Jassem Al-Kharafi

Who is Jassem Al-Kharafi?

Jassem Al-Kharafi, born in 1940, was the speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly from 1999 to 2011. Al-Kharafi studied Business Administration at the Manchester Trade Faculty in Kuwait and was director of M. A. Kharafi & Sons before being elected to the National Assembly in 1975. He affiliates with the liberal deputies and is regarded as a pro-government liberal. However, Al-Kharafi has broken with the royal family on occasion. He criticized the ruling Al-Sabah family, and in July 2006 vigorously denounced the Israeli attacks on Lebanon saying that the war would "turn us all into terrorists".

Al-Kharafi's family is wealthy. His brother Nasser was listed by Forbes as one of the richest people in the world. His sister, Faiza, was rector of Kuwait University. University of Tirana on 7 October 2011 gave the title Honoris Causa.