Houda Nonoo
Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo | |
|---|---|
 Ambassador Nonoo | |
| National Assembly | |
| Personal details | |
| Residence | Bahrain |
Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo (also Hoda Nono; Hebrew: הודא עזרא נונו; Arabic: هدى عزرا نونو) is the Bahraini Ambassador to the United States. She was appointed to the position by decree of Foreign Affairs Minister Khaled Ben Ahmad Al-Khalifa. Nounou is the first Jewish person, and third woman, to be appointed ambassador of Bahrain. She is also the first Jewish ambassador of any Arab country,[1][2][3] and the first female Bahraini ambassador to the United States.[4] Some local media criticized the appointment,[5] and Radio Canada reported that her nomination was controversial within Bahrain, with some suggesting that a Jew might not be the best choice to defend Bahrain's refusal to recognise Israel. Al-Khalifa rejected these concerns.[1]
Prior to her appointment, she was president of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society, and had for three years been a member of parliament (40-member Shura Council), after being appointed by King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifah. Her appointment made headlines because Houda is part of the small Jewish community of Bahrain. Bahrain's Jewish community reportedly consists in just thirty-seven people, most of whom are the descendants of immigrants from Iraq and Iran.[1][2] Nonoo is not the first person in her family to enter Bahraini politics, or member of the Jewish community. In 1934, her grandfather Abraham Nonoo served as a member of the Manama Municipality, the first ever elected municipal body in Bahrain.[6] In 2000, a cousin, Ebrahim Daoud Nonoo was appointed to parliament. The Nonoo family is originally from Iraq having moved to Bahrain over a century ago.[7]
Notes
- ^ a b c "Bahreïn persiste et signe", Radio Canada, June 8, 2008
- ^ a b "Une juive ambassadrice d'un pays arabe", Radio Canada, May 31, 2008
- ^ "Bahrain names Jewish ambassador". BBC News. 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- ^ "Bahraini king taps Jewish woman lawmaker as envoy to U.S." Haaretz. 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
- ^ "Bahrain picks Jew as U.S. envoy, local media critical". Reuters. 2008-05-08. Retrieved 2010-10-27. [dead link]
- ^ Nancy Elly Khedourie, From Our Beginning to Present Day (Al Manar Press: 2007) p. 78
- ^ Template:He icon "בחריין: יהודיה תכהן בפרלמנט". Walla!. 6 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
External links
- [1] Official embassy bio
 | This article about a Bahraini politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Asian diplomat-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1964 births
- Living people
- Bahraini activists
- Bahraini Jews
- Members of the Consultative Council of Bahrain
- Iraqi Jews
- Jewish politicians
- Ambassadors to the United States
- Female diplomats
- Bahraini women in politics
- Bahraini people of Iraqi descent
- Ambassadors of Bahrain
- Bahrain – United States relations
- Bahraini people stubs
- Middle Eastern politician stubs
- Asian diplomat stubs