Editing Saddam Hussein (section)

==Personal life and family ==
{{Main|Family of Saddam Hussein}}

[[File:Saddam-family-Pre1995.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Saddam Hussein's family, mid-late 1980s]]

* Saddam married his first wife and cousin [[Sajida Talfah]] in 1963.<ref name="Sheri & Bob Stritof">{{Cite news| url=http://marriage.about.com/od/infamous/p/saddamhussein.htm| title=Marriages of Saddam Hussein| publisher=About.com| date=1 January 2004| access-date=28 February 2010| author=Sheri & Bob Stritof| archive-date=16 July 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716090549/http://marriage.about.com/od/infamous/p/saddamhussein.htm| url-status=dead}}</ref> They became engaged in Egypt during his exile, and married in Iraq after Saddam's 1963 return.<ref>{{cite book|author-link1=Efraim Karsh|last1=Karsh|first1=Efraim|last2=Rautsi|first2=Inari|title=Saddam Hussein: A Political Biography|publisher=[[Grove Press]]|year=2002|isbn=978-0-8021-3978-8|page=20}}</ref> The couple had five children.<ref name="Sheri & Bob Stritof" />
** [[Uday Hussein]] (1964–2003), who was Saddam's oldest son, who ran the [[Iraqi Football Association]], [[Fedayeen Saddam]], and several media corporations in Iraq including [[Iraqi TV]] and the newspaper ''[[Babel (newspaper)|Babel]]''. Uday, while originally Saddam's favorite son and likely successor, eventually fell out of favor with his father due to his erratic behavior. He was briefly married to [[Izzat Ibrahim ad-Douri]]'s daughter, but later divorced her. The couple had no children.
** [[Qusay Hussein]] (1966–2003), who was Saddam's second son. Qusay was believed to have been Saddam's later intended successor, as he was less erratic than his older brother and kept a low profile. He was second in command of the military (behind his father) and ran the elite [[Iraqi Republican Guard]] and the [[Iraqi Special Security Organization|SSO]]. He was married once and had three children.
** [[Raghad Hussein]] (1968), who is Saddam's oldest daughter. After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Raghad fled to [[Amman]], Jordan where she received sanctuary from the royal family. She is currently wanted by the Iraqi government for allegedly financing and supporting the insurgency of the now banned Iraqi Ba'ath Party.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/02/iraq.main/ |title=Hussein's wife, daughter on new 'wanted' list |publisher=CNN |date=2 July 2006 |access-date=20 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071205152841/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/02/iraq.main/|archive-date=5 December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&article=366962&lng=1 |title=Saddam's family on Iraq wanted list |work=EuroNews |date=30 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930185345/http://euronews.net/create_html.php?page=detail_info&article=366962&lng=1|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref> The Jordanian royal family refused to hand her over. She was married to [[Hussein Kamel al-Majid]] and has had five children from this marriage.
** [[Rana Hussein]] (1969), who is Saddam's second daughter. She, like her sister, fled to Jordan and has stood up for her father's rights. She was married to [[Saddam Kamel]] and has had four children from this marriage.
** Hala Hussein (1972), who is Saddam's third and youngest daughter. Very little information is known about her. Her father arranged for her to marry General Kamal Mustafa Abdallah Sultan al-Tikriti in 1998. She fled with her children and sisters to [[Jordan]]. In June 2021, an Iraqi court ordered the release of her husband after 18 years in prison.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iraq-frees-saddam-hussein-s-son-in-law-after-18-years-in-prison/2279214 |title=Iraq frees Saddam Hussein's son-in-law after 18 years in prison |website=aa.com.tr |last=Jawad |first=Ali |date=19 June 2021 |access-date=20 September 2021 }}</ref>
* Saddam met his second wife, [[Samira Shahbandar]], in 1979 and married her in 1986.<ref name="Sheri & Bob Stritof" /> She was originally the wife of an [[Iraqi Airways]] executive, but later became the mistress of Saddam. Eventually, Saddam forced Samira's husband to divorce her so he could marry her.<ref name="Sheri & Bob Stritof" /> After the war, Samira fled to [[Beirut]], Lebanon.
** Ali Saddam Hussein ({{circa|1981}}), who is believed to be Saddam's youngest child. He is listed on United States' Treasury sanctions list.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/js1242 | title=Treasury Designates 16 Family Members of the Former Iraqi Regime, Submits 191 Iraqi Entities to United Nations | date=19 July 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/NK-cvRAALbpGgdhQcRAGvFbYG/ | title=Ali Saddam Hussein Al-Tikriti | date=1980 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/sanctions/1518/materials/summaries/individual/ali-saddam-hussein-al-tikriti | title=ALI SADDAM HUSSEIN AL-TIKRITI &#124; Security Council }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/Details.aspx?id=8187 | title=Sanctions List Search }}</ref> Not very much is known about him other than the fact that his mother is Samira Shahbandar.<ref name="Sheri & Bob Stritof" /> His existence was repeatedly denied by Saddam's family.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 February 2021 |title=رغد صدام حسين ترد على حقيقة وجود أخ غير معلن عنه لها |trans-title=Raghad Saddam Hussein responds to allegations regarding the existence of an undisclosed brother of hers |url=https://arabic.cnn.com/middle-east/article/2021/02/20/saddam-hussain-daughter-denies-hvaing-hiddenbrother |access-date=3 August 2024 |website=CNN Arabic |language=ar}}</ref>
[[File:Defense.gov News Photo 030722-A-0000W-001.jpg|thumb|Saddam Hussein's sons [[Qusay Hussein|Qusay]] and [[Uday Hussein|Uday]] were killed in a gun battle in [[Mosul]] on 22 July 2003.]]
* Saddam had allegedly married a third wife, Nidal al-Hamdani, the general manager of the Solar Energy Research Center in the Council of Scientific Research.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://cdn.deseretnews.com/media/photos/a041303bil.pdf |title=Saddam's billions |work=Herald Sun |date=2 January 2007 |access-date=6 January 2007 |first=Michael |last=Harvey |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811144128/http://cdn.deseretnews.com/media/photos/a041303bil.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Wafa Mullah Huwaysh is rumored to have married Saddam as his fourth wife in 2002. There is no firm evidence for this marriage. Wafa is the daughter of [[Abd al-Tawab Mullah Huwaysh]], a former minister of military industry in Iraq and Saddam's last deputy Prime Minister.

In August 1995, Raghad and her husband, [[Hussein Kamel al-Majid]], and Rana and her husband, [[Saddam Kamel|Saddam Kamel al-Majid]], defected to [[Jordan]] with their children. They returned to Iraq after receiving assurances that Saddam would pardon them. Within three days of their return in February 1996, the Kamel brothers were killed in a gunfight with clan members who considered them traitors.

In August 2003, Saddam's daughters Raghad and Rana were granted sanctuary in Jordan.<ref name="daughtersinterview" /> That month, they spoke with [[CNN]] and the Arab satellite station [[Al-Arabiya]] in [[Amman]].<ref name="daughtersinterview" /> When asked about her father, Raghad told CNN, "He was a very good father, loving, has a big heart." Asked if she wanted to give a message to her father, she said: "I love you and I miss you."<ref name="daughtersinterview" /> Her sister Rana also remarked, "He had so many feelings and he was very tender with all of us."<ref name="daughtersinterview">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-08-01-saddams-daughters_x.htm |title=Saddam's daughters express love for dad |work=USA Today |date=1 August 2003 |access-date=31 December 2006}}</ref>

Saddam was known for his lavish tastes, including wearing a diamond-coated [[Rolex]] wristwatch, which he reportedly gifted to political allies and friends.

On 28 April 2001, Saddam marked his 64th birthday with a large state-sponsored celebration.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Margonelli |first=Lisa |date=28 April 2010 |title=Remembering Saddam's Birthday: April 28, 2001 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/04/remembering-saddams-birthday-april-28-2001/39653/ |access-date=13 July 2024 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref>