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Kanan Makiya 1949– Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________ Into the Twenty-First Century Biography Kanan Makiya 1949– WHY HE MADE HISTORY A human rights activist, author, and filmmaker, Kanan Makiya is an important figure in the struggle for a new Iraq. As you read the biography below, think about Kanan Makiya’s dedication to democracy in Iraq. How have his efforts impacted Iraq? The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, propelled the United States into a war on terror. In 2002 © 2005, The Washington Post. Photo by President Bush identified Iraq as a threat to U.S. Michael Lutzky. Reprinted with security, charging that Saddam Hussein had not Permission. destroyed his weapons of mass destruction. U.S. troops entered Iraq in March 2003. The United States and its allies were swift in putting down Saddam’s regime. Less than a year later, Saddam was captured. The United States then moved to set up a new Iraqi government. In October 2005 voters approved a new constitution. Still, the struggle for democracy in Iraq continues. Kanan Makiya has been an ardent supporter of a democratic government in Iraq. Kanan Makiya was born in 1949 in Baghdad, Iraq. His father was Iraqi and his mother was English. He left Iraq in 1968 to study architecture in the United States at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That same year, Saddam Hussein helped overthrow the Iraqi government. Makiya did not agree with Saddam’s politics and decided not to return home. After college, Makiya worked as an architect for his father’s company in London. In 1981 Makiya gave up his career as an architect and began writing his first book, Republic of Fear. It detailed Saddam’s tyranny and use of terror against the Iraqi people. When Saddam invaded Kuwait, the book became a bestseller. Makiya wrote the book under the name Samir al- Khalil. He revealed his real name when Saddam Hussein was defeated in Operation Desert Storm. In 1991 Makiya joined with other Iraqis living in the United States to establish the Iraq Foundation. The nonprofit organization was created to promote democracy and human rights in Iraq. In October 1992 Makiya became involved in the Iraqi National Congress, a U.S.-supported attempt to unify the various opposition groups in Iraq. He began the Human Rights Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. 9 Into the Twenty-First Century Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________ Into the Twenty-First Century Biography Committee of the Congress in order to bring attention to human rights abuses in Iraq. Since the Iraq War began, Kanan Makiya has returned several times to Baghdad, where he helped draft a new constitution for his homeland. Makiya also founded the Iraq Memory Project at the Harvard Center for Middle Eastern Studies. The project is cataloging millions of pages of documents taken from Hussein’s government. It is also preserving the stories of Iraqi people who survived oppression under Hussein’s rule. Over the last two decades, Makiya has written several books and essays on Iraq. He has also collaborated on two television documentaries. He teaches Middle Eastern Studies at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. In addition, Makiya has met with members of the Bush administration to suggest methods for strengthening democracy in the new Iraq. WHAT DID YOU LEARN? 1. Recall Why didn’t Makiya return to Iraq after he graduated from college? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 2. Elaborate Why do you think Makiya believes so strongly in the cause of democracy? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ACTIVITY The Iraq Memory Project is preserving the stories of the Iraqi people who survived the terror of Saddam Hussein. Libraries and research institutions often collect and record personal stories. As a class, select an event that happened about a decade ago. Then find older family members and friends who remember the event and tape or videotape them as you ask them questions about it. Present your findings to the class. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. 10 Into the Twenty-First Century .
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