Reply #131: Obituary: Margaret Hassan (The Guardian) [View All]

[IndianaGreen]

Obituary

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Margaret Hassan

Relief worker who dedicated her life to helping the Iraqi people

Jason Burke
Wednesday November 17, 2004
The Guardian

Margaret Hassan, who has been reported killed at the age of 59, was Care International's director in Iraq. She had been held hostage after being abducted at gunpoint in Baghdad on her way to work four weeks ago.

Hassan was born Margaret Fitzsimmons in Ireland, where her early childhood was spent in a Dublin suburb. Later, her family moved to London, where she completed her education.

In 1961, when she was 17, she met and married Iraqi-born Tahseen Ali Hassan, who was 26 years old and studying engineering in the UK. In 1972, she moved with her new husband to Iraq, where she began working for the British Council, teaching English to Iraqis. Falling in love with the country, she learnt Arabic, converted to Islam and became an Iraqi citizen.

In 1979 Saddam Hussein consolidated his grip on power in the country and, two years later, led his nation into war with Iran. The conflict cost huge numbers of lives and inflicted massive deprivation on the populations of both countries. However, Hassan never contemplated leaving, becoming first the assistant director of studies at the British Council in Baghdad and then its director. Her husband worked as an economist.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1352957,00.html