Dulaim

Dulaim

Regions with significant populations
Iraq	5,200,000
Languages
Arabic
Religion
Predominantly Sunni Islam; largest minority: Shia Islam, Christianity

Dulaim or Dulaimi or Al Duliam or Dulaym (Template:Lang-ar) is one of the largest of all Arab tribes, with over nine million people. The tribe's history goes back to pre-Islamic times and millions descend from the tribe today in Iraq and neighboring countries such as Syria and Jordan.

Pronounced locally as "Al-Dulaim" but written as Dulaim. Also spelled Dulaimi, Dulaym, Dalaimy.

Members of this tribe are commonly identifiable by the surnames of their own clans or by the name Al-Dulaimi.

Origins

In pre-Islamic times the Dulaim tribe was known as Zubayd. According to Dulaim leaders the tribe descended from Qahtan. Others believe that Dulaim descended from ancient Iraqis, while some books suggest that the Dulaim tribe formed from a tribal alliance.

The Dulaim tribe traces its ancestry to the Zubayd tribe.

The Zubaydis were originally from Yemen and migrated through the Arabian Peninsula to Iraq during the first millennium. Some scholars believe they were part of the first Arab Conquests in the 7th century. The Dulaims are a large Sunni tribe in Iraq, living on the Euphrates from a point just below Al Hillah and southern Baghdad to Fallujah, Ramadi, al-Qaim, Samarra and Mosul.

The Shiite Arabs in Iraq believe the Dulaim tribe descends from Dailam (Persian people), however, the Dulaimis consider themselves Arabs.

The Dulaimis in Iraq have Bedouin traditions. They speak Arabic Bedouin dialect, and look like Arabs. It's noticeable that the majority of the members of Al-Dulaim tribe are of above-average height.

History

The tribe is believed to have included a large number of Christians and Jews before converting to Islam. Early Islamic historical sources report that the tribe's religions were Judaism and Christianity.

At the time of the Caliph `Umar ibn al-Khattāb the tribe was granted the western region of the Euphrates, "Al Anbar", for participating in fighting the Persian Empire.

Until 1910 the majority of the Dulaim tribe remained Bedouin. However, many have settled in cities such as Baghdad, Ramadi, Fallujah, and Mahmoudiya.

The Dulaimis originally were Bedouins living between Ramadi and Al-Qa'im, but at the end of the fifteenth century The clans of Dulaim began migration towards the east until they arrived to Fallujah and south of Baghdad.

The Principality of the Dulaim tribe was almost a state of self-rule, sent delegates to the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul, deals with Ottomans like other states, the Dulaim tribe flourished in the eighteenth century, and continued their emigration and settlement on agricultural and pastoral areas on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, and controlled on the areas and subject the other tribes in the region.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century the Dulaimis had a big role in fighting opponents of the Ottoman Empire from tribes and Ajam Iranians.

When the turkish nationalists reached to power and When the tribe have abstained paying taxes to the Ottoman Empire for nearly a century and a half. occurred between them and the Ottoman troops series of battles from 1790, 1824 and 1890.

During and after World War I, most of the clans of the Dulaim tribe were considered well-armed. Their proximity to the desert made it relatively easy for them to obtain arms and ammunition. The Dulaim tribe also had a reputation as raiders who displayed good fighting skills both against other tribes and against Ottoman troops before World War I. Each year when the Ottoman authorities tried to assess the crops of the Dulaim clans, the Dulaimis came into contact with Ottoman troops. In many cases, the Ottoman troops were defeated by the tribesmen.

During World War I, the Ottoman Army occupied al-Ramadi and much of the Dulaim tribal area. As a result, the Dulaim assisted the Ottomans in their operations against the British. This changed when the British forced the Ottomans out of the Dulaim’s tribal lands in September 1917, at which time Shaikh Ali Sulaiman made “submission” to the British. Despite this, many clans of the Dulaim whose lands were still occupied by Ottoman forces continued to assist the Ottomans until their lands were occupied by the British.

Following World War I, most Dulaim clans went their own way and fought the British – particularly the Al-Bu Nimr, the Al-Bu Qartan, and the Al-Bu Mahal, along with the Zoba' tribe. The Abu Nimr, Albu Mahal, Al-Bu Risha and the Al-Mahamda also joined with the Jaghaifa and the Aqaidat to fight the British during the insurrection of 1920.

The Modern state of Iraq

The Dulaimis had a big role in founding the modern iraq state. they contribute to the stability in political and economic situation and the emergence of institutions of the modern state from army and police and other services especially during the monarchy period and during the rule of iraqi president Abdul Salam Arif Al-Jumaili who belong to clan descent from Dulaim.

During the Saddam era the Dulaimis formed 10% to 20% of the Iraqi army (Iraqi Republican Guard).

Dulaim and Shiias

In 1991, When the Iraqi army withdrew from Kuwait, the shiias backed by the Badr Brigade and other Shiite groups, start sectarian acts killing of members of the withdrawing Iraqi army, targeting who belonging to the Dulaim clans. thousands were killed by brutal ways, as well the Dulaimi\sunni civilians who living in southern Iraq.

The so-called (1991 uprising) were ended in less than twentieth days. the shiite insurgents fled to iran.
After that, many shiias Claimed that, the Dulaimis had participated finishing off the (1991 uprising) and killing the shiite insurgents.

After the U.S. occupation, the shiias start kidnapping sunnis and killing them and tortured them until death. just in baghdad every day were found 60-280 bodies of sunnis who had been tortured until death by the Shiite militia\police\Security forces.[2][3]

The Dulaimis took on themselves to fight the american occupation army and the iraqi government forces.[4]

Dulaim and events of the War in Iraq

Dulaim is the largest tribe in Anbar province, which formed the nucleus of the resistance\insurgency against U.S. forces in Iraq.

In the beginning of the war The shiite militias cooperate with the Iraqi forces had kidnapping, arresting, and killing Sunnis in baghdad and Dulaimi Sunnis in particular, arresting Sunnis and Tortured them until death. The US forces had Bombed Fallujah one of Dulaim towns.

File:Anbar2.jpg

Dulaimi Gunmen in anbar

The Dulaimis in baghdad and southern Baghdad were targeted by the Iraqi forces. The Leader of Al-Bataha and Al-Ghrer clan from Dulaim tribe were Assassinated by the Iraqi forces.

as a result the Dulaimis join to the armed groups fighting the Americans army and adoption Zarqawi style (Roadside bombs and Beheading and Suicide Attacks).

the events of the war and the bombing of Fallujah and targeting the Sunnis in baghdad and Basra and many other reasons pushed the Sunni Dulaimi clans to carry arms against Iraqi government and U.S. forces in Iraq.

Dulaim region

File:Dulaim in numbers in iraq.jpg

The Dulaimis in iraq

The tribe is located primarily in Anbar (western Iraq), although it is present in all Iraq provinces, in particular Babil, Ninawa, Baghdad, Salah ad Din and Diyala. Dulaimis are also present in central and eastern Syria and the Iranian province of Khuzestan and in Najd and northern Saudi Arabia and in southern and northern Jordan.

The large Dulaim tribe is composed of more than 500 clans, found mostly in Iraq and Syria. The Dulaim tribe is mostly comprised of Sunni Muslims. However, a Shiite branch exists in Najaf, Karbala, Basra, Babil and Baghdad . They are commonly called the Al Fatlah clans.

Sunni Muslims in Iraq are predominately from the Zubaid tribes, Dulaim, Al Jubour, Al Janabi, Al Azza, and Al Ubaid. The Dulaim tribe forms the majority of the Sunnis in Iraq. In fact, all the inhabitants of Al-Anbar province are Sunni Muslims from the Dulaim tribe; the inhabitants of Al-Anbar commonly refer to it as the Al Dulaim province.

The Dulaimis are spread over the area between Ctesiphon (currently known as Salman Pak) stretching south to Babylon (Al Hillah) and west to Ramadi in Anbar Province and to the north Taji, Samarra and Mosul.

Many members of the Dulaim tribe live in Baghdad, the inhabitants of Al-A'amiriya, Adhamiyah, Dora, Al-Ghazaliya, Al-Wazireya, Hayy Al-Mansor, Yarmouk and Al-Saydiya in Baghdad and the areas surrounding Baghdad from the south, west and north, the region that lies between Baghdad and Al Hillah are almost completely from the Dulaim tribe.

List of the clans of Dulaim tribe

Dulaim branched out into various sub-clans, who in turn branched out into further sub-clans. The Dulaim tribe is now composed of more than 500 clans, but the major clans of the Dulaim tribe are:

• DULAIM
  • Al-Bu Ridaini
    • Al-Bu Assaf
    • Al-Bu Dhiyab
    • Al-Bu Ali al-Jaasim
    • Al-Bu Jaabir
    • Al-Bu Aitha
    • Al-Bu Dirnaj
    • Al-Bu Matroud
    • Al-Bu Ali
    • Al-Bu Pali
    • Al-Bu Ghnam
    • Al-Bu Zidan
    • Al-Bu Mahhal
    • Al-Bu Ubaid
    • Al-Karabla
  • Al-Bu Alwan
  • Al-Bu Fahd
  • Al-Bu Nimr
  • Al-Bu Khalifah
  • Al-Bu Mar'i
  • Al-Bu Risha
  • Al-Mahamda
  • Al-Falahat
  • Al-Halabsa
  • Al-Bu Salim
  • Al-Bu Chilaib
  • Al-Malahma
  • Allahib
  • Al-Bu Sodah
  • Al-Ghrer
  • Al-Bu Sha'ban
  • Al-Bu Hussein Al-Ali
  • Al-Bu Ghanm
  • Al-Bu Shihab
  • Al-Bu Sakr
  • Salman
  • Al-Moaly
  • Al-Lihaib
  • Al-Jrysat
  • Al-Maadeed
  • Al-Fatla
  • Al-Bu Issa
  • Al-Bu Hamzah
  • Al-Bu Musa
  • Al-Bu Arab
  • Al-Jumeilat
  • Al-Bu Shaeeb
  • Al-Jawaanh
  • Al-Bu Hardan
  • Al-Bu 'aamr
  • Al-Bu Qartan
  • Al-Bu Khald
  • Al-Bu Mfarag
  • Al-Bu Farraj
  • Al-Bu 'Asoha
  • Al-Bu Raba'ah
  • Al-Bu Hazeem
  • Al-Bu Thayab
  • Al-Bu Jaoojsh
  • Al-Bu Troky
  • Al-Bu Haian
  • Al-Bu Sultan
  • Al-Bu Bilal
  • Al-Bu Younis
  • Al-Bu Salim
  • Al-Bataha
  • Al-Jaghaifa
  • Al-Aqaidat
  • Al-Anbari
  • Al-Rawi

Allied

• Qarghoul

• `Anizzah

• Al Jubour

• Al Ubaid

• Al Janabi

• Al Azza

• Zoba'

These clans are not independent tribes, as they remain part of the Dulaim tribe.
Al Jubour, Al Ubaid, Al Azza and Al Janabi consider themselves to be independent tribes separated from Dulaim, although they also are descended from the Zubaid. The Zubaid tribes and Zoba' tribe are allied with Dulaim and they all came from the same origin.

Sheiks and Leaders

There are many sheikhs of al-Dulaim tribe but the famous of them are:

• Sheikh Mazahr Abd Alkarim `Dhiab Kharbit Al-Dulaimi (Leader of all Dulaimis)
• Sheikh Majed Abdul-Razzaq al-Ali (Jordan)
• Sheikh Zeidan Khalaf Alawaad Al-Dulaim (Jordan)
• Sheikh Mohammed Almahshn Al-Dulaimi
• Sheikh Abdul-Jabbar Ali Sulaiman
• Sheikh Majid Ali Sulaiman
• Sheikh Ali Hatem Ali Sulaiman (Iraq)
• Sheikh 'Amer Ali Sulaiman
• Sheikh Na'im Abdul-Almohsen Alka'ud
• Sheikh Khalid Awad Al-Sh'bani Al-Dulaimi
• Sheikh Hamid Turki Al-Dhiabi Al-Dulaimi
• Sheikh Hassan Al-Asodi Al-Dulaimi
• Sheikh Ahmad Turki Al-faragi Al-Dulaimi
• Sheikh Hamed Hussein Al-Aithaway
• Sheikh Khalid Suleiman Al-Fahadawi
• Sheikh Tariq Khalaf Abd-allah Al-habosi
• Sheikh Mohammed Al-Falahi Al-Dulaimi
• Sheikh Hikmut Al-Muhammdi Al-Dulaimi
• Sheikh Adnan Khamis Al-Muhanna Al-Alwani Al-Dulaimi (Leader of Al-Bu Alwan)
• Sheikh Khamis Abdel Karim Al-Fahadawi (Leader of Al-Bu Fahd)
• Sheikh Bazi' Mua'jal Al-'kaud Al-Namrawi
• Sheikh Mahmoud al-Fahdawi
• Sheikh Hazem Rasheed Al-Dulaimi and the Sheikhs of the Al-Ali Suleiman family and Al Kharibit family and al-Ka'udd family and many others.

References

• De Gaury, Gerald. Review of the Dulaim Tribe. Kutub. ISBN 9953-417-97-0.