Shabak people are an ethnic and religious minority group living in northern Iraq, who live mainly in the villages of Ali Rash, Khazna, Yangidja, and Tallara in Sinjar district in the province of Ninawa in northern Iraq. Their language, Shabaki, is a Northwestern Iranian language very close to Gorani Kurdish. Their population was estimated at around 15,000 in the 1970s., However it is believed to be more like 60,000 today. Shabaks consist of three different ta'ifs or sects: the Bajalan, Dawoody and Zengana (two Kurdish tribal confederations that also encompass some Shabak communities) and the Shabak proper. Shabaks follow an independent religion, related to but distinct from orthodox Islam and Christianity. It is also claimed that they are descendants of Qizilbash from the army of Shah Ismail.

The origin of the word shabak is not clear. One view maintains that shabak is an Arabic word شبك meaning intertwine, reflecting their diverse society. The name of Shabekan is available among the Zaza tribes in Tunceli/ Dersim Turkey^{[citation needed]} and as Shabakanlu in Khorasan northern east of Iran.

Cheb Bilal (born Bilal Mouffok) is a well-known raï singer. He was born on July 23, 1966 in Cherchel, Algeria.

Bilal spent much of his youth in Oran, Algeria where he studied at the conservatory of music. He was raised by his grandfather.

Initially, Cheb Bilal performed at weddings and festivals around Oran. In 1980, he created the group El Ahouar. In 1989 he went to Marseilles, France, which he described as a turning point in his career. He also spent much of his time on the prision of "l3awad" in Kenitra ( Morocco). He is a well-known singer in morocco.

It is said^{[by whom?]} he gained his inspiration from former legendary singer Abdul.

Amihai "Ami" Ayalon (Hebrew: עמיחי "עמי" איילון‎, born 27 June 1945) is an Israeli politician and a former member of the Knesset for the Labor Party. He was previously head of the Shin Bet, Israel's secret service, and commander-in-chief of the Navy. He came in second to Ehud Barak in a Labor party leadership election in June 2007, and was appointed a Minister without Portfolio in September 2007.

Ami Ayalon was born in Tiberias and grew up in kibbutz Ma'agan. His parents moved to British Mandate Palestine in the 1930s. His mother came as a young girl to study in Jerusalem; his father, Yitzhak, emigrated illegally from Romania, and was one of the founders of Ma'agan, where he worked until retirement as a carpenter. Ayalon graduated from Bar-Ilan University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1980. In 1992 he received a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 2010 he received a Master of Studies in Law from Bar-Ilan University. He is married and the father of three.

Yuval Diskin (Hebrew: יובל דיסקין‎) (born 1956) was the 12th Director of Shabak (frequently referred to as Shin Bet) (from 2005 to 2011).

In the Israel Defense Forces, Diskin served as deputy company commander of Sayeret Shaked (the command Sayeret of the Israeli Southern Command). In 1978, he was recruited to the Shabak and served as area coordinator for the Nablus district. During the 1982 Lebanon War, Diskin operated in Beirut and Sidon.

In 1984, he became the coordinator of Nablus District, and by 1989, also the Jenin and Tulkarm districts. In 1990, he was appointed Department head in the Shabak's Arab Affairs Branch. In 1994, he became the head of the Arab Affairs Branch.

From 1997, Diskin was appointed as the commander of the Jerusalem District. From 2000 to 2003, he was the Shabak's Deputy Director. From 2003, he was on a study sabbatical, during which he became special advisor to Mossad Director, Meir Dagan. On May 15, 2005, he replaced Avi Dichter as Shabak Director. On May 15, 2011, Diskin was replaced in this position by his former deputy, Yoram Cohen.

Avi Dichter (Hebrew: אבי דיכטר‎, IPA: [ˈävi ˈdiχte̞ʁ] ; born December 4, 1952) is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Kadima. He is a former Minister of Internal Security and Shin Bet director.

Born in Ashkelon, Dichter's parents were Holocaust survivors. As an adolescent, he joined Hashomer Hatzair, the oldest Zionist youth movement still functioning. After graduating high school (where he met his wife Ilana, with whom he has three children), Dichter was selected to serve in the elite unit of the Israel Defense Forces, Sayeret Matkal, under then Commander Ehud Barak. Upon completing his military service, Dichter joined Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, in 1974 where he advanced to eventually become its Director in 2000.

He began his career in Shin Bet as a sky marshal for El Al. After becoming proficient in Arabic and completing field intelligence courses, he began working in the Shin Bet's Southern District—specifically in the Gaza Strip. In 1986 he gained a BA in Social Science from Bar-Ilan University. In 1992, he was appointed as Director for the region. The targeted killing of Hamas operative Yahya Ayyash—known as "The Engineer"—took place under Dichter's leadership. The assassination of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 shed light on Shin Bet's shortcomings. Aiming to improve the Shin Bet's protection capabilities, Dichter was appointed Director of the Security and Protection Division. In 1999, he became Deputy Director of Shin Bet, and gained an Executive MBA from Tel Aviv University. One year later, Prime Minister Ehud Barak promoted Dichter to Director.