Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

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Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم
Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates
Incumbent
Assumed office  11 February 2006
President	Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Preceded by	Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Born	22 July 1949 (1949-07-22) (age 58) Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Spouse	Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum Haya bint Al-Hussein
Religion	Sunni Islam

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Arabic (محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم) (honorifically referred to as Sheikh Mohammed) (born July 22, 1949), is the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, and the ruler of Dubai.

Contents 1 Personal life and education 1.1 Charity 1.2 Thoroughbred horse racing 2 Political and business career 2.1 Liverpool F.C. takeover bid 3 Yacht and Motor Cars 4 Controversies 5 References 6 External links 7 Books

[edit] Personal life and education

He is the third of Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum's four sons (members of Dubai's ruling family Al Maktoum and descendants of the House of Al-Falasi, of which he is the tribal leader^[1]). From the age of four, Sheikh Mohammed was privately tutored in Arabic and Islamic Studies. In 1955, he began his formal education at Al Ahmedia School. At the age of 10, he moved to Al Shaab School, and two years later, he went to Dubai Secondary School. In August 1966, he and his cousin, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum, attended the Bell Educational Trust's English Language School in the United Kingdom.

His senior wife is Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, his first cousin, whom he married in 1979. His junior wife is HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and half-sister of current King Abdullah II of Jordan, whom he married on April 10, 2004, and has one child, a daughter, AlJalila, born December 2, 2007.^[2][3][4] Sheikh Mohammed has 17 children: seven sons and ten daughters.

Al Maktoum, his sons, and his daughters are known to be avid in the art of traditional Arabic poems, arts, taking part in projects to aid developing countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Palestine and Yemen. They are also sport enthusiasts, especially in horse and camel racing. For example, in the 15th Asian Games in 2006, son Rashid took the individual gold in Endurance, sons Rashid, Ahmed, Majid, and Hamdan took the team gold in Endurance; daughter Latifa took a bronze in Show Jumping; and daughter Maitha led the UAE team in Karate.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Charity

Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum has been known for his vast charitable donations. On May 19, 2007, he announced plans to give $10bn USD to set up an educational foundation in the Middle East; one of the largest charitable donations in history.^[5] 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.

In September 2007, he launched a campaign, Dubai Cares 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 240 million(Approximately US$ 65,573,770)six days after its launch.

[edit] Thoroughbred horse racing

House of Maktoum

Sheikh Mohammed Sheikha Hind Crown Prince Hamdan HH Sheikh Maktoum HH Sheikh Rashid HH Sheikh Ahmed HH Sheikh Said HH Sheikh Mansour HH Sheikha Manal HH Sheikha Maitha HH Sheikha Shamsa HH Sheikha Hassa HH Sheikha Latifa Princess Haya HH Sheikha Al Jalila Former Lebanese wife HH Sheikh Majid HH Sheikha Maryam HH Sheikha Sheikha HH Sheikha Fatima HH Sheikha Salamah Former German wife HH Sheikh Marwan

Sheikh Mohammed is a major figure internationally in Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding. In late 1981, he purchased Gainsborough Stud at Woolton Hill, near Newbury, Berkshire, England. In Ireland, he also owns Ballysheehan Stud, in County Tipperary plus he has Gainsborough Farms Inc. in Versailles, Kentucky. His racing operations includes the ownership of Darley Stables and he is the leading partner in his family's Godolphin Stables. Sheikh Mohammed hosts the Dubai World Cup, the world's richest series of horse races.

In England, his horses have won numerous important Group One races including several of the British Classic Races. His horses have also won the Irish Derby Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and in the United States the 2006 Preakness Stakes with Bernardini.

He recently bought the Woodlands Stud empire, the largest in Australia, for $US 420 million.^{[citation needed]}

[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 is also promoting the construction of Burj Dubai, which is now the tallest free-standing structure in the world, and will become the official world's tallest building upon its completion in 2009. During his tenure as Crown Prince he set up Dubai Holding, a holding company with multi-diversified businesses and investments. He currently owns 99.67% of the company.^[6]

After roughly a decade of de facto rulership,^[7] 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.

On July 4, 2006 Sheikh Mohammed pardoned and released U.S. R&B producer Dallas Austin for a conviction of drug possession. Senator Orrin Hatch and musicians Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones aided in the release.^[8]

[edit] Liverpool F.C. takeover bid

On 4 December 2006, through his Dubai International Capital (DIC) Investment Group, Sheikh Mohammed engaged in takeover negotiations for Liverpool Football Club in a deal rumored to be worth £479m. The deal was also rumored to include a new 60,000 seater stadium, close to Anfield in nearby Stanley Park. As of 31 January 2007, D.I.C. withdrew their bid when Liverpool requested more time to consider a second bid from American George N. Gillett Jr., owner of the Montreal Canadiens, an NHL franchise, and Tom Hicks, owner of two teams, the NHL's Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers, a MLB franchise.

In 2007, his wealth was estimated at $16 billion USD.^[9] This made him the world's fourth richest royal.^[9]

[edit] Yacht and Motor Cars

Currently he owns the worlds largest Super yacht Dubai(163m) which was previosly commissioned by Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei. His garage contains at least 100 supercars, which include the following:

• Stretched volvo sedan
• Maybach 62
• Ferrari F430
• Hummer H1/H2
• Rolls-Royces
• Lamborghinis
• Line of finest Mercedes.

[edit] Controversies

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.^[10]

Sheikh Mohammed has been accused of encouraging the abducting and enslavement of thousands of boys, for use as jockeys in camel races. A class-action suit has been filed in the United States, regarding this matter. ^{[11] [12] [13] [14]}

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's official site
• Dubai Photos of Dubai - Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's yacht—the largest in the world
• Dubai International Capital withdraws from Liverpool FC takeover bid
• His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's IT Education Project (ITEP)
• The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation
• Dubai Cares Official Site

[edit] Books

• Dubai The Maktoum Story by John M. Smith , 424 pages

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum House of 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