Issam Naaman
OfficeMinister of Telecommunications
Term start1998
Term end2000
PredecessorRafiq Hariri
SuccessorJean-Louis Cardahi
Office 2Member of Parliament
Term start 21992
Term end 21996
Constituency 2Beirut, Lebanon
Birth dateApril 2, 1942 (age 84)
Birth placeSidon, Lebanon
CitizenshipLebanon
Alma materColumbia Pacific University
OccupationLawyer, politician, author, lecturer, Member of Parliament, Minister of Telecommunications

Issam Hussein Naaman (born April 2, 1942) is a Lebanese lawyer, politician, author, lecturer, and former Member of Parliament and Minister of Telecommunications.

Early life and education

Naaman was born April 2, 1942, in Sidon, Lebanon to a Druze family.[1][2][note 1] He earned a BA in public administration in 1958, and an MA in political science in 1965, both from American University of Beirut (AUB). He received his Licence en droit (Bachelor of Law) in 1960, and an MA in public law in 1979, both from Lebanese University. In 1984, he completed a PhD in public law from Columbia Pacific University, San Rafael, California.[2]

Career

Naaman has been an Attorney since 1963. From 1975 to 1982, he was a member of the leadership of the Lebanese National Movement. From 1978 to 1988 he was a lecturer at the Faculty of Information, Lebanese University.[1]

In 1992, he was elected to the Lebanese Parliament, and served until he was defeated in the 1996 elections. He served as Minister of Telecommunications in Prime Minister Salim Hoss's cabinet from 1998 to 2000.[3][4][5] In 2005, he became a member of the "Third Force Movement".[6]

Holocaust denial

According to the Anti-Defamation League, Naaman wrote in newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, published in London on 22 April 1998:

Israel prospers and exists by right of the Holocaust lie and the Israeli government's policy of intentional exaggeration…the glue which holds the Jews together is the preservation of the memory of the Holocaust and the thousands of Jews who were destroyed in it ...[7]

Publications

Naaman is the author of several books and political articles. His main books are:

  • Naaman, Issam (1974). Ruʼyā Jadīdah Lil-qaḍīyah Al-ʻarabīyah [A New Vision Of The Arab Cause] (in Arabic). Beirut. OCLC 43219301
  • Naaman, Issam (1979). ar:إلى أين يسير لبنان؟ [Whither Lebanon?] (in Arabic). OCLC 404146585
  • Naaman, Issam (1982). al-ʻArab wa-al-nafṭ wa-al-ʻālam [Arabs Oil And The World] (in Arabic). OCLC 745120624
  • Naaman, Issam (2001). al-ʻArab ʻalá muftaraq [Arabs At Crossroads] (in Arabic). Beirut. OCLC 52443376
  • Naaman, Issam (2003). Hal yataghayyar al-ʻArab? [Do The Arabs Change?] (in Arabic). Beirut. OCLC 61247586
  • Naaman, Issam (2007). Amīrikā wa-al-Islām wa-al-silāḥ al-nawawī [America, Islam and Nuclear Weapons] (in Arabic). Beirut. OCLC 122330968

Notes

  1. ^ Lebanon.com gives his year of birth as 1937 instead.

References

  1. ^ Who's Who in Lebanon, 2005-2006. Beirut: Publitec Publications. 2006. ISBN 3-598-07725-4.
  2. ^ Faddoul, Antoine. "Politics: Current and Former Ministers: Issam Naaman" (in Arabic). Focus on Lebanon. Archived from the original on 20 September 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Naaman bares his fangs for all to see". The Daily Star. 2 October 1999.
  4. ^ "Newswire - Local News". Lebanon.com Interactive. 7 December 1998. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  5. ^ "About MPT". Republic of Lebanon Ministry of Telecommunications. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  6. ^ "C.V." (in Arabic). Issam Naaman
  7. ^ "Holocaust Denial in the Middle East: The Latest Anti-Israel Propaganda Theme". Anti-Defamation League. 2001. p. 12. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2014.