Jamal El-Haj | |
|---|---|
 El-Haj in March 2021 | |
| Member of the Riksdag | |
| Assumed office 24 September 2018 | |
| Constituency | Malmö Municipality |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jamal El-Haj 1960 (age 63–64) |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Lebanese University |
Jamal El-Haj (born 1960) is a Swedish politician, trade unionist and member of the Riksdag, the national legislature. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he has represented Malmö Municipality since September 2018.[1] He had previously been a substitute member of the Riksdag for Leif Jakobsson between June 2016 and September 2018.[1]
El-Haj was educated in Tripoli, Lebanon and has a degree in sociology from the Lebanese University.[1] He has held various roles at the IF Metall trade union.[1][2] He was a member of the municipal council in Malmö Municipality from 2002 to 2014.[1]
Controversy
In March 2023, El-Haj attended a conference hosted by Amin Abu Rashid, a known activist for the Islamist movement Hamas, who was later arrested for financing terrorism linked to the organization.[3] A number of Swedish politicians immediately demanded his resignation.[4][5] In May 2023, it was announced that El-Haj had been temporarily dismissed from his position in the Swedish parliament.[6]
After Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing more than 1,000 Israelis, El-Haj refused to condemn it when asked about it on Swedish TV.[7] After having received widespread criticism from both Riksdag members and various media platforms, he later publicly affirmed his decision to distance himself from Hamas.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Ledamöter & partier: Jamal El-Haj (S)" (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden: Riksdag. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ↑ Tiberg, Anna (18 July 2006). "IF Metalls Jamal El-Haj flyr från Libanon". Dagens Arbete (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ↑ "Experternas hårda dom: "Det är mycket allvarligt"". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). 29 May 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ↑ Nilsson, Erik (20 October 2023). "M-profil vill utesluta S-ledamoten El-Haj". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ↑ "L kräver att El-Haj lämnar riksdagen: "Säkerhetsrisk"". Omni. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ↑ TT (31 May 2023). "Jamal El-Haj tvingas pausa uppdrag – beklagar". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ↑ "Här vägrar vägrar Jamal El-Haj ta avstånd från Hamas". www.tv4.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ↑ "El-Haj: Jag tar starkt avstånd från Hamas". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 16 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.