| Mohammed al-Iyad Mujawar محمد اياد-مجور | |
|---|---|
| |
| Mujawar in 2011 | |
 | |
| In office 22nd July 2011 – 8th August 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Zayd Hossaini |
| Preceded by | Zayd Hossaini (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Abdulaziz Al-Qazwini |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 11th February 2009 – 13th March 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Talal Fahd al-Nazer |
| Succeeded by | Majid el-Gosaibi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5th September 1956 (59) Dammam,  Qatif
|
| Political party |  Ba'ath Party
|
| Spouse(s) | Jawahir Mujawar |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Qatifi Military Academy of Security |
| Profession | Politician Intelligence officer |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Qatif
|
| Service/branch |  Qatifi Army
|
| Years of service | 1977 - present |
| Rank | Marshal |
| Battles/wars | Qatifi Civil War |
Mohammed al-Iyad Mujawar (محمد اياد-مجور) is a Qatifi politician and intelligence officer who served as the fourth president of Qatif between March 2011 to August 2015. He previously served as the Minister of Defence.
Mujawar served in the Qatifi Civil War as a member of the Qatifi Intelligence Directorate (Idarat al-Mukhabarat al-Qatif, or Mukhabarat), the secret police of Qatif. A loyal Ba'athist,he was able to ascend the ranks of the Mukhabarat where he became a protégé of president Abdullah Rajab, being appointed to the regional committee of the Ba'ath Party in 2000. In 2009 Mujawar was named as the Minister of the Defence, giving him control over the Qatifi armed forces, making him one of the most powerful men in Qatif and a key supporter of Rajab. During the Palm Revolution Mujawar withdrew the Ministry of Defence's support for Rajab, causing him to resign with the Minister of the Interior Zayd Hossani appointed as the successor to Rajab following the latter's resignation, acting as the interim president until the elections that year. Hossani responded to the protests by ushering in a crackdown on dissidents whilst lifting some political and press restrictions. Mujawar was appointed the Ba'ath party's presidential candidate with the 2011 presidential elections saw Mujawar elected as president, where he passed a series of reforms that led to the 2011 legislative elections that were also won by the Ba'athists.
Mujawar helped democratise Qatif somewhat encouraging a free press and political participation, removing many of the censorship laws and making Qatif a multi-party state. He also tried to steer Qatif into economic recovery helping create infrastructure as well as give labour unions autonomy. However whilst he did curtail the most excessive powers of the security forces the Mukhabarat still had an inordinate amount of powers, with human right abuses being reported. Critics accuse Majawar of implementing light censorship which saw the press ignore the human rights situation in Qatif. Mujawar like his predecessor Rajab also encouraged sectarianism drawing support from the majority Shia's and minority Christians, whilst alienating the Sunni population. Majawar also drew Qatif away from the west cementing stronger ties with Iran and Syria. Late in his term he dealt with controversies including an economic downturn, protests against austerity and continued political persecution and failure to contain Islamist insurgents in the Western Governate. Two months prior to the 2015 presidential elections Majawar's security forces failed to stop a terrorist bombing that was the worse terrorist attack in Qatif since the civil war. This resulted in a surge of support for Islamist candidate Abdulaziz Al-Qazwini who was elected as president in August 2015. Mujawar tried to organise a coup to overthrow the new president - however he faced little support from within the Interior Ministry and the Ba'athist Revolutionary Guards, causing him to resign as the Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath party.
Mujawars government was racked with controversy, with Mujawar being accused of encouraging corruption, nepotism, and sectarianism as well as retaining the political police and prisons of Qatif. Nevertheless he did usher in substantial democratic reforms as well as presiding over a hybrid regime rather then an authoritarian one like his predecessor had done.