Hargeisa and Bushra al-Assad: Difference between pages

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Bushra al-Assad, born in October 1960, second child and only daughter of the late Hafez al-Assad. Sister of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and wife of Assef Shawqat, head of the Syrian Military Intelligence apparatus since 2005.

Bushra is reported to be highly intelligent and enjoyed a close personal connection with her father Hafez al-Assad. Although holding no official office, Bushra reportedly asserts considerable influence as member of the ruling family.^[1]

It is reported that she helped convince her father that jailing her uncle, Rifaat al-Assad, after his failed 1984 coup attempt would disgrace the family..^[1]

Bushra received her degree in pharmacy in 1982 from Damascus University. At university Bushra be-friended Buthaina Shaaban who is now member of the Syrian Cabinet.^[1]^[2] Some sources report that it was Shaaban that introduced Bushra to Assef Shawkat, an army officer 10 years her senior and reportedly married with a reputation for womanizing.^[1]

Despite family opposition, Bushra married Assef Shawkat in early 1995.

Since the death of her brother Basel al-Assad in 1994, Bushra has been credited with increasing influence. She is reported to have played a major role in guiding the development of Syria's pharmaceutical industry. Bushra is also reported to have worked for her husband to gain acceptance and recognition. In the late 1990s Assef Shawkat assumed key security roles within Syria's military and intelligence apparatus.^[1]^[3]

Tensions between Bushra and Syria's first lady Asma al-Assad have been reported. Since Asma's marriage to the Syrian president in 2000, Asma has defied social conventions by frequently appearing in public and in the media. It is reported that Bushra has disapproved of Asma taking such a public role.^[1]

References

This Syria biography article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[mideastmonitor-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Dossier: Bushra Assad (September-October 2006)

[2] Interview With Syrian Cabinet Minister Buthaina Shaaban; Interview With Arlen Specter. | International Wire (February, 2005)

[3] World Council for the Cedars Revolution - Syria: Trouble in Damascus

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+'''Bushra al-Assad''', born in October 1960, second child and only daughter of the late [[Hafez al-Assad]]. Sister of Syrian President [[Bashar al-Assad]] and wife of [[Assef Shawqat]], head of  the Syrian Military Intelligence apparatus since 2005.
-{{Unreferenced|date=July 2008}}
+Bushra is reported to be highly intelligent and enjoyed a close personal connection with her father [[Hafez al-Assad]]. Although holding no official office, Bushra reportedly asserts considerable influence as member of the ruling family.<ref name="mideastmonitor" />
-{{#if:{{{lat_deg|}}}|{{coor title dm|{{{lat_deg|}}}|{{{lat_min|}}}|{{{lat_hem|}}}|{{{lon_deg|}}}|{{{lon_min|}}}|{{{lon_hem|}}}|({{{population|}}})}}}}
-{| class="infobox" cellpadding="3" style="float: right; width: 250px; font-size: 90%; background-color: lightlightgrey; margin-left: 1em;"
-! colspan="2" style="font-size:  1.25em; background-color: skyblue;" | <span style="float: left;">[[Image:Flag of Somalia.svg|40px]]</span>[[Hargeisa]], [[Somalia]]{{{name|<includeonly>|</includeonly>}}}
-|-
-{{!}} colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" {{!}} [[Image:Mosque in Hargeisa.jpg|280px|center]]<small>Hargeisa central mosque.</small>
-|-
-{{!}} colspan="2"  style="text-align: center;" {{!}}
-[[Image:Somaliland-map-en.png|200px|center]] <br><small>Location of Hargeisa in [[Somalia]]</small>
-|-
-{{#if: {{{map<includeonly>|</includeonly>}}} |
-{{!}} colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: skyblue;" {{!}} '''Map''' }}
-|-
-! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: larger; background-color: skyblue;" |  Overview
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-{{!}} [[Regions of Somaliland|Region]] {{!!}} [[Maroodi Jeex]]
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-{{!}} [[capital|Granted capital status]] {{!!}} 1941 (''[[British Somaliland]]'')
-(''[[State of Somaliland]]'')
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-{{!}} [[Somaliland|Languages]] {{!!}} [[Somali language|Somali]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and [[English language|English]]
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-{{!}} [[Total]] [[Population]] {{!!}} 0.45 [[million]]
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-{{!}} [[Area]] {{!!}} ''NA'' km²
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-{{!}} [[Population density]] {{!!}} 15 persons per/km²
-|- style="vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;"
-{{!}} [[Religion]] {{!!}} [[Sunni Islam]]
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-{{!}} [[Elevation]] {{!!}} 1326 m
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-{{!}} [[Timezone]] {{!!}} [[East Africa Time|EAT]]
-|- style="vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;"
-{{!}} [[UTC+3|UTC offset]] {{!!}}  +3
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-| [[Coordinates]] || {{coord|9|30|N|44|0|E|region:SO_type:city}}
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-{{!}} [[Mayor]] {{!!}} [[His Excellency|Mudane]] Hussain Mohammoud Jiciir
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-{{!}} [[Website]] {{!!}} [http://www.hargeisacity.50megs.com/ Hargeisa City Council]
-|- style="vertical-align: top;"
-|}
+It is reported that she helped convince her father that jailing her uncle, [[Rifaat al-Assad]], after his failed 1984 coup attempt would disgrace the family..<ref name="mideastmonitor" />
-'''Hargeisa''' ({{lang-so|''Hargeysa''}}) is a city in the secessionist northwestern [[Somaliland]] region of [[Somalia]]. It was also the [[Colonialism|colonial]] capital of [[British Somaliland]] from 1941 to 1960 when it united with the south to form the [[Somali Republic]]. Hargeisa is the largest city in the Somaliland region, and the second largest city in Somalia after [[Mogadishu]], the nation's capital.
+Bushra received her degree in pharmacy in 1982 from [[Damascus University]]. At university Bushra be-friended [[Buthaina Shaaban]] who is now member of the Syrian Cabinet.<ref name="mideastmonitor">[http://www.mideastmonitor.org/issues/0609/0609_5.htm Dossier: Bushra Assad (September-October 2006)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-3884051_ITM Interview With Syrian Cabinet Minister Buthaina Shaaban; Interview With Arlen Specter. | International Wire (February, 2005)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Some sources report that it was Shaaban that introduced Bushra to [[Assef Shawkat]], an army officer 10 years her senior and reportedly married with a reputation for womanizing.<ref name="mideastmonitor" />
-==History==
-===Prehistoric inhabitants===
-[[Image:Laas Geel.jpg|200px|thumb|left|the [[Laas Geel]] cave paintings outside Hargeisa.]]
-The city is home to [[Neolithic]] [[cave paintings]] recently discovered named [[Laas Geel]]. The cave paintings are situated on the outskirts of the city, located around a plethora of [[granite]] alcoves and rocky mountains. The paintings show ancient inhabitants of the area worshipping [[cattle]]. It also shows animals which are commonly seen in the region primarily [[antelopes]], [[camel]]s and early [[dog]]s. The Laas Geel cave paintings were discovered in November 2002 by a [[French people|French]] archaeological team. They contain some of the earliest known art in the [[Horn of Africa]] and the [[Africa|African continent]] in general, dating back to somewhere between [[8th millennium BCE|8,000]] and [[9th millennium BCE|9,000]] [[BCE]].
+Despite family opposition, Bushra married [[Assef Shawkat]] in early 1995.
-===Ottoman conquest===
+Since the death of her brother [[Basel al-Assad]] in 1994, Bushra has been credited with increasing influence. She is reported to have played a major role in guiding the development of Syria's pharmaceutical industry. Bushra is also reported to have worked for her husband to gain acceptance and recognition. In the late 1990s [[Assef Shawkat]] assumed key security roles within Syria's military and intelligence apparatus.<ref name="mideastmonitor" /><ref>[http://www.cedarsrevolution.net/jtphp/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1371&Itemid=30 World Council for the Cedars Revolution - Syria: Trouble in Damascus<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
-Along with the cities of [[Zeila]] and [[Berbera]], the [[Ottoman Empire]] captured and colonised northwestern Somalia for almost 3 centuries.{{Fact|date=August 2008}} Hargeisa was also part of the area captured by the [[Ottoman Turks]]. There are many Ottoman colonial buildings across the three cities. Western Somaliland and Hargeisa were part of the [[Habesh]] region of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The region was colonised due to its strategic location on the [[Red Sea]].
+Tensions between Bushra and Syria's first lady [[Asma al-Assad]] have been reported. Since Asma's marriage to the Syrian president in 2000, Asma has defied social conventions by frequently appearing in public and in the media. It is reported that Bushra has disapproved of Asma taking such a public role.<ref name="mideastmonitor" />
-===British rule===
-[[Image:Hargeysa plane monument.jpg|thumb|left|200px| A civil war-era plane monument in the center of Hargeisa.]]
-Hargeisa and the whole Somaliland region was annexed by the [[United Kingdom|British]] from [[Aden]] and they established a protectorate naming the region ''[[British Somaliland]]''. [[Berbera]], a major trading harbour on the [[Red Sea]] was the protectorate's first capital due to its strategic importance. However, the capital was moved from Berbera to Hargeisa, and the city was granted capital status in 1941. During the [[East African Campaign (World War II)|East African Campaign]], the protectorate was [[The Italian Invasion of British Somaliland|occupied by Italy]] in August 1940, but recaptured by the British in March 1941. The protectorate gained its independence on [[26 June]] [[1960]]. Days later, the country was unified with [[Italian Somaliland]] to form a new Somali Republic ([[Somalia]]) on [[1 July]] [[1960]].
-===1980s events===
+== References ==
+<references/>
-Due to the Barre regime's violent repression, Somalis in the northwestern part of the country (particularly the [[Isaaq]] clan), encouraged by Ethiopia in opposition to Somalia, took up arms and formed the [[Somaliland National Movement]] (S.N.M.) in 1981 to resist Barre. In the late 1980s, Barre virtually lost control of the province and ordered the air force to bomb Hargeisa, today's capital of Somaliland. The bombing and subsequent raids of government troops claimed tens of thousands of casualties. <ref>[http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=3570 Somaliland and The Issue of International Recognition<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
+[[Category:Syrian Muslims]]
-A war memorial in the form of a MiG fighter jet was erected in Hargeisa to mark this event.
+[[Category:Living people]]
+[[Category:People from Latakia]]
+{{syria-bio-stub}}
-===Reconstruction===
-[[Image:Calaamadaha area o galleryfull.jpg|thumb|left|Small section of Hargeisa.]]
-As control of [[Mogadishu]] shifted in favor of the United Somali Congress (USC) in 1991, a power struggle between the leaders led to the beginning of the city's destruction. As Mogadishu and southern Somalia was being destroyed, the opposite was happening in Hargeisa and the rest of northwestern Somalia. In [[18 May]] [[1991]], secessionists in the Somaliland region had declared independence and reconstruction had begun there.
-[[Image:House in Hargeisa 2.jpg|thumb|right|A house in suburban Hargeisa.]]
-Since 1991, the city has undergone a massive [[facelift]] and over 99% of devastated [[commerce|commercial]] and [[residential]] homes have now been rebuilt and in better condition than before the war. Remittance money sent from overseas relatives contributed tremendously in the reconstruction of the city as well as entrepreneurial spirit of local residences and citizens throughout the Somaliland region.
-Aid from foreign governments was non-existent, making it unusual in the Africa for its low level of dependence in foreign aid. While Somaliland is de-facto as an independent country, it is not legally (de-jure) recognized by any country or international organization. Hence, the government of Somaliland cannot access IMF and World Bank assistance.
-Hargeisa has working traffic lights and traffic laws are respected. All residents entitled to drive must hold a photo driving license. All cars bear Somaliland license plates.
-==Geography==
-[[Image:Hargeisa countryside.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Hargeisa countryside]]
-Hargeisa is located in a [[valley]] in the western section of the country. It is in a mountainous area because Hargeisa is located in an enclosed valley of the [[Ogo mountains|Galgodon (Ogo) highlands]], at an elevation of 1,334 meters (4,377 ft) above [[sea level]]. This altitude gives Hargeisa and the surrounding area a milder climate than the [[Gulf of Aden]] coastal area (one of the hottest areas on earth) and the Hargeisa region has a fairly equable climate. The temperature ranges between 13 and 32 [[degrees Celsius]] (55 and 89 [[degrees Fahrenheit]]).
-Hargeisa receives larger amounts of [[rain]], and used to be surrounded by forest when the city was smaller but the countryside around the city still has small [[juniper]] forests. Near Hargeisa are the fertile Sheikh and Daallo mountains, which also receive large amount of [[rain]]. South of Hargeisa is the Sahaley Savannah which attracts many different animals to graze in the area
-[[Image:Kudu Kruger.jpg|thumb|right|Great [[Kudu]]s]]
-Hargeisa is also close to another town in northwestern Somalia called ''[[Arabsiyo]]''. It is a major farming and agricultural area and it falls into the main boundaries of Hargeisa.
-===Wildlife===
-Due to the fertility and greenery of the Hargeisa region, wild animals (e.g. zebras) come to the area to either breed or graze on the grassland savannah. Animals that can be found in Hargeisa include the [[Kudu]], [[wild boar]], [[Somali Wild Ass]], [[warthog|warthogs]], [[antelope|antelopes]], the [[Somali sheep]], wild [[goats]], [[camel|camels]] and many different types of [[bird|birds]]. South of Hargeisa is a grassland [[savannah]] which attracts many types of wildlife to the area including [[lion|lions]] and [[leopard|leopards]].
-==Economy==
-[[Image:Shopping mall in Hargeisa.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A shopping mall in downtown Hargeisa.]]
-Hargeisa is the [[financial]] hub to many entrepreneurial companies ranging from [[food processing]], gem stonecutters, [[construction]], retail, [[import]] and [[export]], [[Internet cafe]]s, and companies that process remittances from relative’s abroad who send [[Somaliland shilling|money]]. Some families have moved back to the city, living in mansions in the hills during the summer.
-Hargeisa also has a private and public [[menagerie]]s, it houses animals from the region including [[lion]]s, [[leopard]]s, [[antelope]]s, [[bird]]s and [[reptile]]s.
-==Transport==
-[[Image:Hargeisa airport.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Hargeisa International Airport]]]]
-The city is home to [[Hargeisa International Airport]], with flights to [[Addis Ababa]], [[Djibouti City]], [[Dubai]] and many other cities across Africa and [[Somalia]]. All foreigners are required to exchange 50 [[US]] [[Dollars]] to local [[currency]] (which is the [[Somaliland Shilling]]. (1 USD=6000 Somaliland Shillings as of Dec. 2006). There is a bus service in Hargeisa.
-==Education==
-[[Image:Somaliclassroom.jpg|thumb|left|School classroom]]
-In Hargeisa, there are two [[universities]], including the [[University of Hargeisa]]. There are also several state-run and privately owned [[secondary]] and high schools. In addition, any colleges, primary schools and [[nursery school|nurseries]] are dispersed all around the city.
-Students receive instruction from teachers who have studied from abroad or from teachers who were educated prior to the [[Somali Civil War]].
-==Communication==
-Hargeisa has a modern [[Telephone|telephone system]] and nearly everyone in the city enjoys a telephone and some with access to the [[internet]]. [[Internet cafes]] are dotted all around Hargeisa and many youngsters and adults benefit from this. Mobile communication services are available in Hargeisa. The main mobile communication services in Hargeisa are operated by [[Telesom]], [[Sitalink]] [[Soltelco]] and [[Telcom]].
-==See also==
-* [[Arabsiyo]]
-==References==
-{{Reflist}}
-==External links==
-{{Commonscat}}
-* [http://www.hargeisacity.50megs.com Hargeisa city government]
-{{coord|9|30|N|44|0|E|region:SO_type:city|display=title}}
-<!-- Template removed per [[Wikipedia:Templates_for_deletion/Log/2008_April_22#Template:AL_LargestCities]] -->
-[[Category:Cities, towns and villages in Somalia]]
-[[Category:Hargeisa| ]]
-[[ar:هرجيسا]]
-[[br:Hargeysa]]
-[[ca:Hargeisa]]
-[[cs:Hargeysa]]
-[[cy:Hargeisa]]
-[[da:Hargeysa]]
-[[de:Hargeysa]]
-[[es:Hargeisa]]
-[[fr:Hargeisa]]
-[[ko:하르게이사]]
-[[hr:Hargeisa]]
-[[id:Hargeisa]]
-[[it:Hargeisa]]
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-[[ja:ハルゲイサ]]
-[[no:Hargeisa]]
-[[pl:Hargejsa]]
-[[pt:Hargeisa]]
-[[ro:Hargeisa]]
-[[ru:Харгейса]]
-[[so:Hargeysa]]
-[[sr:Hargeisa]]
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-[[srn:Hargeysa]]
-[[fi:Hargeisa]]
-[[sv:Hargeisa]]
-[[uk:Гаргейса]]
-[[zh:哈尔格萨]]