Faisal Karami
| Faisal Karami | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Youth and Sports | |
|
In office 13 June 2011 – 15 February 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Najib Mikati |
| Preceded by | Ali Abdullah |
| Succeeded by | Abdul Muttaleb Al Hinawi |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
26 September 1971 Tripoli, Lebanon |
| Nationality | Lebanese |
| Political party | Arab Liberation Party |
| Religion | Islam |
Faisal Omar Karami (born 26 September 1971) is a Lebanese politician. He served as the minister of youth and sports in the cabinet of Najib Mikati between 2011 and 2014.[1]
Early life and education
Karami was born into Sunni family in Tripoli on 26 September 1971.[2] His father is Omar Karami who was one of the former Prime Ministers of Lebanon.[1][3] He is also the nephew of Rashid Karami, who served as prime minister for eight terms.[3] Faisal Karami studied business administration in the United States.[4]
Career
Karami is the head of the Arab Liberation Party.[4] He was appointed minister of youth and sports in June 2011 to the cabinet of Najib Mikati.[5][6] He was a non-affiliated member and part of the March 8 coalition in the cabinet.[7] Karami's term ended on 15 February 2014 and Abdul Muttaleb Al Hinawi succeeded him in the post.[8]
Controversy
Karami's appointment led to conflict during the cabinet formation process in 2011.[9] The reason for the conflict was that Hezbollah had explicitly asked Mikati to assign Faisal Karami as one of the ministers. However, Mikati initially refused this proposal.[10] Mikati argued that if Karami became minister, three of the five seats would be taken by natives of Tripoli (himself, finance minister Mohammad Safadi, and Karami), leading to imbalance in political representation.[10] Nevertheless, Karami was appointed minister chosen by Hezbollah,[7] and became the seventh Sunni member of the cabinet after Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s AMAL party agreed to give up one of its governmental shares for him.[11][12] On the other hand, Karami's appointment was celebrated in his hometown, Tripoli.[13]
Attack
Karami's convoy was attacked in Tripoli on 18 January 2013, injuring four people. Karami escaped the attack unhurt.[14] Perpetrators were armed radical Sunni Islamists.[15] One of the gunmen was wounded and later arrested.[15]
References
- 1 2 "Faisal Karami". Beirut. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ↑ "Profile". Katagogi. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- 1 2 "Former PM Karami dismisses attack on his son as "mistake"". Al Akhbar. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- 1 2 "Lebanon announces cabinet line-up". Now Lebanon. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ↑ "Mikati forms new Lebanese government". Ain Alyaqeen. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ↑ El Basha, Thomas (13 June 2011). "Mikati forms 30-member Lebanon Cabinet". The Daily Star (Beirut). Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- 1 2 "The New Lebanese Government" (Assessment Report). Lebanese Information Center. July 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ↑ "Lebanese cabinet formed after 10-month stalemate". Al Arabiya. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- ↑ "The Karami and Arslan obstacles are pending". As Safir. June 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- 1 2 Moubayed, Sami (5 April 2011). "Why Najeeb Mikati cannot deliver". Gulf News. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ↑ "Omar Karami’s Brother: Our Family is Not Honored by Being Represented by Faisal". Naharnet. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ↑ "Mikati unveils 30-member Cabinet dominated by Hizbullah and March 8 allies". The Daily Middle East Reporter. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ↑ "Incendiary Politics". Mena Fund Review. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ↑ "Lebanon minister escapes convoy attack unhurt". Al Jazeera. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- 1 2 Aziz, Jean (24 March 2013). "Tripoli: A Cocktail of Fundamentalism". Al Monitor. Retrieved 25 March 2013.