Mohammed Hadid

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Mohammed Hadid (1903-1995) was a prominent Iraqi politician in the 1950s as leader of the opposition National Democratic Party amongst other formidable positions. He is also the father of Zaha Hadid, one of the world's foremost architects. His influence has been felt around the globe, and he has been featured in some of the most prestigious publications, including Time magazine ^[1] and The New York Times ^[2].

Contents 1 Early Years and Family 2 Years of Study 3 Politics 4 Later Years and Death 5 References

[edit] Early Years and Family

Hadid was born into a rich Mosulite family ^[3] at the beginning of the 20th Century. He was born and raised in Mosul, in the north of Iraq. There, he met his future wife Wajeeha Sabonji, with whom he would father three children, Haithem, Fulath, and Zaha. ^[4]

[edit] Years of Study

Mohammed Hadid attended the London School of Economics between 1928 and 1931, from where he received a bachelor degree in Economics. It was there that he is said to have been influenced by the ideas of Professor Harold Laski, a "widely known socialist and agnostic". ^[5]

[edit] Politics

For many years in the 1950s, Mohammed Hadid was leader of the opposition National Democratic Party, which called for the restoration of democratic processes in Iraq.

He was appointed Minister of Supply in 1946, when Iraq was a monarchy, but he soon quit because elections were held that were flagrantly manipulated.

In 1958 the Iraqi military mounted a coup. The monarchy was overthrown, Iraq was proclaimed a republic and Hadid was appointed Finance Minister.

But in 1960 he stepped down from the Cabinet, and by 1961 almost all the other political ministers were gone from it, replaced largely by followers of the country's strongman, Abdul Karim Kassim.

Hadid stayed active in party politics. But then, in 1963, the Kassim Government was ousted by another military coup, born of a partnership between the Baath Party, whose goals included Arab unity, and nationalist army officers. The Baathists stayed in power less than a year, but are said to have kept Mohammed Hadid under detention for months. ^[6]

[edit] Later Years and Death

Later, he stayed out of politics but was active in the business world. The Saddam Hussein dictatorship kept him from leaving Iraq until 1995, when he joined his family in London. He died on Tuesday August 3, 1999 from an asthma attack. He is survived by his three children.

[edit] References