Hazem Salah Abu Ismail

Hazem Salah Abu Ismail (Arabic: حازم صلاح أبو إسماعيل‎; IPA: [ħæːzem sˤɑˈlɑːħ ˈæbu ʔesmæˈʕiːl]) is an Egyptian lawyer and Salafi Islamist politician.[2] He has been described by The Economist as a "populist Salafist."[3]

Hazem Salah Abou Ismail
حازم صلاح أبو إسماعيل
Born (1961-06-16) 16 June 1961
NationalityEgyptian
Alma materCairo University of Law
OccupationLawyer
politician
Political partyFlag Party[1]

In the aftermath of the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état, Abu Ismail was arrested on 5 July 2013.[4] On 14 July 2013 Egypt's prosecutor general Hisham Barakat ordered Ismail's assets to be frozen.[5] His detention was renewed on 17 July 2013 for 15 more days.[6] Abu Ismail appeared in court on 18 November and stated: “If there is no real justice at the court hall, I will cede the defense.”[7] The court adjourned the case to 21 November where it was again adjourned to 19 December 2013.[8] He was sentenced to one year imprisonment on 20 January 2014 for insulting the judiciary.[9]

Presidential candidacy

Abu Ismail applied to be a candidate for the Egyptian presidential election of May 2012. As of early April 2012, he was considered one of the front-runners, and enjoyed notable displays of popular support.[2][10]

In foreign policy, Abu Ismail is in favor of ending the 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty and has spoken of Iran as a successful model of independence from the United States.[10] His domestic agenda includes veiling women and segregating them from men in the workplace.[11]

On 4 April 2012, the New York Times reported that according to Californian government documents Abu Ismail's deceased mother held U.S. citizenship, which would make him ineligible for the presidency under the Egyptian constitution. He has denied this, stating that she only held a green card.[12] On 5 April, the Interior Ministry confirmed his mother's U.S. citizenship, prompting rallies by thousands of his supporters.[13] In response to a case taken by Abu Ismail, the administrative court ruled against the losing party, the Ministry of the Interior, to pay the expenses of litigation and ordered it to issue the would-be candidate with a document stating that his mother never had held any other citizenship rather than the Egyptian since the ministry couldn't prove otherwise. The electoral commission, whose decisions are immune from judicial review, nonetheless disqualified him on 14 April.[14]

Controversies

In 2009 Al-Nas TV show hosted by himself (translated by MEMRI), Abu Ismail calls for boycott of Pepsi (and other American drinks including Coca-Cola), declared the "PEPSI" name is an abbreviation, and stands for "Pay Every Penny Saving Israel". [15]

In 2013, Abu Ismail was charged with forging official documents during his application to run for president. He was also charged with inciting murder and defamation of police officers.[16]

In 2014, Abu Ismail was jailed for insulting a judge and refusing to recognise the court during his trial for submitting forged papers to the election committee.[17]

Flag Party founder

He had reportedly been in talks to form a party that would join in a political alliance with the recently formed Homeland Party;[18] however, he instead formed the Nation Alliance in early March 2013.[19]

References
  1. "Abu Ismail initiates Al-Raya Party". Daily News Egypt. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  2. "Egypt's presidential race: Battle of the beards". The Economist. 7 April 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  3. "Dogma and purity v worldly politics". The Economist. 20 October 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  4. "Egyptian hardline Islamist presidential candidate arrested". Reuters. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  5. "Asset freeze for Islamist leaders goes into action". Egypt Independent. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  6. "Abu Ismail, Brotherhood figures detained for another 15 days". Egypt Independent. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  7. "Court adjourns Abu Ismail trial". Egypt Independent. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  8. "Withdrawal defense "Abou Ismail" Court bans filming and broadcasting - Egypt News". Egydailynews.com. 22 November 2013. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  9. "Salafi preacher and politician Abu Ismail sentenced for insulting judiciary". Aswat Masriya. 20 January 2014. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  10. Kirkpatrick, David D. (1 April 2012). "In Egyptian Hard-Liner's Surge, New Worries for the Muslim Brotherhood". New York Times. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  11. Fleishman, Jeffrey (5 April 2012). "Egyptian Islamists pin their hopes on Islamic law". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  12. "Anti-American Egyptian Candidate May Be Tripped Up by Mother's U.S. Ties". New York Times. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  13. "Islamists rally to rescue Salafi candidate's presidential bid". Los Angeles Times. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  14. Fleishman, Jeffrey (14 April 2012). "Egypt disqualifies 3 leading presidential candidates". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  15. https://www.memri.org/tv/egyptian-cleric-hazem-abu-ismail-calls-boycott-pepsi-name-stands-pay-every-penny-save-israel
  16. http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/11/18/abu-ismail-forgery-trial-begins/
  17. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/92085/Egypt/Politics-/Salafist-preacher-AbuIsmail-jailed-for-insulting-j.aspx
  18. "Nour Party: Recent resignations aren't significant". Egypt Independent. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  19. "Islamist political parties form alliance". Ahram Online. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
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