- Economic Board of MIRS
Faruq Mustafa Safwat Haji Mala Rasool (Faruk Mustafa Rasool). However you examine the life path of this prominent name, there are two parts: the stage of struggle. It is a struggle for the elimination of class and oppression. The next phase is investment and trade for about 50 years.
Faruk Mustafa Rasool, was born in 1941 in Sulaimani. He is the son of Kurdish religious figure and poet Mullah Mustafa Safwat. There is a common saying within the Kurdish society: "Communism was not in Kurdistan; the sons of the mullahs brought about." He graduated from the College of Administration and Economics at Baghdad University in 1964 with a deep understanding of capitalism, market economy, class struggle for Marx, and social equality. In the heat of the Cold War between the two blocs of socialism and capitalism, he became one of the prominent leaders of the Iraqi Communist Party. In the early 1960s, he did not ignore the national struggle and participated in the September Revolution (Aylul Revolution), for which he was arrested in Baghdad.
Faruq's background in business and their idea that investment will bring about the public good dates back to the 1970s;
He was the first businessman to bring mobile phones to Kurdistan; in 1999, Asia Cell was established under the leadership of Faruq Mala Mustafa. In 2000, the network reached Sulaimani. In 2001, the sale of telephone (mobile) lines began in the markets of South Kurdistan. In 2003, the company was allowed to operate throughout Iraq, not just in Kurdistan.
In 2015, Asia Cell, a famous Iraqi telecommunication company, got a license to use Iraq's third-generation (3G) network. In 2021, the fourth generation (4G) network was a big step forward for Iraqis.
In early 2020, Asia Cell was awarded the Best Telecommunications Company in the field of CSR and the Best Telecommunications Company in Iraq at the International Finance Awards in Dubai.
By 2023, the number of Asia Cell's customers in Iraq will have exceeded 16 million.
In 2013, Bloomberg's report prepared by Alex Cuadros, entitled "Only Known Iraq Billionaire Hires Women After Saddam Hussein," discussed the role of Faruq Mala Mustafa in rebuilding Iraq and quoted several people he believed it has a modern system and one of the attractive things about its companies is that a large proportion of women are generally employed.
Faruq; combines courage, adventure, and economic vision
Three main characteristics distinguish Faruq Mala Mustafa from other people in business:
- He is initially charged by a strong cultural background that is difficult to find in other Iraqi investors.
- Not taking money abroad, so that not a penny of his capital abroad, all projects and money used domestically.
- Diversity in its projects and adventure in carrying out any economic movement.
Thus, he founded Faruq Group and is currently the chairman of Faruq Holding, which consists of 27 companies in 10 different sectors, including communications and IT, cement, construction, and hotels. Waste treatment, steel and aluminum, insurance companies, and financial services. All this has brought Faruq's capital to more than $3 billion in Sulaimani.
Iraq is known as the birthplace of ongoing political and military conflict, and Sulaimaniyah is a problematic region of political conflict. However, despite political (sometimes media) headaches, Faruq Group has yet to become part of the political problems. Whereas, Political problems have always hurt the economic and financial situation in the Kurdistan Region. Contrary to the wave, he has provided more than 100,000 jobs with high salaries.
As pointed out by the Kurdish storyteller and lawyer Hussein Arif was born in 1936; in the article published in the Iraqi newspaper "New Sabah" on June 26, 2019, under the title [Farouk Mala Mustafa... From a struggling revolutionary fighter to a capable, progressive, and benevolent investor] said: Mr. Faruq and I have known each other for more than fifty years, during which there has been no interruption and separation; we were close to each other and loved each other it is personal, he rooted in itself, nurtured on it, and grown and developed within itself. I classify his life history into two parts: The first part is that he is a revolutionary fighter fighting to eliminate human exploitation by humans. In the second phase, Faruq becomes a potential investor. He becomes a philanthropist with a loud voice. Here he is in a meeting broadcast on satellite channels and includes the rich and charitable people of Kurdistan to collect donations, so we see the first said; fifty million dinars, the other one hundred million dinars, and the third five hundred million. Here, too, Faruq raises his voice and says: Three billion dinars.
International signals in the efforts of Faruq Group
The Group of Faruq's Companies has dozens of international success stories;
In 2012, Asiacell was recognized as one of Iraq's leading brands across all industry sectors by Altai, the French market research firm, not only in the mobile communications market but in all sectors – reflecting Asiacell's strong brand presence and long-standing reputation Quality, reliability, and service.
In August 2019, a special agreement was signed between Asiacell and the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In July 2022, Asiacell's chairman, Faruk Mustafa Rasool, was honored and recognized by the Global Economics Awards in London, United Kingdom. This is due to his significant role in developing the telecommunications sector in Iraq through major investments and essential partnerships and the pioneering vision he has developed for Asiacell, which has earned him the award of "Best Leading Investor in Communications". Global Economics is a prestigious financial publishing house with a seasonal business magazine headquartered in the United Kingdom that hosts the annual Global Economics Awards, which recognize the outstanding performance of various sectors of the economy around the world.
For 2023, Forbes Middle East magazine has named Faruq Mustafa Rasool as one of the most influential health care leaders in the Middle East. Forbes annually determines (100) personalities who have been leaders in the health sector, the (100) people who have had an impact in the field of health services, have been able to provide great progress in health Includes, as the owner of Faruq Medical City, which has been able to provide health care services in Iraq. Faruq Medical City covers 70,000 square meters, has 210 beds, and more than 190 doctors working in 37 departments and 11 operating rooms.
In this regard, Bahrooz Jaafar, Ph.D. in International Economic Relations and Head of the Mediterranean Institute for Regional Studies, said: Faruq Mullah Mustafa is a unique phenomenon and a valuable character in today's capitalist world. At one time, capitalism in the world has imposed hundreds of restrictions on man and humanity, which man himself has created. Still, Faruq Mala Mustafa has proved hundreds of times that it is part of a smile, peace, and true Mr, Faruk from other prominent investors [ Bahrooz Said this to MIRS].
According to Jaafar, the Kurdish people are nothing less than the other nations of the world and the surrounding region. Why should Nali, Hamdi, Mahvi, and Goran be less than the profound poets of the region's nations? In this contemporary history, Sherko Bekas and Latif Helmet are much greater writers and poets than in other nations. Some said that the Kurdish was not a part of history; it's totally wrong; what is Faruq Mala Mustafa doing in the list of the biggest billionaires in the world? Faruq is too many times bigger and more valuable than the world's wealthiest billionaires. We saw billionaires in Russia who had militias and tarnished the face of their nation and country at the most sensitive time. In North America, billionaires often earn their income illegally and in dangerous ways. Through these, the Kurds will be present in history.
Faruq Mala Mustafa's donations and assistance require thousands of pages.
Farooq Holding's donations, especially Asiacell, range from blood donation to help hospitals and cancer patients, environmental protection (such as donating $1 million to plant trees and green of Goyzha Mountain), providing fuel for citizens in winter and helping thousands of poor and disabled people, and so on.
Therefore, it is not easy to count this Kurdish billionaire's financial and humanitarian aid in Kurdistan and Iraq without a complete list. Faruq companies also pay the most "taxes" to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region government.
In 2015, Faruq Mala Mustafa, through Asia Cell, launched an advanced accessible communication and information center with the number 385 dedicated to emergency assistance to refugees. The package included $250,000 for emergency supplies and 10,000 SIM cards with alert services.
During the war against ISIS (2014 - 2017), Asiacell provided free services to the Peshmerga. "Our sacrificial Peshmergas and the forces that protect our territory can now use Asiacell lines free of charge on the battlefields," Faruq pointed out.
In 2020, when the coronavirus became a deadly threat to Iraqis, Faruq Mala Mustafa, a prominent Kurdish capitalist, donated 750 million Iraqi dinars and 500,000 dollars to 7,000 families in Sulaimani districts and 3,000 families in Sulaimani City for the Kurdistan Region.
In December 2021, when the floods caused significant damage to the Erbil Governorate and its citizens, Faruq donated one billion dinars (about 800,000 US dollars) to the flood victims.
One of the billionaire's latest works is the construction of the Farooq Mullah Mustafa Underpass on Malik Mahmoud Ring Road, which costs 7 billion 301 million 16 thousand Iraqi dinars and will significantly reduce congestion.