Iraqi Communist Party
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Iraqi Communist Party
الحزب الشيوعي العراقي Al-Ḥizb al-Shīūʿīy al-ʿIrāqīy |
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| Leader | Hamid Majid Mousa |
| Founded | 31 March 1934 |
| Headquarters | Baghdad, Iraq |
| Newspaper | Path of the People |
| Youth wing | Iraqi Democratic Youth Federation |
| Ideology |
Communism Marxism–Leninism Secularism Nonsectarianism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| National affiliation | Civil Democratic Alliance |
| International affiliation | International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties |
| Colors | Red |
| Seats in the Council of Representatives of Iraq: |
2 / 328
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| Seats in the local governorate councils: |
2 / 601
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| Website | |
| iraqicp.com | |
Since its foundation in 1934, the Iraqi Communist Party (Arabic: الحزب الشيوعي العراقي Al-Ḥizb al-Shīūʿīy al-ʿIrāqīy, Central Kurdish: حزبی شیوعی عێراق) has dominated the left in Iraqi politics. It played a fundamental role in shaping the political history of Iraq between its foundation and the 1970s. The Party was involved in many of the most important national uprisings and demonstrations of the 1940s and 1950s. It suffered heavily under the repressive regimes of the Ba'ath Party and Saddam Hussein, but remained an important element of the Iraqi opposition, and was a vocal opponent of the United Nations sanctions imposed on Iraq after the Kuwait War of 1991. It opposed the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003 but since then has participated in the new political institutions. It received little support in the Iraqi general elections of 2005. The party reportedly gained some seats in each province in which the 2013 Iraqi governorate elections were held.
The history of Marxist ideology and organization in Iraq can be traced to a single individual, Husain Al-Rahhal, a student at the Baghdad School of Law, who in 1924 formed what is now seen as the first “Marxist” study circle in Iraq. This group of young intellectuals initially began meeting in Baghdad’s Haidarkhanah Mosque (a location also famous as a meeting place for revolutionaries in 1920) and discussing “new ideas” of the day. They eventually formed a small newspaper, Al-Sahifah (“The Journal”), which detailed a decidedly Marxist ideology. Membership in this circle included such influential Iraqis as Mustafa Ali, Minister of Justice under Abd al-Karim Qasim, and Mahmoud Ahmad Al-Sayyid, considered Iraq’s first novelist. Al-Rahhal, an accomplished polyglot, was able to translate articles from various European Communist and Marxist newspapers, thus introducing many new ideals into Iraqi intellectual society. While the paper lacked a definite agenda or program, the majority of the writing was centered on the need to break down the strong influence of tradition in Iraqi society. This included equal rights for women and the abolition of feudal practices. After six issues and several government crackdowns, the paper published its final issue in 1927 and was permanently shut down. From this point on Al-Rahhal exerted his influence only from the background, most notably through the youth organization Nadi Al-Tadamun (“The Solidarity Club”). Through this organization he helped to inspire Iraq’s first student demonstrations on January 30, 1927 (over the firing of certain controversial teachers) and February 8, 1928 (over the visit of prominent British Zionist Alfred Mond to Iraq).
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