Reem al-Abali; A Politician of Iraqi Origin Who Leads the German Ministry of Immigration

“My Iraqi origins are always with me, and because my parents came from a country that suffered from wars, I know that politics can do a lot.”

With these words, Minister of Immigration in the new German government, Reem al-Abali, talks about the reasons for her entry into the world of politics.

Reem al-Abali was elected by the German parliament on December 8, 2021 as Minister of State for Immigration in the Social Democrat government, Olaf Scholz, who succeeded Chancellor Angela Merkel.

 

Iraqi Immigrant

Reem grew up in an Iraqi political family that immigrated to Russia in the 1990s. Her grandfather, Muhammad Salih al-Abali, is considered a well-known figure as a member of the Political Bureau of the Iraqi Communist Party before he was executed in 1963.

Reem was born on May 1, 1990, in the Russian capital, Moscow, where her parents first took refuge after leaving the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Her parents belonged to Harakat al-Ansar (the armed wing) of the Iraqi Communist Party.

In 1996, Reem traveled with her parents and settled in Germany, where she received political science at the Free University of Berlin.

She succeeded in learning German, along with Arabic and Assyrian. Thus, she was able to launch a successful political career despite her young age.

About her Iraqi origins, al-Abali said during an interview with the German Deutsche Welle channel in October 2021: “My Iraqi origins are always with me, and because my parents came from a country that suffered from wars, I know that politics means taking responsibility.”

“I am asked a lot of questions, my answer is always I am from Schwerin, and I know that they will ask about my origins, then I answer yes, my origins are Iraqi,” she continued.

I have no problem with this question, but sometimes it seems tiring, always answering the same question, especially since my situation is a little complicated, because I was born in Russia,” al-Abali added.

 

Successful Politician

Since 2015, al-Abali has served as the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Government Commissioner for Integration, for her interest in such issues.

Meanwhile, she was an active member of the Social Democratic Party (the leader of the current government coalition).

Reem then ran in the German parliamentary elections in September 2021 for the Social Democratic Party, in the northern German district of Schwerin-Ludwigslust-Berkheim.

She won 44,107 votes in her constituency, which represents approximately 29.4% of the vote turnout, and outperformed her rival from the Christian Democratic Party, Dietrich Monstadt, who had 20.7%.

Commenting on the results she achieved, al-Abali said in a media statement at the time: “I myself am impressed to be given a direct seat in the German Parliament, in an area where there are not many foreigners or people with immigrant backgrounds.”

In the governments of some foreign and European countries, it is customary to appoint candidates of immigrant origins to the post of the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.

But this does not diminish al-Abali's achievement, in obtaining this position within the new government formation in Germany, thanks to her academic excellence and political activity at a young age, according to observers.

As an Iraqi immigrant, many today are looking forward to the role and influence that al-Abali will play in Germany's Immigration policies.

Especially in light of the recent campaigns launched by the far-right camp in Germany against immigrants and media incitement as well.

During a meeting with Deutsche Welle in October 2021, al-Abali said that her success in obtaining a seat in Parliament is due to the existence of a very good future program.

“The secret of my success is due to my continuous communication with voters, and my keenness on issues of concern to them,” she stressed.

At the time, she stated that she was astonished by obtaining 44,000 votes in the parliamentary elections.

“In the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, it is not unusual for a candidate of immigrant origins to obtain a seat in Parliament by direct election,” she pointed out.

“I volunteered in the fire brigade, I met elderly people in cafes, I met people in social clubs, and I was a wanderer. I noticed how much we have in common, through our political and governmental work, many issues can be improved. These are things in which immigrant origins do not play a role,” she explained.

 

Iraqi Pride

After Reem was appointed for the first time as a Minister in the German government, Iraqi activists and politicians celebrated through their accounts on social media platforms, praising the ability of the Iraqi immigrant to take responsibility.

The former Iraqi Minister of Construction and Housing, Bangen Rekani, asked, via his Twitter account on December 8, 2021, saying: “God, if we had, what do you expect the reactions to be?”

The former Iraqi ambassador to Sweden, Ahmed al-Kamaly, commented on Rekani’s tweet by saying that: “Production and creativity need a safe and stable environment. I met personalities and officials from multiple nationalities, they praise the mentality and culture of Iraqis in general.”

“If an Iraqi excels in a country, it is not surprising that he assumes a responsibility, the important thing is that he performs the right of the position with honesty and honor,” he added.

Iraqi activist Shahd al-Anzi wrote on Twitter: “Iraqis are distinguished and creative wherever they go; but in Iraq without rights and threatened backwards, they took possession of Iraq's money and positions with the support of a country that does not want the good of Iraq.”

“If Reem al-Abali was in Iraq, she would either be without an appointment and she might be among the displaced or within groups that work for free and are waiting for an opportunity to be appointed,” Al-Anezi added.