Barghouti family

Barghouti (other spellings Barghuthi, Barghouthi, or Al-Barghuthi) (classical Arabic: البرغوثي al-Barghūthī) is the surname of a prominent Palestinian family. Many of its members are notable figures in Palestinian political and cultural life, and mainly come from Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate's most prominent villages of Deir Ghassanah, Aboud, Kobar and Bani Zeid.

Origin traditions

There are various traditions regarding the origins of the Barghouti family. According to Palestinian researcher Mustafa al-Dabbagh, the family is named after a person called Barghout and traces its roots back to the Bani Zeid clan which originated in the Arabian Peninsula, before eventually settling in Deir Ghassaneh, Palestine.

Omar al-Saleh al-Barghouti, born in 1894, recounts a tradition that the clan traces its lineage to second caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab. Following the events involving Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr during the Umayyad period, they traveled from the Hejaz to Egypt, then moved to Tunisia, and later to Palestine to support Saladin in his conquest of the region.

List of notable members

• Abd al-Jabir al-Barghouthi, Palestinian commander of the Bani Zeid during the Peasants' revolt in Palestine
• Abdul Latif Barghouti (1928–2002), Palestinian writer and poet
• Abdullah Barghouti (born 1979), Palestinian leading commander in Hamas' armed wing Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
• Bashir Barghouti (1931–2000), Palestinian communist and journalist
• Fadwa Barghouti (born 1963), Palestinian lawyer and member of the Fatah Council.
• Hussein Barghouthi (1954–2002), Palestinian poet and playwright
• Imad Barghouthi (born 1962), Palestinian astrophysicist and public figure, subject to several administrative detentions in Israeli prisons for his political statements, as well as one arrest by the Palestinian Authority.
• Mariam Barghouti (born 1993), Palestinian writer, journalist, and activist
• Marwan Barghouthi (born 1958), Palestinian leader of Fatah, jailed by Israel during the Second Intifada
• Mohammad Barghouti, Palestinian former labor minister of the Palestinian Authority
• Mourid Barghouti (born 1944–2021), Palestinian poet and writer
• Mustafa Barghouti (born 1954), Palestinian politician, physician, and one state solution activist who founded the Palestinian National Initiative alongside Haidar Abdel-Shafi and Edward Said, among others.
• Nai Barghouti, Palestinian composer and singer
• Omar Barghouti (born 1964), activist and co-founder of the anti Israel BDS movement
• Tamim al-Barghouti (born 1977), Palestinian poet and political scientist, son of Mourid Barghouti.