Faisal Karami (Arabic: فيصل عمر كرامي; born 26 September 1971) is a Lebanese politician. He served as the minister of youth and sports in the cabinet of Najib Mikati between 2011 and 2014.[1] He is a member of the parliament since 2018.[2][3]

Faisal Karami
Minister of Youth and Sports
In office
13 June 2011 – 15 February 2014
Prime MinisterNajib Mikati
Preceded byAli Abdullah
Succeeded byAbdul Muttaleb Al Hinawi
Personal details
Born
Faisal Omar Karami

(1971-09-26) 26 September 1971 (age 53)
Tripoli, Lebanon
Political partyArab Liberation Party

Early life and education

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Karami was born into a Sunni family in Tripoli on 26 September 1971.[4] His father is Omar Karami a former Prime Minister of Lebanon.[1][5] He is also the nephew of Rashid Karami, who served as prime minister for eight terms.[5] Faisal Karami studied business administration in the United States.[6]

Career

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Karami is the head of the Arab Liberation Party.[6] He was appointed minister of youth and sports in June 2011 to the cabinet of Najib Mikati.[7][8] He was a non-affiliated member and part of the March 8 coalition in the cabinet.[9] Karami's term ended on 15 February 2014, and Abdul Muttaleb Al Hinawi succeeded him in the post.[10]

Controversy

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Karami's appointment led to conflict during the cabinet formation process in 2011[11] due to the fact that Hezbollah had explicitly asked Mikati to assign Faisal Karami as one of the ministers which was initially refused by Mikati.[12] Mikati argued that if Karami became minister, three of the five seats would be taken by natives of Tripoli (himself, finance minister Mohammad Safadi, and Karami), leading to imbalance in political representation.[12] Nevertheless, Karami was appointed as a non-affiliated minister chosen by Hezbollah,[9] and became the seventh Sunni member of the cabinet after Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s AMAL party agreed to give up one of its governmental shares for him.[13][14] Karami's appointment was celebrated in his hometown, Tripoli.[15]

Attack

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Karami's convoy was attacked in Tripoli on 18 January 2013, injuring four people. Karami escaped the attack unhurt.[16] Perpetrators were armed radical Sunni Islamists.[17] One of the gunmen was wounded and later arrested.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Faisal Karami". Beirut. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Factbox: Hezbollah and allies gain sway in Lebanon parliament". Reuters. 22 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Results announced in Beirut II, North I and II: Opposition notches wins in Beirut, Faisal Karami loses in Tripoli". L'Orient-Le Jour. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Profile". Katagogi. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Former PM Karami dismisses attack on his son as "mistake"". Al Akhbar. 18 January 2013. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Lebanon announces cabinet line-up". Now Lebanon. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  7. ^ "Mikati forms new Lebanese government". Ain Alyaqeen. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  8. ^ Thomas El Basha (13 June 2011). "Mikati forms 30-member Lebanon Cabinet". The Daily Star. Beirut. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  9. ^ a b "The New Lebanese Government" (PDF). Lebanese Information Center. July 2011. Archived from the original (Assessment Report) on 15 January 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  10. ^ "Lebanese cabinet formed after 10-month stalemate". Al Arabiya. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  11. ^ "The Karami and Arslan obstacles are pending". As Safir. June 2011. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  12. ^ a b Sami Moubayed (5 April 2011). "Why Najeeb Mikati cannot deliver". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  13. ^ "Omar Karami's Brother: Our Family is Not Honored by Being Represented by Faisal". Naharnet. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  14. ^ "Mikati unveils 30-member Cabinet dominated by Hizbullah and March 8 allies". The Daily Middle East Reporter. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  15. ^ "Incendiary Politics". Mena Fund Review. 4 August 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  16. ^ "Lebanon minister escapes convoy attack unhurt". Al Jazeera. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  17. ^ a b Jean Aziz (24 March 2013). "Tripoli: A Cocktail of Fundamentalism". Al Monitor. Retrieved 25 March 2013.