#On_the_anniversary_of_the_martyrdom_of_Abu_Yassin
Professor Muhammad Abdul Jabbar al‑Shabout
Around these days, the Iraqi memory returns to one of those men who combined thought, jihad, and quiet political work: the martyr Abdul Zahra Uthman Mohammed (1943–2004) – a man who was not merely a transient politician in a turbulent period of Iraq's history, but an intellectual, educational, and cultural mind who carried the concern for the Iraqi human being, the burden of the state, freedom, and dignity in the most difficult circumstances.
Many knew him as "Izz al‑Din Salim" , but those who approached him on a human and intellectual level saw in him "Abu Yassin" : the quiet, humble, deep man who always carried the spirit of an educator even as he engaged in the most complex political struggles. It was rare for a single person to possess this amount of culture, calmness, faith, organisational work, and the ability to dialogue with those who disagreed with him.
Abu Yassin belonged to a generation that believed that real change is not based on violence alone, nor on power alone, but on building awareness, educating the human being, and reviving the idea. Therefore, his interest in politics was not separate from his interest in thought, culture, and Islamic history. He wrote dozens of books on Islamic thought, biography, history, and politics, leaving a clear mark on contemporary Iraqi Islamic intellectual discourse.
One of the most striking aspects of his thought is that he was always searching for "the human being" within the political battle. He did not view the state merely as authority, but as a framework for protecting the human being, his dignity, and his rights. He believed that we must establish a state of the human being – a state that respects the human being in his entirety. This reveals the depth of his ethical and civilisational vision of the state and politics.
Abu Yassin spent long years in opposition, exile, and pursuit, yet he retained his inner calm, his faith in Iraq, and his ability to rise from ruin. When he returned to Iraq after 2003, he returned carrying the dream of contributing to the building of a new state – not a state of revenge, but a state that accommodates everyone. However, bullets and terrorism were faster than the dreams of good men, and he was martyred in Baghdad on 17 May 2004, at the peak of his intellectual and political presence.
Remembering Abu Yassin today is not merely a remembrance of a departed political figure, but a remembrance of an entire phase of Iraq's history and of a generation of Islamic intellectuals who tried to connect thought and action, ethics and politics, identity and openness to the human being.
In an age of noise, emotions, and sharp divisions, figures like Abdul Zahra Uthman appear more important than ever, because they remind us that political work can be ethical, that disagreement does not cancel respect, and that quiet thought can have a deeper impact than shouting.
May God have mercy on the martyr Abu Yassin, and may God have mercy on those Iraqi souls who believed that building the human being is the true path to building the homeland.
19 May 2026
عزالدين سلِم