Jamal El-Haj (politician)

Not to be confused with Jamal Al Haj.

Jamal El-Haj (born 1960) is a Swedish politician, trade unionist and member of the Riksdag, the national legislature. A former member of the Social Democratic Party, he has represented Malmö Municipality since September 2018.^[1] He had previously been a substitute member of the Riksdag for Leif Jakobsson between June 2016 and September 2018.^[1]

Jamal El-Haj
El-Haj in March 2021
Member of the Riksdag
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 September 2018
Constituency	Malmö Municipality
Personal details
Born	Jamal El-Haj 1960 (age 63–64)
Political party	Independent (2024–) Social Democratic Party (–2024)
Alma mater	Lebanese University

El-Haj was educated in Tripoli, Lebanon and has a degree in sociology from the Lebanese University.^[1] He has held various roles at the IF Metall trade union.^[1][2] He was a member of the municipal council in Malmö Municipality from 2002 to 2014.^[1]

Controversy

Alleged links to Hamas

In March 2023, El-Haj attended a conference hosted by the European Palestinians Conference, seen together with a known activist for the Islamist movement Hamas, Amin Abu Rashid, who was later arrested for financing terrorism linked to the organization.^[3] A number of Swedish politicians immediately demanded his resignation.^[4][5] In May 2023, it was announced that El-Haj had been temporarily dismissed from his position in the Swedish parliament.^[6]

After the events of 7 October 2023, where Hamas attacked Israel, leading to significant casualties, Jamal El-Haj was approached by Swedish media for a comment. El-Haj chose not to participate in the interview. This decision was interpreted in various ways.^[7] After having received widespread criticism from both Riksdag members and various media platforms, he later publicly affirmed his decision to distance himself from Hamas.^[8]

Corruption scandal

On February 7, 2024, a leaked document revealed El-Haj's attempt to leverage his Riksdag position to influence the Swedish Migration Agency concerning the asylum application of a controversial Muslim religious leader. Additionally, it came to light that he had requested the agency to conceal his efforts to sway the decision.^[9] As a result of widespread criticism among the Swedish public, the Social Democrats declared on 9 February 2024 that they had lost confidence in El-Haj and asked him to resign. He subsequently left the party, but retained his seat in the Riksdag as an independent MP.^[10]

References

1. "Ledamöter & partier: Jamal El-Haj (S)" (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden: Riksdag. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
2. Tiberg, Anna (18 July 2006). "IF Metalls Jamal El-Haj flyr från Libanon". Dagens Arbete (in Swedish). Stockholm, Sweden. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
3. "Experternas hårda dom: "Det är mycket allvarligt"". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). 29 May 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
4. Nilsson, Erik (20 October 2023). "M-profil vill utesluta S-ledamoten El-Haj". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
5. "L kräver att El-Haj lämnar riksdagen: "Säkerhetsrisk"". Omni. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
6. TT (31 May 2023). "Jamal El-Haj tvingas pausa uppdrag – beklagar". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
7. "Här vägrar vägrar Jamal El-Haj ta avstånd från Hamas". www.tv4.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 November 2023.
8. "El-Haj: Jag tar starkt avstånd från Hamas". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 16 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
9. "SOFIE LÖWENMARK: Jamal El-Haj försökte påverka Migrationsverket – för konservativ imam". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). 9 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
10. "Jamal El-Haj lämnar Socialdemokraterna men sitter kvar i riksdagen – blir politisk vilde". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.