Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq
The Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI or SIIC; Arabic: المجلس الأعلى الإسلامي العراقي Al-Majlis Al-A'ala Al-Islami Al-'Iraqi; previously known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, SCIRI) is a Shia Islamist political party in Iraq. It was established in Iran in 1982 by Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim and changed its name to the current Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq in 2007. Its political support comes from Iraq's Shia Muslim community.
Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq المجلس الأعلى الإسلامي العراقي | |
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Leader | Shaikh Humam Hamoudi |
Founder | Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim |
Founded | 1982 |
Military wing | Badr Brigade (1982–2003) |
Ideology | Sistanism Shia Islamism Islamic democracy Decentralization Iraqi nationalism |
Religion | Shia Islam |
National affiliation | Fatah Alliance (2018–present) |
International affiliation | Axis of Resistance |
Seats in the Council of Representatives of Iraq | 5 / 329 |
Seats in the local governorate councils | 54 / 440 |
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Prior to his assassination in August 2003, SCIRI was led by Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim; afterwards it was led by the Ayatollah's brother, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. After Abdul Aziz al-Hakim's death in 2009 his son Ammar al-Hakim became the group's new leader. In light of its gains in the three 2005 elections and government appointments, the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council became one of Iraq's most powerful political parties and was the largest party in the Iraqi Council of Representatives until the 2010 Iraqi elections, where it lost support due to Nuri Al-Maliki's political party rise.
Previously ISCI's militia wing was the Badr Brigade, where the party used it during the Iraqi civil war of 2006–2007. After the civil war, Badr Brigade turned into a political force of itself and left ISCI, although the two continue to be part of a coalition in Iraq's parliament. After the departure of Badr Brigade, ISCI created a new militia called the Knights of Hope.