Issam Naaman

Issam Naaman
Minister of Telecommunications
In office 1998–2000
Preceded by	Rafiq Hariri
Succeeded by	Jean-Louis Cardahi
Member of Parliament
In office 1992–1996
Constituency	Beirut, Lebanon
Personal details
Born	April 2, 1942 Sidon, Lebanon
Citizenship	Lebanon
Nationality	Lebanese
Alma mater	Columbia Pacific University
Occupation	Lawyer, politician, author, lecturer, Member of Parliament, Minister of Telecommunications
Religion	Druze

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.^{[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-at-Law 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 رؤيا جديدة للقضية العربية [A New Vision Of The Arab Cause] (in Arabic). Beirut. OCLC 43219301.
• —— (1979). إلى أين يسير لبنان؟ [Whither Lebanon?] (in Arabic). OCLC 404146585.
• —— (1982). al-ʻArab wa-al-nafṭ wa-al-ʻālam العرب والنفط والعالم [Arabs Oil And The World] (in Arabic). OCLC 745120624.
• —— (2001). al-ʻArab ʻalá muftaraq العرب على مفترق [Arabs At Crossroads] (in Arabic). Beirut. OCLC 52443376.
• —— (2003). Hal yataghayyar al-ʻArab? هل يتغير العرب؟ [Do The Arabs Change?] (in Arabic). Beirut. OCLC 61247586.
• —— (2007). Amīrikā wa-al-Islām wa-al-silāḥ al-nawawī أميركا والإسلام والسلاح النووي [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". Focus on Lebanon (in Arabic). Retrieved 24 August 2014.
3. "Naaman bares his fangs for all to see". The Daily Star. Beirut. 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. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
6. "C.V.". Issam Naaman (in Arabic).
7. "Holocaust Denial in the Middle East: The Latest Anti-Israel Propaganda Theme" (PDF). Anti-Defamation League. 2001. p. 12. Retrieved 24 August 2014.

External links

• Issam Naaman