Misha'an al-Juburi ( ar, مشعان الجبوري; born 1 August 1955) is an
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 the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
i politician from the
Sunni Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
community and member of
Al-Arabiya Coalition. He also was the head of
Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc
The Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc or Kutla al-Musalaha wa't-Tahrir was an Iraqi political party. The Sunni, liberal, and secularist party was founded as the Iraqi Homeland Party in Jordan in 1995 by exiles from Saddam's regime. A prominent ...
, which held three seats in the
Iraqi Council of Representatives
The Council of Representatives ( ar, مجلس النواب, Majlis an-Nuwwāb al-ʿIrāqiyy; ku, ئهنجومهنی نوێنهران, ''Enjumen-e Nûnerên''), usually referred to simply as the Parliament is the unicameral legislatur ...
from 2005 to 2010. Juburi is the publisher of the
al-Itijah al-Akhar newspaper and the owner of the Syrian-based
Arrai TV
Arrai TV ( ar, قناة الرأي) was an Arabic-language television station based in Syria. The channel was owned by Misha'an al-Juburi. During the Libyan Civil War in 2011, it was used by overseas Libyans to defend the Gaddafi government, den ...
. He is a leader of the
Jiburi clan, which is powerful in
Salahuddin Governorate
The Saladin or Salah Al-Din Governorate ( ar, محافظة صلاح الدين) is one of Iraq's 19 governorates, north of Baghdad. It has an area of , with an estimated population of 1,042,200 people in 2003. It is made up of 8 districts, with t ...
. As of 2016, he is a senior member of a parliamentary committee investigating official corruption.
Role under Saddam
Al-Juburi was born in 1955 in the town of
Al-Shirqat, located between
Tikrit
Tikrit ( ar, تِكْرِيت ''Tikrīt'' , Syriac: ܬܲܓܪܝܼܬܼ ''Tagrīṯ'') is a city in Iraq, located northwest of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Governorate. , it h ...
and
Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...
.
His father was a junior leader of a branch of the powerful Juburi Clan.
In an interview in 1995, Juburi said the President met him in 1975 and gave him cash, a car and facilitated him becoming a
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
, buying his loyalty and admiration. During the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Ba'athist Iraq, Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations S ...
, he helped Saddam recruit 50,000 Juburi people to form the
Special Republican Guard
The Iraqi Special Republican Guard (SRG) ( ar, الحرس الجمهوري الخاص ""Ḥaris al-‘Irāq al-Jamhūriyy al-Khas"), also known as the Special Forces Brigade of the Presidential Palace, Republican Guard Special Protection Forces, o ...
and
Republican Guard
A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...
. He said he became an "''intimate friend''" of
Uday Hussein
Uday Saddam Hussein ( ar, عدي صدام حسين; 18 June 1964 – 22 July 2003) was an Iraqi politician and the eldest son of Saddam Hussein. He held numerous positions as a sports chairman, military officer and businessman, and was the head ...
and "''enjoyed the pleasures of Baghdad''".
[Saddam's circles of hatred]
''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', 1995-08-20, accessed on 2011-02-24
In the late 1980s, his young son died, and he went on television to criticise the hospital as incompetent, which resulted in him being jailed. After he was released he moved away from politics towards business, exporting wool from Salahuddin to
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
.
[
In 1989, he started planning a coup against the President. The coup was planned for Army Day in 1990 but was discovered before it could take place. Juburi was the only plotter to survive as he was outside the country at the time. The Juburis tried to assassinate him twice more, in 1991 by bombing a house he was staying in and in 1992 when Juburi's brother plotted to decapitate him.][ It has also been alleged that although Juburi's brother was involved, Juburi himself was not involved in the coup attempt. Instead, his critics have suggested that he fled Iraq after stealing large sums of money from Uday Hussein, his former business partner.]
Exile under Saddam
After the coup attempt, Juburi relocated to Syria. Saddam Hussein killed almost 100 members of Juburi's family in retaliation including his brother and brother-in-law.
He founded the Iraqi Homeland Party in Syria and published a newspaper called the "Other Direction". He is a relative of the Iraqi Ambassador to Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
, Hamid al-Jabouri, who defected and sought political asylum in Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
in 1993.[Iraqi opposition issue a new weekly]
, '' Arabic News'', 2001-12-01, accessed on 2007-01-31
He was a member of the Follow-Up and Arrangement Committee grouping of Iraqi exiles.
Post-invasion
During the US-led invasion of Iraq, Juburi took control of the city of Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...
with the aid of Kurdish Peshmerga
The Peshmerga ( ku, پێشمەرگه, Pêşmerge, lit=those who face death) is the Kurdish military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Peshmerga, along with their security subsidiaries, ...
, and took over a former palace owned by Ali Hassan al-Majid
Ali Hassan Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( ar, علي حسن عبد المجيد التكريت, ʿAlī Ḥasan ʿAbd al-Majīd al-Tikrītī; 30 November 1941 – 25 January 2010), nicknamed Chemical Ali ( ar, علي الكيمياوي, ʿAlī al-Kīm ...
.[ Juburi and KDP peshmerga forces had been the first to enter Mosul, and Juburi had played a key role in convincing the Commanders of the Iraqi Army's V Corps to surrender, instead of fighting the American and KDP forces.] He proceeded to appoint himself Governor, apparently with the support of Barzani. Following his self-appointment, a popular uprising brought locals to the street. Locals were angry at Juburi over a mixture of old allegations that he had stolen money from Saddam and newer allegations that he was involved in looting in Mosul following the takeover. American troops then intervened, ending Juburi's Governorship to end the tension. He was recognised as a powerbroker during the selection of the first Mosul City Council in May 2003.
His party, the Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc
The Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc or Kutla al-Musalaha wa't-Tahrir was an Iraqi political party. The Sunni, liberal, and secularist party was founded as the Iraqi Homeland Party in Jordan in 1995 by exiles from Saddam's regime. A prominent ...
stood in the Iraqi legislative election of January 2005 where it won one seat. In the subsequent December elections, it increased its representation three seats. Juburi said they supported the Iraqi insurgency Iraqi insurgency may refer to:
* Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011), part of the Iraq War
** Iraqi insurgency (2003–2006), 2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency
** Iraqi civil war (2006–2008), multi-sided civil war in Iraq
* Iraqi insurgency (20 ...
, although opposed suicide bombings, and called for the Multinational Force in Iraq
Multinational may refer to:
* Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries
* Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries
* Multinational state, a sovereign state that comprises two or more na ...
to be replaced by United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
-led peacekeepers.
In 2005, al-Juburi was backed by the Sunni Arab dialogue council as their candidate for speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly
The Council of Representatives ( ar, مجلس النواب, Majlis an-Nuwwāb al-ʿIrāqiyy; ku, ئهنجومهنی نوێنهران, ''Enjumen-e Nûnerên''), usually referred to simply as the Parliament is the unicameral legislature o ...
, but he was vetoed by the United Iraqi Alliance
The National Iraqi Alliance (NIA or INA; ar, الائتلاف الوطني العراقي; transliterated: al-Itilaf al-Watani al-Iraqi), also known as the Watani List, is an Iraqi electoral coalition that contested the 2010 Iraqi legislative ...
due to his links with Uday Hussein
Uday Saddam Hussein ( ar, عدي صدام حسين; 18 June 1964 – 22 July 2003) was an Iraqi politician and the eldest son of Saddam Hussein. He held numerous positions as a sports chairman, military officer and businessman, and was the head ...
.
Juburi was among the minority of Sunni Arabs who supported the Constitution of Iraq in the referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
.
Juburi was indicted in December 2005 with the theft of millions of dollars of government money intended to protect oil pipelines near Kirkuk against attack. The money had been given to him in 2004. He was accused by Iraqi officials of diverting the money towards the Iraqi insurgency Iraqi insurgency may refer to:
* Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011), part of the Iraq War
** Iraqi insurgency (2003–2006), 2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency
** Iraqi civil war (2006–2008), multi-sided civil war in Iraq
* Iraqi insurgency (20 ...
, although this hasn't been proved. Following the indictment, he fled to Syria.
In exile he founded Al-Zawraa TV
Al-Zawraa (or Al-Zawra) TV was a 24-hour Iraqi satellite television channel that was known for airing graphic videos of insurgent attacks on US-led Coalition forces accompanied by melodramatic Saddam-era martial music, and running commentary by ca ...
, a twenty-four-hour satellite channel broadcast by the Arabsat
The Arab Satellite Communications Organization (often abbreviated as Arabsat) is a communications satellite operator in the Arab World, headquartered in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Arabsat was created to deliver satellite-based, public and ...
satellite to an area that included the Middle East and North Africa. The station's transmissions on the Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
ian-owned Nilesat
Nilesat (; , ''or'' ) is an Egyptian company and the name of a series of Egyptian communications satellites. It was established in 1996 with the purpose of operating Egyptian satellites and their associated mission control center and ground st ...
satellite network ceased in February 2007. Al Zawraa has broadcast songs eulogising Iraqi victims of "the American occupiers", has described the Iraqi insurgency Iraqi insurgency may refer to:
* Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011), part of the Iraq War
** Iraqi insurgency (2003–2006), 2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency
** Iraqi civil war (2006–2008), multi-sided civil war in Iraq
* Iraqi insurgency (20 ...
as "freedom fighters" and the Shi'ite leader Muqtada al-Sadr
Muqtada al-Sadr ( ar, مقتدى الصدر, Muqtadā aṣ-Ṣadr; born 4 August 1974) is an Iraqi politician and militia leader. He is the leader of the Sadrist Movement and the leader of the Peace Companies, a successor to the militia he had p ...
as a "gangster"[al-Zawraa: Muj TV]
'' The Fourth Rail'', 2006-12-10, accessed on 2007-01-31
In an interview following the execution of the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...
, he described Hussein as a brave martyr, and said the ones who killed him were like those who killed the second Caliph
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
of Islam, Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...
.
In 2009, he offered on TV to buy weapons to give to the resistance to fight the US-led Multi-National Force – Iraq
The Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF–I), often referred to as the Coalition forces, was a military command during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and much of the ensuing Iraq War, led by the United States of America ( Operation Iraqi Freedom), Unite ...
. He said he wanted to obtain medium-range missiles so they could attack and leave before the forces traced the site.
In 2010, he criticized Gulf governments and TV companies for broadcasting anti-Shiite statements from an Egyptian cleric, Muhammed al-Zoghbi. Zoghbi had called for Shiites
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...
to be purged from Muslim countries and called on Allah to inflict them with cancer and freeze the blood in their veins. Juburi called the cleric a liar and a lunatic and called for him to be banned from TV.
During the 2011 Libyan civil war, he went on TV to say he supported Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, saying protests should focus on pro-American governments. His channel Arrai TV
Arrai TV ( ar, قناة الرأي) was an Arabic-language television station based in Syria. The channel was owned by Misha'an al-Juburi. During the Libyan Civil War in 2011, it was used by overseas Libyans to defend the Gaddafi government, den ...
has been used by overseas Libyans to defend the Gaddafi regime and denounce the replacement government and to keep morale up of those who have fled Libya since the revolution. The channel has aired a number of audio messages from Gaddafi and his aides since they fled Tripoli. Juburi has justified his support for Gaddafi, and Gaddafi loyalists, by arguing that the fight in Libya is now between native Libyan's and foreign invaders. Juburi has instead suggested that Gaddafi loyalists adopt the tactics and strategy of the insurgents in Iraq.
Corruption
In an interview with ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' Middle East editor Martin Chulov, Misha'an admitted that despite being a senior member of a parliamentary committee investigating official corruption, he was himself highly corrupt. “There is no solution,” he said. “Everybody is corrupt, from the top of society to the bottom. Everyone. Including me.”, “At least I am honest about it,” he shrugged. “I was offered $5M by someone to stop investigating him. I took it, and continued prosecuting him anyway.”
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Juburi, Mish'an
1955 births
Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region politicians
Governors of Nineveh Governorate
Iraqi journalists
Iraqi Sunni Muslims
Living people
Members of the Council of Representatives of Iraq
Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc politicians
People from Saladin Governorate