Shaalan Abu al-Jun
Sheikh Shaalan bin Inad Abu al-Jun (Arabic: شعلان بن عناد أبو الجون; 1864 – November 1941), nicknamed Shaalan Al-Shahd (شعلان الشهد), was an Iraqi politician, and one of the leaders of the Iraqi revolt of 1920.
Shaalan Abu al-Jun | |
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شعلان أبو الجون | |
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Personal details | |
Born | 1864 Ottoman Iraq |
Died | 1941 (aged 76–77) Kingdom of Iraq |
Citizenship | Iraqi |
Military service | |
Battles/wars | Iraqi Revolt |
Biography
Abu al-Jun was the head of Al-Zawalem tribe, one of the tribes of the city of Al-Rumaitha in southern Iraq. On 25 June 1920, Lieutenant P. T. Hyatt reported to the governor of Al Diwaniyah, Major Clive Kirkpatrick Daly, that Abu al-Jun was inciting the public to rebel against the British rule. Hence, Daly ordered his arrest and to be transported by rail to Al Diwaniyah.[1]
On 30 June, he was summoned by deputy Hyatt in al-Rumaitha while having a meeting with his tribe members. Hyatt confronted Abu al-Jun who criticized the British treatment of the natives, and arrested him,[2] based on allegations of refusing to pay an agricultural loan debt.[3] Later that day at 4 pm, 1,200 men of the Zawalim tribe, under the leadership of Sheikh Ghathith al-Harjan from Hajim tribe, managed to revolt and rescue him from captivity at a train depot in Al-Rumaitha before extradition, killing a local Arab guard in the process, then they sabotaged the railway and telegraph communications in the town.[4][5] This event marked the beginning of the Iraqi revolt of 1920.[6]
Government career
He held multiple positions in the Iraqi government that was created in the aftermath of the revolt. He was elected as a representative of Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate in the Iraqi Parliament between 1930–1932, and was re-elected in February 1937.[7]
Personal life
Abu al-Jun died in November 1941.[7] His son Abdel Ameer also became a member of the parliament in 1943 and 1947.
References
- Rutledge 2015.
- Kadhim 2012, pp. 70–71.
- Abdel Talib 2015, p. 93.
- Al-Haydari 2017, p. 93.
- "The Great 'Iraqi Revolt: The 1919-1920 Insurrections Against the British in Mesopotamia". ininet.org.
- Tauber 1995, p. 306–307.
- Basri 2004, p. 392.
Sources
- Abdel Talib, Ibrahim (2015). Iraq, the Arab country that politicians gnawed at, 1914–2003 (in Arabic). Al Manhal. ISBN 9796500156422.
- Al-Haydari, Ibrahim (2017). The tragedy of Karbala (in Arabic). Dar al Saqi. ISBN 9786144253144.
- Basri, Mir (2004). Political figures in modern Iraq (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Dar Al-Hikmah. ISBN 9781904923114.
- Kadhim, Abbas (2012). Reclaiming Iraq: The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-73924-6.
- Rutledge, Ian (2015). Enemy on the Euphrates: The Battle for Iraq, 1914–1921. Saqi. ISBN 9780863567674.
- Tauber, Eliezer (1995). The Formation of Modern Syria and Iraq. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781135201180.