السليمانية, as-Sulaymāniyyah), is a city in the east of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, not far from the Iran–Iraq border. It is surrounded by the Azmar, Go ...

in 1953. Upon returning her father was wounded in an assassination attempt. Her family moved 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 ...

in 1958, where Hero pursued an education. She couldn't finish her education because of a military coup in

which forced her family to flee to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, where she again resumed her education. In 1972 she graduated from

Al-Mustansiriya University Mustansiriyah University (Arabic: الجامعة المستنصرية) is a university in Baghdad, Iraq. History The original Mustansiriya Madrasah was established in 1227 (or 1232/34 A.D. by some accounts) by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustansir ...

in Psychology, and gave birth to her eldest son Bafil.

Career

She is active in the media and is the founder of one of the major Kurdish TV Channel -

Kurdsat TV Kurdsat Broadcasting Corporation ( ku, کوردسات, translit=Kurdsat) is a satellite television station in Kurdistan Region, Iraq, broadcasting since 8 January 2000. It belonged to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and is based in Sulayman ...

. She is a member and the de facto leader 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 describe ...

politburo after being elected in the PUK 3rd congress in June 2010. She actively promotes art and culture and has been instrumental in supporting the younger generation artists. Being a musician herself, Hero has supported several music projects, both for fund raising and for the media, and is committed to continuing her support in the future. Hero is also a women's right activist promoting music and art. She used the

Kurdsat Kurdsat Broadcasting Corporation ( ku, کوردسات, translit=Kurdsat) is a satellite television station in Kurdistan Region, Iraq, broadcasting since 8 January 2000. It belonged to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and is based in Sulayma ...

TV channel to launch multiple women awareness projects. Hero is currently the director o
''Kurdistan Save the Children'' (KSC)
a charity organisation that aims to provide food, shelter and education for thousands of displaced orphans. She recognised that at that time a grassroots

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

organization was very much needed, as the involvement of local staff would ensure a better understanding of people's needs. On 4 May 2008, while travelling to a cultural festival in Baghdad's National Theatre, a bomb exploded near her motorcade. Four of her bodyguards were injured, however Hero was not. It was unclear if Hero was the target of the bombing. This occurred on the same day as four U.S. marines were killed in Anbar Province by a roadside bomb. She is the sister of

Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed (born 1954) is a Kurdish Iraqi politician, writer, member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and current first lady of Iraq. Her husband is President Abdul Latif Rashid. She speaks Kurdish, Arabic, Persian and English, she ...

, wife of Iraqi President

Abdul Latif Rashid Abdul Latif Rashid (; born 10 August 1944), also known as Latif Rashid () is an Iraqi Kurdish politician and the ninth president of Iraq, following the 2022 Iraqi presidential election. He was previously the Minister of Water Resources under th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Hero Ibrahim 1948 births Living people Iraqi Kurdistani politicians Patriotic Union of Kurdistan politicians Al-Mustansiriya University alumni 21st-century Kurdish women politicians