Abduljalil Khalil | |
|---|---|
 Abduljalil Khalil in September 2012 | |
| Born | Abduljalil Khalil Ibrahim Hassan 14 December 1961 |
| Nationality | Bahraini |
| Education |
|
| Occupation | Politician |
| Organization | Al Wefaq |
| Spouse | Afaf al-Jamri |
| Website | |
Abduljalil Khalil Ibrahim Hassan (also Abdul Jalil; Arabic: عبدالجليل خليل إبراهيم حسن; born 14 December 1961) is a Bahraini politician. He is former Member of Parliament of Al Wefaq political party.
Khalil was born in the village of Sanabis, Bahrain on 14 December 1961.[1] He studied mechanical engineering at King Saud University earning his BSc in January 1986.[1] In July 1999, he earned MSc building services administration from Heriot-Watt University.[1] Between 1995 and 2006, he worked at AERMEC, advancing from a field services engineer in March 1995 to a project manager in August 1999 and finally to a general manager in September 2000.[1] He writes regular opinion piece in Al Wasat local newspaper and is a board member of Bahrain Society of Engineers, the American Bahraini Friendship Society[1] and al-Jamri foundation, "which seeks to foster Sunni-Shi'a dialogue."[2] He also heads the Bahrain Society for University Students and is said to have "close associations with recent university graduates."[2] A WikiLeaks cable described him as being known for his "intelligence, management, administrative [and oratory] skills."[2]
Khalil is married to Afaf al-Jamri, a women's activist and writer.[2] She is the daughter of Shia cleric Abdul Amir al-Jamri, sister to Mansoor al-Jamri, editor-in-chief of Al-Wasat and Mohammed Jameel, a former member of parliament.[2] They have two sons and a daughter.[3]
In August 1988, Khalil was arrested in connection with opposition activities related to his father-in-law, with whom he had very strong relations.[2][4] He was subsequently sentenced to seven years in prison.[4] He was reportedly tortured during detention.[5] He was pardoned by the Emir (now king) in 2000.[2]
Khalil was a founding member of Al Wefaq political party in 2001.[1] He holds a senior position in the party.[6] In 2006, he was elected to the Council of Representatives, the lower house of the parliament[1] as a representative of the Capital Governorate's 4th district.[2] He headed the parliament's finance committee and led investigations into state properties.[1] He was noted for his ability to cooperate with other blocs despite sectarian differences.[7] He won by default in 2010, becoming the head of Al Wefaq's bloc.[8] In February 2011, Khalil and 17 other Al Wefaq MPs (the largest bloc)[9] submitted their resignations in protest against the government crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired protests.[10][11][12]
