Haider al-Abadi

Haider al-Abadi was born on April 25, 1952 in Baghdad. His father Jawad al-Abadi was a noted doctor in Baghdad and served as management director of ‘Neuro Surgery Hospital’. Jawad al-Abadi later served the Iraq Health Ministry as an inspector general.

In 1967 he became a member of the ‘Dawa Party’.

In 1970 he graduated from Baghdad’s ‘Central High School’. He joined the ‘University of Technology’ in Baghdad and after studying electrical engineering earned his bachelor’s degree in 1975.

He joined the ‘University of Manchester’ in Britain and completed his PhD in Electrical Engineering in 1980. He is fluent in English.

His family was in discord with the Saddam Hussein rule following the confiscation of power by the Baathists. He was made the chief of the ‘Dawa Party’ in 1977 while he was doing his PhD in the ‘University of Manchester’.

Later in 1979, he became one of the executive leadership members of the ’Dawa Party’.

In 1980, 1981 and 1982 three brothers of Haider al-Abadi were arrested for being members of the ‘Dawa Party.

Haider al-Abadi’s passport was seized by the government in 1983 for conniving against the ‘Ba’ath Party’ of Iraq. Most of the 80s and 90s he chose to stay in exile in the UK and became vocally critical about Saddam Hussein. His father passed away while in exile and was interred in London.

During his exile in the UK he worked in different positions including as research leader from 1981 to 1986, as consultant on transportation issues from 1987 to 2003 and as director general of a design and technological firm from 1993 to 2003.