Sajida Talfah

Sajida Talfah
Sajida Talfah, mid-late 1980s
Born	Sajida Khairallah Talfah (1937-06-24) June 24, 1937 (age 79) Tikrit, Iraq
Nationality	Iraqi
Other names	Sajida Hussein
Occupation	Teacher
Known for	Wife of Saddam Hussein
Spouse(s)	Saddam Hussein (m.1958–2006, his death)
Children	Uday Hussein (1964–2003; deceased) Qusay Hussein (1966–2003; deceased) Raghad Hussein (b. 1968) Rana Hussein (b. 1969) Hala Hussein (b. 1972)
Parent(s)	Khairallah Talfah (father)
Relatives	Adnan Khairallah (brother) Ilham Khairallah

Sajida Khairallah Talfah (Arabic: ساجدة خيرالله طلفاح‎‎) (born June 24, 1937), is the widow and cousin of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and mother of two sons (Uday and Qusay) and three daughters (Raghad, Rana, and Hala). She is the oldest daughter of Khairallah Talfah, her husband's uncle. She was played by Shohreh Aghdashloo in the BBC adaptation House of Saddam in 2008, in which her character played a major role.

Sajida was raised by her father along with her brother, Adnan Khairallah. When Saddam was young, he came to live with his uncle Khairallah, and was raised by Sajida's family. She was a primary school teacher prior to marrying Saddam. She married Saddam in an arranged marriage in 1958.

Sajida and Saddam had five children together. In 1964, their first son Uday was born followed by Qusay in 1966. In 1968 their first daughter Raghad was born, followed by Rana in 1969, and finally their youngest daughter Hala in 1972.

In 1986, Saddam married another woman, Samira Shahbandar, while still married to Sajida. Sajida was enraged, and Uday Hussein, son of Saddam and Sajida, was also angry over his father's new wife. Uday believed that his inheritance was endangered by the new wife. He also took it as an insult to his mother. In 1988, at a party thrown in the honor of Suzanne Mubarak, the wife of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Uday beat and stabbed Kamel Hana Gegeo to death. Uday believed that it was Kamel who introduced Saddam and Samira, and that he arranged their meetings. Some say the murder of Gegeo was a request of Sajida. Although her husband married another woman, Sajida and Saddam never divorced.