Aiham Alsammarae - Family, Childhood, and Education

Family, Childhood, and Education

Alsammarae was born in 1951 to a prominent Sunni Muslim family in Baghdad, Iraq, the second youngest of 13 children. His father, Jasim, was born and raised in Samarra. He later founded one of Iraq's largest construction companies. From a young age, Alsammarae was intimately familiar with Iraqi politics due to his family's presence in this sphere. Many of his close relatives served as ambassadors, cabinet advisors, and members of parliament. Growing up in the 1960s, Alsammarae received his primary and secondary education in Baghdad, Iraq. He then attended the University of Baghdad, earning his B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering in 1973.

Upon obtaining his bachelors degree, he completed his obligatory military duty (required of all men over the age of 18 in Iraq) by serving in the Air Force. After completing this requirement, Alsammarae received a scholarship to obtain post-graduate education in the U.S.. He obtained his Masters in Electrical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology(IIT) in Chicago, IL in 1978 and began work on his Ph.D.

By 1980, Alsammarae had resigned from the Ba'ath Party, and his scholarship to complete his PhD was revoked. In order to complete his studies at IIT, he worked as a teaching assistant and was able to continue with his education, obtaining his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 1983. After graduation, Alsammarae resided and worked in Chicago, IL as an electrical engineer while also becoming active in the Iraqi opposition. During the 1990s, he became involved with Iraqi charity organizations, sending food, clothing and medicine to those in need in Iraq.

Alsammarae was involved in opposition meetings during the 1990s and leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2003 he was elected as Minister of Electricity and increased electricity production to the highest level seen since the invasion in 2003, despite insurgent attacks, an archaic electrical system, lack of fuel for generators, and lack of qualified personnel.