Abdul ibn Shareef
Encyclopedia
Abdul Ibn Shareef, former defense minister of Qumar, is a fictional character
played by Al No'mani on the television
serial
drama
The West Wing.
." His fictional nation of Qumar is an ally of the United States
and Shareef is supposed to help the US with intelligence in the Middle East
. In attempting to stop a terrorist plot (later revealed to be an attempt to blow up the Golden Gate Bridge
), Shareef does not help the US at all and is later shown to have been the mastermind behind the attempt.
President
Josiah Bartlet
spends the next episode ("We Killed Yamamoto
") discussing various methods of removing Shareef from power with his Chief of Staff
Leo McGarry
, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Percy Fitzwallace
, and various other advisors. When all possible legal avenues are eliminated with a revelation that the original line of intelligence leading to Shareef came from a prisoner the Russia
ns torture
d , Fitzwallace tries to convince Leo that Shareef must be assassinated
(comparing the assassination of Japan
ese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
in World War II
).
Shareef's final episode, and first and only on-screen appearance comes in the season 3 finale, "Posse Comitatus." In one of many plot lines running through the episode, Bartlet must decide whether or not to order Shareef's assassination. Fitzwallace and others have devised a black op
s assassination plan that involves the President ignoring certain Executive Orders (including one of his own, which is legal) on foreign soil (to avoid the Posse Comitatus Act
, which prohibits the US Military from taking a police action
on US soil). Bartlet meets Shareef quickly (against Leo's wishes, worrying the president would 'put a face' to his enemy), and eventually decides to give the order. Shareef's plane back to Qumar is piloted by an American agent (undercover as "Jamil Bari") who fakes mechanical difficulties, forcing an emergency landing on an RAF
landing strip in Bermuda
where several American CIA agents assassinate Shareef and his two bodyguards on May 22, 2002.
Shareef's death becomes a major plot piece in the following seasons. In Season 4, Qumar falsely accuses Israel of assassinating Shareef (knowing that he was killed by the U.S.) and later an Al Qaeda-like terrorist group murders the Israeli Foreign Minister. When Danny Concannon
unravels the assassination story, he is convinced to hold off on reporting it for a little while, but terrorists then kidnap the President's daughter, leading to Bartlet's temporary resignation, an Acting President
bombing Qumar, and bad press for the Bartlet White House
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
played by Al No'mani on the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
serial
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
The West Wing.
Character history
Shareef is first mentioned in the third season episode "The Black Vera WangThe Black Vera Wang
"The Black Vera Wang" is episode 63 of The West Wing. The title refers to a black dress by the designer Vera Wang.-Plot:While C. J. Cregg gets used to being tailed by Secret Service Special Agent Simon Donovan , the President must deal with a terrorist threat on a military installation...
." His fictional nation of Qumar is an ally of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Shareef is supposed to help the US with intelligence in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. In attempting to stop a terrorist plot (later revealed to be an attempt to blow up the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
), Shareef does not help the US at all and is later shown to have been the mastermind behind the attempt.
President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
spends the next episode ("We Killed Yamamoto
We Killed Yamamoto
"We Killed Yamamoto" is episode 64 of The West Wing. The title refers to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who commanded the Japanese Combined Fleet during World War II...
") discussing various methods of removing Shareef from power with his Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
Leo McGarry
Leo McGarry
Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. McGarry's character, the former United States Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White...
, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Percy Fitzwallace
Percy Fitzwallace
Admiral Percy "Fitz" Fitzwallace, played by John Amos, is a fictional character on the television series The West Wing. In the universe of the show, he is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff....
, and various other advisors. When all possible legal avenues are eliminated with a revelation that the original line of intelligence leading to Shareef came from a prisoner the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
ns torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d , Fitzwallace tries to convince Leo that Shareef must be assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
(comparing the assassination of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Isoroku Yamamoto
was a Japanese Naval Marshal General and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a student of Harvard University ....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
).
Shareef's final episode, and first and only on-screen appearance comes in the season 3 finale, "Posse Comitatus." In one of many plot lines running through the episode, Bartlet must decide whether or not to order Shareef's assassination. Fitzwallace and others have devised a black op
Black op
A black operation or black op is a covert operation typically involving activities that are highly clandestine and often outside of standard military protocol or even against the law.-Origins:...
s assassination plan that involves the President ignoring certain Executive Orders (including one of his own, which is legal) on foreign soil (to avoid the Posse Comitatus Act
Posse Comitatus Act
The Posse Comitatus Act is an often misunderstood and misquoted United States federal law passed on June 18, 1878, after the end of Reconstruction. Its intent was to limit the powers of local governments and law enforcement agencies from using federal military personnel to enforce the laws of...
, which prohibits the US Military from taking a police action
Police action
Police action in military/security studies and international relations is a euphemism for a military action undertaken without a formal declaration of war.Since World War II, formal declarations of war have been rare...
on US soil). Bartlet meets Shareef quickly (against Leo's wishes, worrying the president would 'put a face' to his enemy), and eventually decides to give the order. Shareef's plane back to Qumar is piloted by an American agent (undercover as "Jamil Bari") who fakes mechanical difficulties, forcing an emergency landing on an RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
landing strip in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
where several American CIA agents assassinate Shareef and his two bodyguards on May 22, 2002.
Shareef's death becomes a major plot piece in the following seasons. In Season 4, Qumar falsely accuses Israel of assassinating Shareef (knowing that he was killed by the U.S.) and later an Al Qaeda-like terrorist group murders the Israeli Foreign Minister. When Danny Concannon
Danny Concannon
Daniel "Danny" Concannon is a fictional White House correspondent for the Washington Post played by Timothy Busfield on the television serial drama The West Wing. Danny first appeared in the third episode of Season 1, "A Proportional Response," where he mentioned that he had been a White House...
unravels the assassination story, he is convinced to hold off on reporting it for a little while, but terrorists then kidnap the President's daughter, leading to Bartlet's temporary resignation, an Acting President
Acting President of the United States
Acting President of the United States is a reference to a person who is legitimately exercising the Presidential powers even though that person does not hold the office of the President of the United States in his own right....
bombing Qumar, and bad press for the Bartlet White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.