Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
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Arabic محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم; Muḥammad bin Rāshid al Maktūm), also Sheikh Mohammed, (born July 22, 1949), is the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and absolute monarch of Dubai.
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[edit] Political and business career
On January 3, 1995, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum signed two decrees that appointed Sheikh Mohammed as Crown Prince of Dubai.Sheikh Mohammed oversaw the development of numerous projects in Dubai including the creation of the Palm Islands and the luxury Burj Al Arab hotel. He also promoted the construction of Burj Khalifa, which is now the tallest free-standing structure in the world, world's tallest building; its official opening was on Monday, 4 January 2010. During his tenure as Crown Prince he set up Dubai Holding, the debt laden and financially troubled holding company with multi-diversified businesses and investments. He currently owns 99.67% of the company.[1]
After roughly a decade of de facto rulership,[2] he became the Ruler of Dubai on January 4, 2006 upon the death of his elder brother Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He was also nominated by the President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to be the next Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE on January 5, 2006. The members of the UAE Federal National Council accepted the President's nomination shortly after.
[edit] Net worth
In June 2010, his wealth was estimated at USD$ 12.3 billion by Forbes magazine, meaning he was the biggest faller two years in a row on their list of the worlds richest royals.[3][edit] Charity
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been known for his vast charitable donations. On May 19, 2007, he announced plans to give $US10bn to set up the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, an educational foundation in the Middle East, one of the largest charitable donations in history.[4] Sheikh Mohammed stated that the money is meant to bridge the knowledge gap between the Arab region and the developed world, improving the standard of education and research in the region, developing leadership programs for youth, and stimulating job creation. The announcement was made at the 2007 World Economic Forum in Jordan.One of the Foundation's key initiatives is Bayt Ul Hikma۔
[edit] Dubai Cares
In September 2007, he launched the Dubai Cares campaign to raise money to educate 1 million children in poor countries. The campaign is Dubai's contribution to the U.N. Millennium Development Goals for providing Children's Primary Education to every child by 2015. The amount donated to this campaign has exceeded AED 3.4 billion (Approximately US$ 910 million).[edit] Noor Dubai
On September 3, 2008, Sheikh Mohammad also launched a new Ramadan initiative under the name "Noor Dubai", aiming to help the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in achieving its goals outlined in VISION 2020: the Right to Sight Noor Dubai will treat and provide health services to one million people suffering from treatable blindness and visual impairment in developing countries on a local, regional, and international scale.[edit] Controversies
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| HH The Emir Sheikh HH Sheikha Hind
HH The Late Emir HH Sheikha Alia HH Sheikh Hamdan HH Sheikh Ahmed HH Sheikh Mohammed |
Since 2000, international equestrian athletes affiliated with UNICEF have worked to end the "scourge of modern slavery in mounted sports,"[6] by putting public and diplomatic pressure on Sheikh Mohammed and the UAE government. In 2005, a UNICEF-sponsored programme with the UAE government resulted in the repatriation of hundreds of children formerly enslaved as camel jockeys, and provided them with social services and compensation upon return to their home countries of Pakistan, Sudan, Mauritania, and Bangladesh. The UAE government set aside $US2.7 million in initial funding in 2005 with an additional $US9 million for the second phase, and to enforce compliance, adopted a law officially banning the practice with penalties of jail time and a $US27,200 fine.[7] UNICEF endorsed the UAE’s efforts and expressed the hopes that “the UAE’s programme will serve as a model to other countries in the region, as a means of ending all forms of exploitation of children”.[8]
In September 2006, Sheikh Mohammed was accused of encouraging the abduction and enslavement of thousands of boys for use as jockeys in camel races. A class-action suit was filed against him in the state of Florida.[9][10][11][12] However, in 2006, American lawyers representing the UAE raised a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, not on its substance but on the grounds that none of the involved parties resided in the U.S. In July 2007, judge Cecilia Altonaga accepted the motion and dismissed the suit.
On 9 March 2007, the London-based Metro newspaper wrongly published a picture of Sheikh Mohammed, attributing it to the terror suspect Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. The Metro has since apologized for the error.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ "Dubai Holding Profile", Zawya.
- ^ BBC report, 2006-01-05
- ^ Serafin, Tatiana (17 June 2009). "The World's Richest Royals". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/17/monarchs-wealth-scandal-business-billionaires-richest-royals.html.
- ^ Leyne, Jon (2007-05-19). "Dubai ruler in vast charity gift". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6672923.stm. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
- ^ http://forums.ansaar.nl/moskee%EBn/47056-maktoum-moskee-rotterdam-zuid-na-7-5-jaar-open.html
- ^ UNICEF Unite for Children Website http://www.uniteforchildren.ca/
- ^ UAE-US Relations; http://www.uae-us.org/page.cfm?id=63
- ^ UNICEF Website http://www.unicef.org/media/media_26692.html
- ^ Gumbel, Andrew (2006-09-15). "Dubai princes accused of masterminding trade in jockey slaves". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/dubai-princes-accused-of-masterminding-trade-in-jockey-slaves-416101.html. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
- ^ "Dubai's ruler accused of slavery". BBC News. 2006-09-14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5346430.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
- ^ A Dubai Leader Faces Charges of Enslavement - September 14, 2007 - The New York Sun
- ^ Cover Bio from Current Biography Monthly Magazine - April 2008
- ^ Sheikh Mohammed apology, Metro News, Friday, 9 March 2007
[edit] External links
 | Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
- Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's official site
- The Official Website of the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates
- Dubai Photos of Dubai - Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's yacht—the largest in the world.
- Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's IT Education Project (ITEP)
- The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation
- Dubai Cares Official Site
- Noor Dubai Official site
[edit] Further reading
- My Vision - Challenges in the Race for Excellence by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (2006); in Arabic; explains the vision of Sheikh Mohammed for Dubai
- Dubai The Maktoum Story by John M. Smith; in English; a book which criticizes the governance of Sheikh Mohammed
| Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Born: 1949 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum | Ruler of Dubai 2006–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum | Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates 2006–present | Incumbent |
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Categories: 1949 births | Current national leaders | Living people | Maktoum family | Eclipse Award winners | Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George | Reigning monarchs | Prime Ministers of the United Arab Emirates | Government ministers of the United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirati racehorse owners and breeders | United Arab Emirati Sunni Muslims | United Arab Emirati politicians | United Arab Emirati billionaires | United Arab Emirati businesspeople | Emirs of Dubai
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