Yousef Ghanima

Yousef Rizq Alah Ghanima (9 August^{[citation needed]} 1885 - 10 August^{[citation needed]} 1950) was an Iraqi politician, journalist and historian. He represented Christians at the time of Kingdom of Iraq, after which he was appointed to the Ministry of Finance six times, and the Ministry of Supply once.^[1] He is known for founding Seda Babel, one of the first newspapers in Iraq in 1908.^{[citation needed]} He wrote many books about the history of Iraq.^{[citation needed]}

Early life

Ghanima was born in Baghdad to a Chaldean Catholic Assyrian family. He studied theology and Arabic literature by Anastase-Marie al-Karmali. He learned French and English in church. He joined the Committee of Union and Progress and became one of its first members in Baghdad.

Career

After the British army entered Baghdad in March 1917, Ghanima was called by General Hooker along with other statesmen to found the city's municipal council.^[2] He welcomed King Faisal I after his arrival in Basra in 1921,^{[citation needed]} and was appointed by the king for negotiation of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1922.^{[citation needed]}

After the founding of the Council of Representatives of Iraq, from 1925 to 1928 he represented Christians of Baghdad.^{[citation needed]} He became minister of finance at the third government of Abdul-Muhsin Al-Saadoun (1928 to 1929), first government of Tawfiq al-Suwaidi (1929), first government of Ali Jawdat al-Aiyubi (1934-1935), third government of Jamil al-Midfai (1935), first government of Arshad al-Umari (1946) and in the government of Salih Jabr (1947-1948).^{[citation needed]}

He also become minister of supply in the government of Hamdi al-Pachachi (1945-1946).^{[citation needed]} He was also appointed in many other positions in finance.^[specify] He died on August 10, 1950, in London.^{[citation needed]}

Seda Babel

He founded the Seda Babel newspaper in 1908 with Dawud Sliwa.^[3] The newspaper was closed down in July 1914 before World War I by order from Nur Al-Deen Pasha, governor of Baghdad Vilayet.^[4]

Books

• History of Iraqi trade (1922)^{[citation needed]}
• History of Iraqi cities (1923)^{[citation needed]}
• History of Iraqi jews (1924)^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Hanna Khayat
• Sassoon Eskell

References

1. ^ Elliot, Matthew (December 31, 1996). Independent Iraq: British Influence from 1941 to 1958. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781850437291. – via Google Books.
2. ^ غنيمة, حارث يوسف & Ghanīmah, Ḥārith Yūsuf (June 15, 1990). "السياسي الأديب يوسف غنيمة، ١٨٨٥-١٩٥٠: من اركان النهضة العلمية في العراق الحديث : حياته، آثاره، عصره". دار الحرية،. – via Google Books.
3. ^ "نتائج البحث - المكتبة الرقمية العالمية". www.wdl.org
4. ^ "صدى بابل، العدد 250، 30 يوليو 1914". www.wdl.org. July 30, 1914.