Ali Salman علي سلمان |
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Member of the Kingdom of Bahrain Parliament for 1st constituency in the Northern Governorate |
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In office 2006–2010 |
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Preceded by | Mohd Husain Ahmed AlKhayyat |
Succeeded by | Matar Matar |
Secretary General for Al Wefaq National Islamic Society | |
In office 2006- Present |
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Chairman of Board for Al Wefaq National Islamic Society | |
In office 2001–2005 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Bilad Al Qadeem, Bahrain |
30 October 1965
Nationality | Bahrain |
Political party | Al Wefaq National Islamic Society |
Spouse(s) | (m. 2017) |
Children | 1 |
Residence | Bilad Al Qadeem, Bahrain |
Education | BSc, Mathematics (KSA) & Islamic Studies, Qom (Iran) |
Religion | Twelver Shia Islam |
Annual Salary | $ 25,500(Retirement) |
Website | www.toqa.net |
Ali Salman Ahmed Salman (Arabic: علي سلمان أحمد سلمان) is a Bahraini Twelver Shi'a cleric and the Secretary-General of the Al-Wefaq political society. In January 1995 the Bahraini government forcibly exiled him to Dubai for leading a popular campaign demanding the reinstatement of the constitution and the restoration of parliament during the 1990s Uprising. From there he made his way to London and sought asylum. He continued opposition activities from London, where he was associated with the Bahrain Freedom Movement. Salman returned to Bahrain in March 2001 in a general amnesty as part of a set of political reforms announced by King Hamad. According to an unknown source close to his family, Sheikh Ali Salman was severely tortured by Al Khalifa regime in prisons. Numerous protests were held the detention of Sheikh Ali Salman and several people were injured after the Al Khalifa forces fired tear gas and birdshots to disperse the protesters. Within Al Wefaq he is considered a 'moderate' public face of the organization, and has opposed the more confrontational approach with the authorities typical of the other leaders.
Ali Salman originally studied in Qom, a major centre of Twelver Shi'a theological thinking in Iran. He is a Twelver Shiite who originally followed the quietest teachings of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abul-Qassim al-Khoei, the spiritual leader of much of the Shia world until his death in 1992. Following death of his original Marja’, Salman has not felt compelled to speak publicly about his new Marja’. However, in a private interview he claimed that he now tended to rely on the rulings of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani.