Islamist And Jihadist As Iraq

Islamist and Jihadist as Iraq Education Minister

In his memoirs, US Civil Administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer, expressed delight that when his appointed Interim Governing Council selected cabinet ministers, they avoided the American “red lines,” which included a demand that the minister of education not be an “Islamist” so as to protect the interests of what he referred to as Iraq’s “secular majority.” Who knows, between the Sunni Arabs, the Kurds and the Shiite middle classes, maybe Iraq even had a “secular majority” in summer of 2003. Bremer’s policies helped drown that particular baby. The Sunni Arabs voted for Islamists 4 to 1 last December 15, and the Shiite middle classes have mostly swung to the Islamist United Iraqi Alliance, which dominates the government.

Anyway, the new Education Minister is from the local Iraqi branch of the Da`wa Party, a party founded in the late 1950s to promote an Islamic state in Iraq. Here is an article about him from the Dawa Party newspaper, translated by the USG Open Source Center. Mr. Bremer’s red lines are long gone.

‘ Biography of Education Minister, Al-Da’wah Party Member Khudayir al-Khuza’i

Unattributed report: “Education Minister Dr Al-Khuza’i: Academic and Jihadist March, Ambitions To Change Iraqi Education System”

Al-Da’wah

Sunday, June 4, 2006 T21:38:47Z

Dr Khudayir Musa Ja’far al-Khuza’i is one of the influential figures inside the Unified Iraqi Coalition [United Iraqi Alliance]. From the beginning, he managed to draw official and public attention by dealing courageously with difficult issues and for his bold political views.

Al-Khuza’i was born in 1947 in the city of Maysan (as published; Maysan is a governorate, not city), the most ferocious city in the south in the confrontation with the ousted totalitarian regime.

He continued his education until he got his PhD in the philosophy of Islamic thought and another PhD in Koranic studies. In addition, he has authored many books on the interpretation of the Koran. His contribution has not been confined to the academic field. He is a writer and an excellent lecturer. He has worked at universities for 20 years. He is a leading figure in Al-Da’wah Party-Iraq organization and the party’s official spokesman. He is a member of the previous and present House of Representatives. He is well known for fighting the ousted regime for three decades and from various positions. High hopes are pinned on him to raise the standard of the country’s educational system. Observers believe that Al-Khuza’i has a strong and courageous character and can achieve significant gains in the education sector.

(Description of Source: Baghdad Al-Da’wah in Arabic — Issued by the Islamic Da’wah Party, Iraq Organization) ‘