Abduljalil Khalil Ibrahim Hassan (also Abdul Jalil; ar, عبدالجليل خليل إبراهيم حسن; born 14 December 1961) is a

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

i politician. He is former Member of Parliament of

Al Wefaq Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society ( ar, جمعية الوفاق الوطني الإسلامية; ), sometimes shortened to simply Al-Wefaq, was a Shi'a Bahraini political party, that operates clandestinely after being ordered by the highest co ...

political party.

Early life and career

Khalil was born in the village of

Sanabis Sanabis ( ar, سنابس ') is a village located in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in the suburbs of the capital city, Manama. Etymology The definition of the word ''Sanabis'' is disputed, with the most popular view being that members of the Sunbus tri ...

on 14 December 1961. He studied mechanical engineering at

King Saud University King Saud University (KSU, ar, جامعة الملك سعود) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdulaziz to address the country's skilled worker shortage, it is the first university in the K ...

earning his BSc in January 1986. In July 1999, he earned MSc building services administration from Heriot-Watt University. Between 1995 and 2006, he worked at AERMEC, advancing from a field services engineer in March 1995 to a project manager in August 1999 and finally to a general manager in September 2000. He writes regular

opinion piece An opinion piece is an article, usually published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about a subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals. Editorials Opinion pieces may take the form of an editorial, ...

in ''Al Wasat'' local newspaper and is a board member of Bahrain Society of Engineers, the American Bahraini Friendship Society and al-Jamri foundation, "which seeks to foster Sunni-Shi'a dialogue." He also heads the Bahrain Society for University Students and is said to have "close associations with recent university graduates." A

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cable described him as being known for his "intelligence, management, administrative nd oratoryskills." Khalil is married to Afaf al-Jamri, a women's activist and writer. She is the daughter of Shia cleric

Abdul Amir al-Jamri Sheikh Abdul Amir al-Jamri ( ; ar, شيخ عبدالأمير الجمري; 1 March 1938 – 18December 2006) was one of the most prominent Shia clerics and opposition leaders in Bahrain. He was also a writer and a poet. Born in the village of ...

, sister to Mansoor al-Jamri, editor-in-chief of ''Al-Wasat'' and Mohammed Jameel, a former member of parliament. They have two sons and a daughter.

Political life

In August 1988, Khalil was arrested in connection with opposition activities related to his father-in-law, with whom he had very strong relations. He was subsequently sentenced to seven years in prison. He was reportedly tortured during detention. He was pardoned by the

Emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

(now king) in 2000. Khalil was a founding member of

political party in 2001. He holds a senior position in the party. In 2006, he was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

to the Council of Representatives, the lower house of the

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

as a representative of the Capital Governorate's 4th district. He headed the parliament's finance committee and led investigations into state properties. He was noted for his ability to cooperate with other blocs despite sectarian differences. He won by default in 2010, becoming the head of Al Wefaq's bloc. In February 2011, Khalil and 17 other Al Wefaq MPs (the largest bloc) submitted their resignations in protest against the government crackdown on

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and econo ...

-inspired

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

References

Footnotes Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khalil, Abdul Jalil 1961 births Living people Al Wefaq politicians