Barjas al-Hadid

Who is Barjas al-Hadid?

Barjas al-Hadid, sometimes known as Banjes Hadid, is Shaikh of the Jordanian al-Hadid tribe and member of the Parliament of Jordan. As well as being leader of the 30,000-member Balqa Governorate-based al-Hadid tribe, Barjas al-Hadid was formerly a member of the Royal Jordanian Air Force. As Sheikh, Al-Hadid's duties have included mediating in disputes, including blood feuds, which arise between Jordanian tribe members, within whose families tribal law still exists. Significant numbers of the al-Hadid tribe are also found in Syria and Iraq, and the Sheikh has been dispatched to Saudi Arabia and Iraq in order to mediate. 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. Between 1947 and 1967 a member of the Hadids occupied a seat in the Chamber of Deputies.

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, working 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.