Isa Kahraman
Isa Kahraman | |
|---|---|
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 6 December 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 April 1974 Midyat, Turkey |
| Political party | New Social Contract (since 2023) |
| Other political affiliations | Christian Democratic Appeal (formerly) |
| Residence | Rijssen |
| Alma mater | Saxion University of Applied Sciences Nyenrode Business Universiteit |
Isa Kahraman (b. 1974) is a Turkish-born Dutch politician of New Social Contract (NSC) who was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2023 general election. His portfolio included veterans, foreign religious minorities, defence, and development cooperation before the latter two were replaced by foreign policy and international culture policy following the swearing in of the Schoof cabinet.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Kahraman was born on 1 April 1974 to Assyrian parents originally from Bardakçı, Midyat, and arrived in the Netherlands as a young child.[3][4] He graduated from the Saxion University of Applied Sciences in 1998 with a degree in commercial economics and worked as a managing director at an international consulting firm.[5] He also attended the Nyenrode Business University from 2005 to 2008 and graduated with an MS in Management.
Political career
[edit]In 2006, Kahraman was elected to the Rijssen-Holten municipal council, where he would serve for three terms until 2018.[6] Two years later, he became the party leader for the Christian Democratic Appeal. After departing from the council, he retired from politics until the early 2020s over concerns of social security.[7][8]
In November 2023, Kahraman was elected to the Dutch Houth of Representatives, ranking 16th on the list of candidates for the New Social Contract.[9][10] He departed for The Hague the next day to begin his position in parliament.[11]
In March 2024, Kahraman filed a parliamentary motion to postpone talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina about a potential accession to the European Union (EU). The motion was defeated by a narrow margin, while Prime Minister Mark Rutte had indicated in advance that he would not veto the talks to avoid alienating the Netherlands within the EU.[12]
In 2025, Kahraman commented on the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, urging free and fair election,[13] and called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza war.[14] In the same year, Kahraman announced that we would not be seeking a second term to the House of Representatives.[15]
Minority rights advocacy
[edit]Kahraman has previously been an advocate for Assyrians and has publicly spoken out against their persecution. In late 2024, Kahraman met with a delegation from the Bethnahrin National Council and discussed regional developments.[16] In the wake of the 2025 massacres of Syrian Alawites, Kahraman submitted a motion to the Dutch House of Representatives alongside Don Ceder of the Christian Union urging for the government to create feasible solutions to protect minority rights of Alawites, Christians, and Druze in Syria.[17] He has expressed skepticism over the future of Christians in Syria and has called for greater action to be taken for their protection by Dutch politicians.[18][19]
In September 2025, Kahraman submitted a motion to parliament to grant Assyrians and Armenians living in the Netherlands the right to change Turkish-imposed surnames based on a May 2024 law.[3]
House Committee Assignments
[edit]- Committee for European Affairs
- Committee for Foreign Trade and Development
- Committee for Foreign Affairs
- Contact group United States
- Committee for Defence (chair)
- Committee for Asylum and Migration
- Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly[4]
Personal life
[edit]Kahraman is a member of the Syriac Orthodox Church. In June 2025, he became a godfather to a Belarusian political prisoner named Dzmitry Sluk.[20] As of 2018, Kahraman was living with his wife and three daughters in Rijssen, Overijssel.[6]
Electoral history
[edit] |
| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 2023 | House of Representatives | New Social Contract | 16 | 3,357 | 20 | Won | [21] | |
References
[edit]- ^ "Woordvoerderschappen Nieuw Sociaal Contract" [New Social Contract spokespersonships] (PDF). New Social Contract (in Dutch). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Tweede Kamerfractie" [House of Representatives group]. New Social Contract (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Dutch-Assyrian MP Isa Kahraman submits motion for last-name changes to help Assyrians reclaim their original family names". The Assyria Post. 13 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Isa Kahraman". House of Representatives. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
- ^ "Biografie, onderwijs en loopbaan van Isa Kahraman". www.tweedekamer.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ a b Boesveld, Jelle (6 April 2018). "Isa Kahraman: 'Brede coalitie in Rijssen-Holten voorkomt ellende'" [Isa Kahraman: 'Broad coalition in Rijssen-Holten prevents misery']. tubantia.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ "Isa Kahraman uit Rijssen is nummer 16 op de lijst van Omtzigts NSC: "Wie had dat kunnen dromen"". nos.nl (in Dutch). 27 September 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Bergboer, Ernst (13 November 2023). "Twentse politici op weg naar het Binnenhof: Isa Kahraman (NSC)". 1Twente (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ "Süryani İsa Kahraman Hollanda Parlamentosu'na girdi – Sabro | Umut" [Assyrian Isa Kahraman enters Dutch Parliament]. www.gazetesabro.org (in Turkish). Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Model P 22-1: Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal". zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl (in Dutch). 24 January 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ "NSC'er Isa Kahraman beleeft eerste dag in Den Haag: "Vol adrenaline"". www.oost.nl (in Dutch). 23 November 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ Hofman, Flóri (20 March 2024). "Tweede Kamer verwerpt NSC-motie om EU-gesprekken over toetreding Bosnië-Herzegovina te blokkeren" [House of Representatives rejects NSC motion to block EU talks about accession Bosnia and Herzegovina]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "Grote zorgen in Kamer om aanhouding politieke rivaal Erdogan". Welingelichte Kringen (in Dutch). 19 March 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ "Haagse politiek wil internationale inzet voor staakt-het-vuren". Welingelichte Kringen (in Dutch). 18 March 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ "Syriac Member of Dutch Parliament Isa Kahraman will not run for another term". SyriacPress. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ SyriacPress (28 October 2024). "Bethnahrin National Council delegation meets Dutch MP Isa Kahraman to discuss Middle East tensions". Syriac Press. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ "MPs Ceder and Kahraman: Dutch government must take decisive action within the EU to protect the rights of religious and ethnic groups in Syria". Syriac Press. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ "Assyrian MPs Express Grave Concern Over Condition of Christians in Syria". www.aina.org. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Leijen, Majorie van (7 March 2025). "Isa Kahraman: 'Christenen in Syrië houden hun hart vast'". de Kanttekening (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ "New godparents from the Netherlands, Latvia and Germany for Belarusian political prisoners". spring96.org. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
- ^ "Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023" [Report of the results of the election of the House of Representatives on 4 December 2023] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 4 December 2023. pp. 185–186. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
