Al-Sabah

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The Al-Sabah (Arabic: الصباح) are the Royal Family of Kuwait. They are one of the clans of the Bani Utub tribe, which migrated to Kuwait in the late seventeenth century. They were preceded by the Banu Khalid tribe, and after the demise of the tribe, have ruled Kuwait since 1752, when Sheikh Sabah I became Emir of Kuwait. Subsequent Emirs are the descendants of Sabah I.

The Emir of Kuwait is the head of the executive branch of the Kuwaiti government. He is nominated by a family council head by the most senior and prominent members of the Al-Sabah. The Al-Sabah dynasty is not strictly hereditary, and although many Emirs have succeeded their fathers, the family choose their leader from each succeeding generation, rather than selecting from the children of the current ruler. For example, the late Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah appointed his cousin Sheikh Saad as Crown Prince.

All members of the ruling family receive a monthly stipend from the Amiri Diwan. The Prime Minister is elected by the Emir, and must be a member of the Al-Sabah Family. The Al-Sabah's also hold most of the key cabinet posts, such as the Minister of Defense, Foreign Minister, Minister of Interior, and Minister of Energy.

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[edit] The two main branches

Sheikh Mubarak was succeeded as ruler by his son Jaber(1915-17) and another son Salem (1917-21). Subsequent Emirs descended from these two brothers and there has often been tension between the two branches( the Al-Jaber branch and the Al-Salem branch respectively). For this reason, it has become tradition to alternate the position of emir between the two. For this reason, the recent appointment of Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah as crown prince by the current Emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Sabah has created some disputes as both are of the Al-Jaber branch of the family[1]. To further the conflict, Sheikh Saad Al-Sabah of the Al-Salem branch ruled only briefly, being preceded and succeeded by members of the Al-Jaber branches[2].

[edit] Current events

Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah was removed by parliamentary action after a prolonged stalemate following the death of the previous Emir Jaber on Jan 24, 2006. He was earlier offered the chance to abdicate after taking power provisionally as stipulated by the constitution but his inability to recite the oath of office prevented his ratification by parliament.

The then prime minister, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was nominated for the position of Emir of Kuwait by invoking the Kuwaiti constitutional Article 3. He was sworn in on January 29, 2006 and he is the current ruler.

The Emir, Sheikh Sabah appointed his brother, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as Crown Prince. The Emir also appointed his nephew, Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah as Prime Minister.

[edit] Other

Every member of the ruling family is often locally referred to as Sheikh if male or Sheikha if female, and this title is put in front of members' first names as honorifics.

[edit] Al-Sabah Dynasty

[edit] Other notable members of al-Sabah

  • Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait.
  • Shiekh Salem Al Ali Al Sabah, Chief of the National Guard.
  • Sheikh Muhammad Al-Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
  • Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Interior.
  • Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Director of National Security.
  • Sheikha Hussa Al-Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Director of Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiya (Kuwait Museum of Islamic Art).
  • Shiekh Ahmed Abdulla Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Minister of Justice and Minister of Islamic Affairs (March 2007).
  • Sheikh Hamed Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, A businessman, the owner of major corporations in Kuwait, such as KIPCO, Wataniya, Ahmadiah, Burgan Bank, KDD, Showtime and many others. Known to keep a very low profile.

[edit] See also

[edit] Sources and references

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