Barjas al-Hadid

Sheikh Barjas Shaher Sayel Al-Hadid - (born in 1936), also known locally as Abu Nidal (The Father of Nidal) Barjas Al Hadid, is a Jordanian politician and Sheikh of the prominent Al-Hadid tribe and member of the Parliament of Jordan.

Education, military and political career In 1957, Al-Hadid attended military college in Cairo, but his education was ended early by a serious injury sustained in a light aircraft. After recovering, he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, of the Royal Jordanian Air Force and worked at Amir Faisal Military College until 1976. His political career began in 1984, when he joined the Amman City Council, where he served for two years, after which he was appointed to an eight-year term as one of 40 Senators in the upper chamber of the National Assembly. In 1997, Al-Hadid was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for the fourth electoral district in Amman; and was reelected in 2003.

Personal life Al-Hadid is married to Noof Salim Khair, with whom he has five children: Nidal, who was the mayor of Amman, worked in the Jordanian Football Association, and was a FIFA Development Officer for most Arabic countries; Muhammed, a major in the intelligence services; Hussam, a businessman; and his daughters Arwa and Hala. His father, Shaher, and cousin, Minwer, fought in the Arab Revolt which installed King Abdullah as ruler, and took an oath of loyalty to the king. This contributed to the close relationship shared between the two families, and upon his death Sheikh Shaher was buried in the royal cemetery at Al-Maquar, Amman.

Al-Hadid's position as elected Member of Parliament came partially as a result of the large amount of land owned by his tribe and the influence it brings (traditionally the Al-Hadid family have owned all of the lands of Amman, the modern-day capital of Jordan); this has historically resulted in the Al-Hadid family being one of the wealthiest families in the Kingdom of Jordan.

Using this land wealth they have donated some of their lands to numerous good causes throughout Jordan's history, most notably the land around Central Amman for the creation of Amman's Italian Hospital - also known as Mustashfa Italiani, In addition to this they also donated lands in the Al-Wehdat area of Amman for the building of refugee camps for Palestinians that fled Palestine in 1948, during the Nakba period. These refugee camps are still in existence today.

Between 1947 and 1967 a member of the Hadids occupied a seat in the Chamber of Deputies.