Hussain Al-Shahristani | |
---|---|
حسين الشهرستاني | |
Shahristani in 2009
|
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Minister of Higher Education | |
In office 8 September 2014 – 15 August 2016 |
|
Prime Minister | Haider al-Abadi |
Preceded by | Mohammad Al Jabouri |
Succeeded by | Abdul Razzaq Al-Issa |
Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq | |
In office 21 December 2010 – 8 September 2014 Serving with Saleh al-Mutlaq and Rowsch Shaways |
|
Prime Minister | Nouri al-Maliki |
Preceded by |
Barham Salih Salam al-Zobaie Raffie al-Issawi |
Succeeded by | Hoshyar Zebari |
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 11 July 2014 – 8 September 2014 |
|
Prime Minister | Nouri al-Maliki |
Preceded by | Hoshyar Zebari |
Succeeded by | Ibrahim al-Jaafari |
Minister of Energy | |
In office 20 May 2006 – 21 December 2010 |
|
Prime Minister | Nouri al-Maliki |
Preceded by | Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum |
Succeeded by | Abdul Karim Luaibi |
Personal details | |
Born |
Hussain Ibrahim Saleh al-Shahristani 1942 (age 74–75) Karbala, Iraq |
Nationality |
Iraqi Canadian |
Political party | State of Law Coalition |
Alma mater |
Imperial College London University of Toronto University of Baghdad |
Hussain Ibrahim Saleh al-Shahristani (born 1942) is an Iraqi politician who served in different cabinet posts. He is currently Iraq's Minister of Higher Education.
Shahristani was born in 1942 in Karbala, Iraq. His family name, Shahristani, is Iranian and in addition to his native Arabic he has strong command of Persian as a second language. Shahristani showed an exceptional aptitude for science in Secondary School, Shahristani received a BSc in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London in 1965, and an MSc from the University of Toronto in 1967, from where he also received a PhD in Chemical Engineering in 1970. He specialised in the design and building of nuclear reactors. Part of his education was also in Russia.
He was tipped to be the Iraqi Prime Minister during the 2004 discussions, a position which he refused to take it and stated "I have always concentrated on serving the people and providing them with their basic needs, rather than party politics."
A senior member of the State of Law alliance, he was previously the deputy speaker of the Iraqi National Assembly under the Iraqi Transitional Government and was considered for the post of Prime Minister in both the current government and the interim government.
He was appointed oil minister in May 2006 after the withdrawal of the Islamic Virtue Party Minister, which was also a Shia from the government coalition. By August, however, he was under pressure as there was a fuel crisis.
In December 2012 he was named the head of the committee responsible for receiving and addressing the demands of the demonstrators. He has made some significant achievements in period of December 2012 to February 2013.
From 2006 to 2010, Shahristani was Iraq's minister of oil, and he served as acting minister of electricity in 2010.
Before his arrest and imprisonment Shahristani served as Chief Scientific Advisor to the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission. Prior to that, he was a lecturer at Mosul University (1973), an Assistant Professor at Baghdad University (1974), Chief of Baghdad University’s Radioisotope Production Department from 1975-1977, and Chief of the Nuclear Chemistry Department from 1977-1979.