Saleh Jawad al-Tou'ma

Salih Jawad Altoma (; b. September 23, 1929) is an Iraqi poet, author, and professor emeritus of near eastern languages and cultures at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and an adjunct professor emeritus of comparative literature at Indiana University.

Early life and education Altoma was born in Karbala in 1929 into the Tumah branch of the noble Al Faiz family that hold high status in Karbala. Altoma claims agnatic descent from Musa al-Kadhim, the seventh Shia Imam. His ancestors on some occasions ruled Karbala, and held custodianship of its holy sites.

He grew up studying under a Shaykh Muhammad al-Sarraj al-Asadi, until the government invaded his class and took his students into the newly opened state schools. He studied at a Bab al-Taag primary school in Karbala, which later became the Sibt School. He concluded his primary and secondary studies in Karbala, and then went to earn his B.A from Baghdad University in 1952.

In 2014, he received the Middle East Studies Association Mentoring Award for his exceptional teaching and contributions to Middle East studies.

The courses that Altoma taught included: