Haitham Rashid Wihaib
Encyclopedia
Haitham Rashid Wihaib was former Iraq
i president Saddam Hussein
's minister of protocol from 1980 to 1993.
Wihaib's father was an Iraqi general who was killed in a car accident orchestrated by Saddam. Wihaib studied in France
for several years during the 1970s, earning three doctorates. Upon returning to Iraq he caught the attention of Saddam Hussein, who offered him a job as his minister of protocol, a cabinet position that amounts to essentially a personal secretary. Wihaib accepted, later saying that one didn't say no to Saddam.
Dr. Wihaib had near daily contact with Saddam for the duration of his time in the position; toward the end he fell out of favor and was the target of several assassination attempts. He escaped from Iraq to London
with the aid of British intelligence in 1993. He kept a relatively low profile for several years after that. Beginning in 2002 his name surfaced in news reports attached to descriptions of atrocities committed by Saddam and supporting the US led invasion of Iraq
. His prior absence from Western media outlets led some (particularly in the online blogging community) to suspect that he was a fabrication of the American and British governments to provide disinformation to news sources. This rumor was, obviously, false.
In February 2005 Wihaib made his first visit to the United States
, speaking at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
on his experiences with Saddam and his hopes for Iraq's future. Coordinators of the event were initially unaware or unsure of his importance; they were later able to verify his background. At the writing of this article Wihaib is scheduled to speak at two other universities and appear on the American news channel CNN
.
Wihaib has published a book in Europe, In the Shadow of Saddam, which is also available in Arabic. He also helped create a documentary about his experiences called Dancing with the Devil which was at the time of this article not yet released.
Currently Wihaib is serving as the chairman of the New Iraqi Green Party and the New Iraq Organization for Justice. He is particularly concerned with relieving debts incurred by Saddam's regime.
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i president Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's minister of protocol from 1980 to 1993.
Wihaib's father was an Iraqi general who was killed in a car accident orchestrated by Saddam. Wihaib studied in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for several years during the 1970s, earning three doctorates. Upon returning to Iraq he caught the attention of Saddam Hussein, who offered him a job as his minister of protocol, a cabinet position that amounts to essentially a personal secretary. Wihaib accepted, later saying that one didn't say no to Saddam.
Dr. Wihaib had near daily contact with Saddam for the duration of his time in the position; toward the end he fell out of favor and was the target of several assassination attempts. He escaped from Iraq to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with the aid of British intelligence in 1993. He kept a relatively low profile for several years after that. Beginning in 2002 his name surfaced in news reports attached to descriptions of atrocities committed by Saddam and supporting the US led invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. His prior absence from Western media outlets led some (particularly in the online blogging community) to suspect that he was a fabrication of the American and British governments to provide disinformation to news sources. This rumor was, obviously, false.
In February 2005 Wihaib made his first visit to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, speaking at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
on his experiences with Saddam and his hopes for Iraq's future. Coordinators of the event were initially unaware or unsure of his importance; they were later able to verify his background. At the writing of this article Wihaib is scheduled to speak at two other universities and appear on the American news channel CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
.
Wihaib has published a book in Europe, In the Shadow of Saddam, which is also available in Arabic. He also helped create a documentary about his experiences called Dancing with the Devil which was at the time of this article not yet released.
Currently Wihaib is serving as the chairman of the New Iraqi Green Party and the New Iraq Organization for Justice. He is particularly concerned with relieving debts incurred by Saddam's regime.
External links
- Official webpage of Haitham Rashid Wihaib
- Supposed ex-secretary of Saddam Hussein to speak at Va. Tech, The New River Valley Current, February 19, 2005