Muhammad Salih
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Muhammad Salih | |
|---|---|
| Amir of Mansuriyyah | |
| Assumed office 21 May 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Hassan al-Khatib |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Muhammad Salih Khalid Uryan 12 March 1957 Amed, Kurdistan District, Mansuriyyah |
| Nationality | Mansuri |
| Spouse(s) | Rokiya Khatum (m. 1983–Present) |
| Domestic partner(s) | Dilan Khatum (2001–Present) |
| Residence | al-Jadidah |
| Alma mater | Madrasa Qasimiyyah |
| Occupation | Religious scholar |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Template:Mansuriyyah) |
| Branch/service | Mansuri Army |
| Years of service | 1980-1991 |
| Rank | Captain |
Muhammad Salih Uryan is a Mansuri politician serving as the country’s Amir since 2013. He’s also a former cleric and religious teacher and author. Little known internationally before his appointment as Amir, he attracted attention due the sweeping reforms he spearheaded since taking Office. His low-profile and discreet personality coupled with the success of his reforms have made him thoroughly popular among Mansuris.
Early Life and Education
Muhammad Salih was born in 1957 in the city of Amed. His father, Khalid was a businessman, while his mother hailed from a scholarly, religious family. One of his maternal uncles, Abdul-Qadir Adar, served as Amed’s mufti for several years, before being appointed as head Mufti of Kurdistan province, and later, as member of the Mansuri Majlis al-Shura. His maternal grandfather, Abdurrahman Adar, was a popular khatib (Friday preacher) at Amed’s Great Mosque.
Muhammad Salih started his religious education under his maternal grandfather, while at the same time attending a regular primary school. In 1969, he started attending middle school at Maahad Taalim wa Irshad. Upon graduation in 1973, he enrolled at Madrasa Qasimiyyah seminary, receiving his Ijaza in 1980. After completing his military service in 1983, he moved to Adra where he continued his studies at Dar al-Funun University, obtaining a diploma in Education, a Masters degree in jurisprudence from Maahad al-Aliyyah li Uloom al-Shariyyah, as well as private studies under prominent Adrawi clerics.
Military Service
Following his graduation, he joined the military for his mandatory military service, serving as military Imam (chaplain) from 1980 until his discharge in 1983. He initially underwent training as reserve officer at the Reserve Officers Training Center in Asfahan, then serving as deputy Imam with the rank of 2nd lieutenant with the XX Battalion, XX Infantry Brigade, Yalunji Island Garrison in 1981, where he saw action during the War of Mubatan Aggression.
Following the capture o the Island by Mubatan forces, he was transferred to the XX Infantry Brigade for the remainder of his term of service, being honorably discharged from active duty in 1983. Afterwards, he chose to join reserve service, reaching the rank of Captain and serving in a number of reserve units in Hawram and Kurdistan provinces, before leaving the military in 1991.
Professional Life
Upon returning to his hometown in 1987, Muhammad Salih engaged in teaching and writing. Initially teaching religious studies for middle and high-schoolers, he also lead public study circles at Bahram Pasha Mosque. In 1991, he was hired as lecturer at a seminary in Kharpet, continuing with his public lessons in local mosques. It was during this period that he started to pen his first works, using his experience as teacher, for both aspiring theologians and legal experts and the lay public, to write learning materials he found more suited to modern audiences.
He returned again to his hometown in 1995, taking a series of positions as lecturer in law at a number of leading local institutions. In 1998 he became one of the preachers in the Great Mosque, and in 2000 he became a Professor in law at Maahad al-Suffah, eventually coming to head the institute in, a position he retained until being appointed as Mansuriyyah’s Amir in 2013. He also briefly acted as Amed’s Mufti in 2009, following the sudden death of his predecessor.
Appointment as Amir
Mansuriyyah’s longest-serving Amir Hassan al-Khatib was removed from office on medical grounds late April 2013. Following a few weeks of private deliberations and voting, the Majlis al-Shura proposed to appoint Muhammad Salih as the next leader. The move caught both the Mansuri public and international observers by surprise, as Muhammad Salih wasn’t a member of the political establishment. This lead political analysts to consider the move a power grab from the part of the Majlis, as they expected the politically inexperienced Kurdish cleric to be a weak leader, in contrast with al-Khatib’s 32 years of strong grasp of Mansuri’s affairs. As a rule, sınce the late 19th century Mansuri rulers have been chosen from the nation’s political establishment, either from high-ranking civil, judicial or military officials or from the Shura.
Muhammad Salih accepted the appointment after a week, becoming the first “political outsider” in 120 years and the first professional cleric since 1930 to be chosen for the role. He quickly overcame initial suspicions and became a popular leader, implementing a series of reforms aimed at increasing popular participation in the political process and towards a fairer distribution of wealth, increasing welfare and social spending. He took particular interest in education, moving it from the Khatibian era’s heavily utilitarian framework to a more idealistic one.
Personal Life
He married his first wife Rokiya Khatum upon finishing his military service in 1983, having a son and two daughters with her. He married his second wife, Dilan, in 2001, and has a son and a daughter with her.
During his youth, Muhammad Salih was an avid practitioner of HIMMA (Historic Mansuri Martial Arts), having participated in a few local tournaments. He stopped training after taking office as Amir, remarking in an interview in 2016 that “no one would want risk beating the Amir during a sparring session”. He remains interested in the sport, urging his children to participate. His interest in the sport also reflects his interest in white weapons: He owns a small collection of antique and modern reproduction blades.
An inveterate bibliophile, his personal library counts with several hundred titles in a wide range of subjects like theology, law, history, philosophy and fiction. They include rare editions and manuscripts collected throughout his academic career.
He has four guns registered in his name.