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Banna, Hasan al-

(Encyclopedia)Banna, Hasan al- häsˈsän äl-bänˈnə [key], 1906–49, Egyptian religious and political leader; founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. He was involved with traditional Islamic education in Egypt. In ...

Sadat, Anwar al-

(Encyclopedia)Sadat, Anwar al- änwärˈ äl-sädätˈ [key], 1918–81, Egyptian political leader and president (1970–81). He entered (1936) Abbasia Military Academy, where he became friendly with Gamal Abdal Na...

Sadr, Moktada al-

(Encyclopedia)Sadr, Moktada or Moqtada al- mo͝okhˈtädä ä-säˈdər [key], 1973?–, Iraqi Shiite cleric. The son of Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr, who was assassinated in 1999 (presumably by Saddam Hu...

Qaddafi, Muammar al-

(Encyclopedia)Qaddafi, Muammar al- mo͞oäm-märˈ äl-käd-däˈfē [key], 1942–2011, Libyan army officer and dictator. He graduated from the Univ. of Libya in 1963 and became an army officer in 1965. In 1969 he...

Zawahiri, Ayman al-

(Encyclopedia)Zawahiri or Zawahri, Ayman al- both: īˈmän äl-zäwäˈrē [key], 1951–, militant Egyptian Islamist. A surgeon by education and training, he became involved with the Muslim Brotherhood and joined...

Majid, Ali Hassan al-

(Encyclopedia)Majid, Ali Hassan al- äˈlē hāˈsän äl-mäjēdˈ [key], 1941–2010, Iraqi general and Ba'athist, cousin of Saddam Hussein. After Hussein took power (1979), Majid played a pivotal role in the Ba'...

Maliki, Nuri Kamal al-

(Encyclopedia)Maliki, Nuri Kamal al- no͞orˈē kämälˈ äl-mälˈĭkē [key], 1950–, Iraqi political leader. A Shiite who worked as an education official in Hilla, he was a member and, later, deputy leader of ...

Bakr, Ahmad Hasan al-

(Encyclopedia)Bakr, Ahmad Hasan al- äkhmädˈ häsänˈ äl-bäkˈər [key], 1914–82, president of Iraq (1968–79). He served as an officer in the Iraqi army but was forced to retire (1958) because of his parti...

Baghdadi, Abu Bakr al-

(Encyclopedia)Baghdadi, Abu Bakr al-, nom de guerre of Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai, 1971–2019, Iraqi jihadist leader. Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, he helped found a Sunni militia. Arres...

Turabi, Hassan Abdallah al-

(Encyclopedia)Turabi, Hassan Abdallah al- häˈsän äbdäˈlä äl-to͞oräˈbē [key], 1932–2016, Sudanese religious and political leader, b. Kassala, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (now Sudan). He studied law in Sudan a...