ISCI was led by Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim from 1992 until his assassination in 2003; he was succeeded by his brother, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, who led until his death in 2009 when he was succeeded by his son, Ammar.
They were the largest component in the Al-Muwatin (Citizens Alliance) list which contested the 2014 elections, coming third with 29 seats.
Foundation
Ammar al-Hakim announced in July 2017 that he was leaving ISCI and forming a new "non-Islamic national movement" called the National Wisdom Movement (al-Hikmah). All except 5 of the existing 29 MPs from the Citizens Alliance joined Al-Hikma.[1] He said he would "get rid of sectarian and nationalist polarization, open up to the Sunnis in Iraq, reach an understanding with neighbouring countries and disassociate Iraq from the conflict in the region".[2]
Other senior members of ISCI had accused Ammar of making decisions without consulting other leaders and rejected his proposal to introduce more young people to the leadership; when he informed the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, of his move he responded that "your withdrawal from the Council serves no interest and is a wrong step."[2]
The new party also retained from ISCI the main assets of the party, including Al-Forat TV station and the grand palace complex in Baghdad.[3]