Hatice Cengiz Wiki, Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Hatice Cengiz is a Turkish researcher. She was the fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who was killed by the Saudi government.

Wiki/Biography

Hatice Cengiz was born on Sunday, July 18, 1982 (age 38 years; as of 2020), in Bursa, a province of northwest Turkey’s Marmara region. Her zodiac sign is Cancer. She went to a religious seminary in Bursa. Later, she moved with her family moved to Istanbul. She studied in Egypt, Oman, Jordon, and United Kingdom. She completed her post-graduation in anthropology in Oman. She did Arabic studies in Egypt for two years. She did her Ph.D., researching Omani Culture and practices and writing her thesis on Daesh (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), from Istanbul University.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 6″

Eye Color: Black

Family & Ethnicity

Hetice Cengiz comes from a conservative middle-class Islamic family in eastern Anatolia. Her family supports the neo-Islamist party ruling Turkey.

Parents & Siblings

Her father is a kitchenware merchant. Nothing is known about her mother. She has four siblings.

Husband & Children

Hatice was earlier married to a man (now divorced) with whom she has a child. In May 2018, she met Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who belonged to the influential Khashoggi family who served the royal court of Saudi Arabia, at a conference in Istanbul. Talking about her first encounter with Jamal, in an interview, Hatice said,

At the time, I was writing for a Turkish political magazine and I walked up to him during a coffee break and introduced myself; I said I wanted to interview him for a political website. He came over to me during the second break and agreed to talk. We talked for half an hour and I recorded the conversation. I still have it on my mobile phone. He later told me that he’d liked my attitude and the fact that I spoke Arabic, not that he was interested in my looks.”

They both started talking to each other via emails, where they discussed their views, opinions, and insights on current affairs, political issues, and the Arab world. Soon, they began seeing each other and decided to marry. Initially, Hatice’s father disapproved of their relationship because of their large age gap of 22 years but consented to their relationship eventually. On Sunday, September 16, 2018, Hatice and Jamal got married according to Islamic traditions in presence of Hatice’s family.

On October 2, 2018, Jamal visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to receive the certificate showing Jamal was divorced from his ex-wife. They both had decided to marry on civil grounds after Jamal would get the certificate from the consulate. However, Jamal was assassinated on October 2, 2018.

Career

Hatice Cengiz is a researcher of middle east studies. She is also a freelance writer who has written opinion columns and other pieces for international news outlets like HuffPost. She has also written many books. One of her books on Oman is titled ‘Umman Sultan Nabus: ve Mezhepler Arası Bir arada Yaşama Örneği.’

Favorite Things

Facts/Trivia

• Her Twitter account goes by the username ‘Mercan Resifi.’ Her Facebook account goes by the name ‘Khadijat Genkiz,’ a name she was once popular by in news.

• When Jamal Khashoggi went to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to collect documents certifying that Jamal was divorced from his wife, Hatice accompanied him to the consulate and waited for him outside as he went inside the consulate. Hatice reportedly waited for him for hours and when he didn’t come out, she contacted Turkish authorities and Jamal’s friend (advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) and informed them of his disappearance. On October 2, 2018, Jamal was assassinated at the consulate by the Saudi government.

  A CCTV footage showing Hatice Cengiz waiting for Jamal Khashoggi outside the Saudi consulate

• From the day of Jamal’s disappearance to the declaration of his death to all the judicial proceedings, Hatice has fought tirelessly to seek justice for her late fiance. She gave several interviews and wrote several columns, demanding help from Turkish, US, and UK authorities and other organizations like United Nations to punish the murderers of Jamal.

• While seeking justice for Jamal, she approached many people and also begged the US government to help her in finding her fiance. In her Washington Post op-ed, Cengiz wrote,
  

  At this time, I implore President Trump and first lady Melania Trump to help shed light on Jamal’s disappearance. I also urge Saudi Arabia, especially King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to show the same level of sensitivity and release CCTV footage from the consulate.”

• In 2019, she wrote a book entitled ‘Jamal Khashoggi: His Life, Struggles and Secrets,’ based on Jamal Khashoggi. The book was inspired by a personal diary, where she wrote her first meeting with Jamal and his personality and relationship with friends and family members.

  Jamal Khashoggi: His Life, Struggles and Secrets (2019)

• On March 2, 2021, the US lawmaker Ilhan Omar presented a bill to sanction the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) for his involvement in the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi. While presenting the bill, he quoted Hatice and said,
  

  If the Crown Prince is not punished, it will forever signal that the main culprit can get away with murder.”

• According to Hatice, she and Jamal shared many views. According to her,
  

  We supported democracy, human rights, the freedom of opinion and press freedoms. We also shared the view that political Islam can be compatible with democratic principles.”

• In 2020, she appeared in the American documentary film ‘The Dissident,’ directed and produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Bryan Fogel. The documentary was based on the assassination of Jamal and Mohammed bin Salman’s role in the murder of Jamal.