Shahbandar was married to Noureddine Al Safi, a pilot and manager of
Iraqi Airways. They have two children. In 1979, Shahbandar met
Saddam Hussein, whom she reportedly had a son named Ali with. Saddam's eldest son Uday was reported to have envied him. Saddam Hussein forced her husband to divorce her. Sajida was extremely jealous and angry when she found out about his mistress, and her brother
Adnan Khairallah complained.
Uday Hussein, Saddam Hussein's son with Sajida, was also angry over his father's mistress, took it as an insult to his mother, and believed that his status as heir apparent was threatened. In October 1988, during a party, Uday Hussein murdered Kamel Hana Gegeo in front of horrified guests. While Saddam Hussein declared that Uday would be tried for murder, Gegeo's parents and Sajida begged that Uday be pardoned. In 2002, Shahbandar's son from her first marriage, Mohammad Saffi, a resident of New Zealand and a flight engineer with
Air New Zealand, was detained in
Miami, Florida, US due to lack of a student visa where he planned to undergo flight training. ==Depictions==