Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Zayed was born in 1918 and named after his grandfather, Shaikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, who has the longest reign in the emirate's history, ruling Abu Dhabi from 1855 to 1909. His grandfather is also known as “Zayid The Great” and “Zayed the First”, and had played a large role in forging unity between the tribes of Oman and leading the Bani Yas tribe. Zayed's father, Shiekh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ruled Abu Dhabi between 1922 and 1926. Then Zayed's uncle, Shaikh Saqr bin Zayed Al Nayhan, reigned followed by by Zayed's eldest brother, Sheikh Shakhbut in 1928. After his father died in 1927, Zayed moved to the oasis of Al Ain, approximately 160 kilometers east of the island of Abu Dhabi, where he spent the rest of his youth. There he underwent religious education, and learned the Noble Quran and was deeply moved by the biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). At that time, the seven emirates, known then as the seven Trucial States, had been under British influence since 1820. Abu Dhabi was poor and undeveloped and its economy was based upon fishing and pearl diving along the coast. The economy suffered when the market for Gulf pearls collapsed in the 1930s after Japanese scientists invented the cultured pearl. At this point, the first oil company teams came to carry out geological surveys, and Zayed was appointed to guide them around the desert. Shaikh Shakhbut assigned Shiekh Zayed to govern Al Ain in 1946 and later in 1953. They both traveled to Europe to appear at a legal hearing on an oil dispute. They also traveled to the United States, Switzerland, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, India, Iran, and Pakistan. On his return, Sheikh Zayed was convinced that it was urgent to develop the area in order to bridge the large gap between it and the rest of the world. When oil was discovered in Abu Dhabi in 1958, economic matters began to improve. The first commercial field entered production in 1962 from the offshore Umm Shaif field, and then from onshore at Bab. On August 9, 1966, Sheikh Shakhbut gave control of Abu Dhabi to his younger brother. After assuming rulership, Sheikh Zayed introduced a formal government structure, with departments developed to handle specific tasks. Priority was given to build basic housing facilities, schools, health services, and the construction of an airport, a sea port, roads, and a bridge to link Abu Dhabi to the mainland. Financial resources were spent for the planting of trees in Al Ain in order to transform Abu Dhabi into a green city. Funding was also spent for the creation of a zoo in Al Ain in 1967. When Britain announced in January 1968 that it would withdraw its military presence in the Gulf, Sheikh Zayed was the first statesman to call for a union. Zayed realized that for Abu Dhabi to prosper, it would need to co-operate with its tribal neighbors. So his first step was to meet with the then-ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoom. The two held meetings on the 19th of February 1968 at Samih and discussed border disputes. This followed by the signing of an agreement on the 27th of February 1968, which would form a federation of nine emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Bahrain, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, Qatar and Umm al-Quwain). Unfortunately the had many setbacks as Zayed tried for 3 years to bring things together. Bahrain and Qatar wanted to seek full independence and Ras Al Khaymah also declined to join. On the 2nd of December 1971, a federation of six emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain) formed the United Arab Emirates [UAE]. Sheikh Zayed was elected president and Sheikh Rashid was elected vice-president. Shortly afterwards, Ras Al Khaimah decided to join the federation, which officially took place on the 11th of February of 1972. Sheikh Zayed has been re-elected as president at five-year intervals by the Supreme Council Members, who are ruling members of each of the seven emirates. Sheikh Rashid was re-elected vice-president until he died in 1990, at which time his son, Sheikh Maktoum, took his father's place. Sheikh Zayed continues to utilize the oil revenues of Abu Dhabi to fund projects throughout the UAE. Sheikh Zayed also played a major role in the formation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which officially started in Abu Dhabi in 1981. Sheikh Zayed's health was deteriorating in the 1990s and he continuously travels to the United States for medical check ups. He travelled to the United States in 1996 for a spinal surgery and then again in August 2000 for a kidney transplant, both of which he has recovered successfully. His son, Sheikh Khalifah, who was the Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, succeeded him after he passed away on the 2nd of November 2004 (19th of Ramadan 1425H), will succeed him. Al Ain is currently being governed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Muhammad Al Nahyan. His religious tolerance of Christians and the freedom given Western workers sojourning in the UAE was in marked contrast to most neighbors in the region and exposed him to criticism. Zayed was most respected around the world for his unifying influence and his drive to make the Emirates one nation. His calls for cooperation extended across the Gulf to Iran. Zayed advocated dialogue as the means to settle the row with Tehran over three strategic Gulf islands which Iran seized from the (future) UAE Emirate of Sharjah in 1971, though the islands remain in Iranian hands, despite over three decades of UAE diplomatic initiatives. Zayed also did not shy away from controversy when it came to expressing his opinion on current events in the Arab world. Troubled by the suffering of Iraqi civilians, he took the lead in calling for lifting sanctions on Iraq imposed by the United Nations in the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, despite Kuwaiti displeasure and opposition. Sheikh Zayed was considered one of the wealthiest men in the world. A Forbes magazine estimate put his fortune at around USD $24 billion. The source of this wealth could be almost exclusively attributed to the immense oil wealth of Abu Dhabi and the Emirates, which sit on a pool of a tenth of the world's proven oil reserves. Nevertheless he chose to live a relatively modest and traditional lifestyle, riding and hunting with falcons, though he gave up hunting with firearms, a sport at which he excelled, to set an example for wildlife conservation in his fragile desert homeland. He was personally popular, and was regarded to be considerably pious in his religious observances. The Sheikh on a 1967 postage stamp Policies and charity At the time the British withdrew from the Persian Gulf, Zayed oversaw the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Arab Economic Development; through it oil riches were channeled to some forty less fortunate Islamic nations in Asia and Africa during the decades that followed. He is also remembered as "the man who turned the desert green," because he invested oil revenues into projects to improve the harsh desert environment. Using the country's enormous oil revenues, Sheikh Zayed built up institutions such as hospitals, schools and universities and made it possible for UAE citizens to enjoy free access to them. He also decreed that the State would undertake the cost of foreign health care for those families unable to afford it. Land was also often distributed gratis. However, whilst this policy benefited many landless families, enormously wealthy clans and individuals were given free land grants in proportion to their status and influence with the royal family. His majlis (a traditional Arab consultation council) was open to the public, and as well as discussing national and personal issues, he enjoyed hearing people's opinions on poetry, as well as recitals by new and young poets. His tolerance towards other people and their faiths was evident, and he allowed the building of religious buildings such as churches and temples. This is perhaps one of his most important attributes, which endeared him to the vast multitudes of expatriate workers who make up approximately three quarters of the population of the UAE. Zayed was also an advocate of women's rights and the education and participation of women in the work force, within traditional parameters. His views regarding this issue were considerably more liberal than his contemporaries in the GCC nations. BCCI Scandal In 1972, Agha Hasan Abedi, a Pakistani banker who had set up a new bank called Bank of Credit and Commerce International, approached Sheikh Zayed for investment capital. Abedi had previously set up the United Bank of Pakistan in 1959, which later became a leading nationalized bank in 1971. With this new project at hand, Sheikh Zayed became responsible for fronting the majority of the investment, also partnering with Bank of America (25%) and, allegedly, the CIA. It is claimed that the CIA were seeking a funding route for the mujahideen in Afghanistan, similar to the Investors Overseas Service and the Nugen Hand Bank in the 1960s. By 1977, the bank was almost certainly insolvent, using cash from deposits to fund operating expenses, rather than making investments, taking on the attributes of a Ponzi scheme. Within another eight years, the bank reported assets of over $4 billion with over 150 branches in 46 countries. Bank of America reduced its share in the bank, with Abu Dhabi's holdings companies taking on a controlling block. In 1990, a Price Waterhouse audit of BCCI revealed an unaccountable loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. The bank approached Sheikh Zayed, who made good the loss in exchange for an increased shareholding of 78% of the bank. In December 1991, further investigation found layers of criminal activity taking place through the bank. Around this point in time, U.S. law enforcement was able to legally establish BCCI as an organized crime syndicate. Though Sheikh Zayed's name was not directly mentioned during interrogations, numerous family members were implicated in criminal activity tied to the bank. The investigation found evidence of bribery, money laundering, arms trafficking, prostitution, and support of terrorism. (http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/04crime.htm) Final years In 1999, while he was in a hospital for some tests, the people of the UAE wrote him a personal thank-you letter with 1.5 million signatures. He underwent a kidney transplant in 2000. On 2 November 2004, Sheikh Zayed died, as announced by Abu Dhabi TV. He was believed to be 86 years old. No official cause of death was given; however he had recently been in London undergoing hospital treatment. His eldest son, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan, born in 1948, took an increasing role in the government from the 1990s; he was ratified as president of the United Arab Emirates by his fellow rulers on the Supreme Council directly after his father's death. Shaikh Zayed International Airport located at Rahimyar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan is named in his honor. Criticisms Sheikh Zayed's critics point to the vast sums of the state's wealth that he accumulated for himself and his family, significantly dwarfing the amounts channeled to charitable contributions. Furthermore, that this was not his own wealth that he was distributing, but the nation's. Some of his charitable acts included adopting hundreds of orphans and building several hospitals both in the UAE and abroad (in Europe, Asia, and Africa). Zayed's supporters maintain that much of his charitable work went unadvertised, and was merely known through popular word-of-mouth, though state-friendly media enthusiastically publicized his philanthropy. Legacy Zayed was extremely popular in his home country. He was admired as a relatively simple man who guarded his people's culture and traditions and presented a civilized image of the UAE to the rest of the world; he was the undisputed father of his nation. The flood of emotions at the news of his death was genuine, and felt all over the country, by nationals and non-nationals alike. He was a man respected across the globe, especially in the US and Europe due to his pro-western stance. Although he was opposed to democracy in any form, he nevertheless avoided virtually all taint of authoritarianism, and was viewed as a moderate and gentle ruler.