Abdul Halim Moussa (Arabic: عبد الحليم موسى; c. 1930 – 2003) was an Egyptian police major general and interior minister who was in office from 1990 to 1993.
Abdul Halim Moussa | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Interior | |
| In office January 1990 – 18 April 1993 | |
| President | Hosni Mubarak |
| Preceded by | Zaki Badr |
| Succeeded by | Hassan Al Alfi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c.1930 |
| Died | 19 July 2003 (aged 73) Cairo, Egypt |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Alma mater | Police Academy |
| Military service | |
| Rank | Major General |
Early life and education
editMoussa was born around 1930.[1] He graduated from the police academy in 1954.[2]
Career and activities
editMoussa served as a director of public security and held the rank of police major general.[3] He was named governor of the southern province of Asyut.[2][3] He was appointed minister of interior by President Hosni Mubarak in January 1990, replacing Zaki Badr in the post.[1][2] Moussa's appointment was commonly welcomed by the Egyptian public.[4] Unlike his successor, he adopted a conciliatory approach toward Islamic groups during his term.[1]
In December 1992, Moussa argued that there were more than 2,000 members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Sudan and that they were training Egyptian extremists in the camps.[5] In early April 1993 he supported the establishment of a mediation committee by the independent ulemas who opposed the violent activities of the Islamists.[6] Moussa's term lasted until 18 April 1993 when he was fired by Mubarak due to his failure in ending the violence perpetrated by Islamic insurgents[7][8] and due to his endorsement of the ulemas' mediation committee plan.[6] The day before his dismissal Moussa stated that a dialogue had been opened towards the Islamic militants.[9] Hassan Al Alfi replaced Moussa as interior minister.[7][8]
Assassination attempts
editMoussa escaped unhurt after four assassination attempts all by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad when he was in office as interior minister.[10] The first attempt was in October 1990.[11] However, not Moussa but the parliamentary speaker Rif'at al-Mahjub was killed in the attack.[11] In the last attempt, Moussa's driver, who was a relative of the group, was killed and perpetrators apologized to the family of the driver.[10]
Controversy
editZaki Badr, Moussa's successor as interior minister, accused him of corruption and wrongdoing in January 1994.[12]
Death
editMoussa was diagnosed with cancer in 2002.[2] He died of cancer at the age of 73 in Cairo on 19 July 2003.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Abdel Halim Moussa, 73; Egyptian Official Reached Out to Rebels". Los Angeles Times. 22 July 2003. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Deaths". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 21 July 2003. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
- ^ a b Michael Collins Dunn (March 1990). "The Fall of Zaki Badr: A Victory for Egypt's Opposition Press". Washington Report. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ^ Ahmed Abdalla (January–February 1991). "Mubarak's Gamble". Middle East Report. 168.
- ^ P. B. Sinha (1998). "Threat of Islamic terrorism in Egypt". Strategic Analysis. 22 (8): 1193–1213. doi:10.1080/09700169808458874.
- ^ a b Malika Zeghal (1999). "Religion and Politics in Egypt: The Ulema of al-Azhar, Radical Islam, and the State (1952-94)". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 31 (3): 388. doi:10.1017/S0020743800055483. S2CID 33718066.
- ^ a b Youssef M. Ibrahim (19 August 1993). "Egyptian militants blamed in attack on security chief". The New York Times. p. 1.
- ^ a b Ami Ayalon, ed. (1995). Middle East Contemporary Survey: 1993. Vol. 17. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. ISBN 978-0813324333.
- ^ Scott Mattoon (June 1993). "Terror Makes Its Mark". The Middle East (224).
- ^ a b Mounir Adib (5 September 2013). "Different minister, same assassination method". Al-Masry Al-Youm. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ^ a b Bradley Hope (22 March 2012). "Long-time Islamist prisoner faces a whole new Egypt". The National. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
- ^ William J Burns (Winter 1995). "The Impending Crisis in Egypt". The Middle East Journal. 49 (1): 19. doi:10.1163/2468-1733_shafr_SIM220070012.