Shaikh Mohammed on Time’s 100 heroes list

Time, the American magazine, has named His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as one of the most influential individuals in the world.

“Residents call him the ‘Nelson Mandela of the region’ and say featuring good role models like Shaikh Mohammed would help change perceptions worldwide of Muslims,” the magazine says.

Figuring on the Time’s 100 list under the ‘Heroes and Pioneers’ section, Time calls Shaikh Mohammed ‘Dubai’s visionary’, who wants youthful Arab minds to reach for the skies. It says, “When the Burj Dubai is completed next year, the 160-plus-story spire of offices and luxury apartments will be the latest jewel in the impressive crown that Shaikh Mohammed, 58, has been steadily assembling for a quarter-century.”

It goes on to say, “Working first as a deputy to his father, the late Shaikh Rashid, and since 2006 ruling the emirate on his own, Sheik Mo (as some of his subjects fondly call him) has transformed the petroleum-poor desert emirate into a major global hub for business, finance, trade and tourism.”

Shaikh Mohammed has made Dubai an internationally recognised synonym for success in a Middle East that has been plagued by war, civil discontent and religious extremism.

“His pursuit of excellence extends from business to sports: a champion equestrian, Sheik Mo owns leading stud farms and hosts the world’s richest horse race. And it has made him a role model for a new generation of Arab leaders. Last year he set up the Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Foundation with a $10 billion endowment; it aims to inspire knowledge, ideas and innovation among the builders of tomorrow’s Arab world.

Dubai’s visionary wants young Arab minds, too, to reach for the skies,” the Time magazine says.

UAE residents, on the other hand, believe that featuring Shaikh Mohammed and the UAE has only forced a re-examination of many stereotypes that exist in the West about the Middle East.

Expatriates say that he is a leader as “popular as a pop star among the youth.”

Elizabeth Loadwick, Principal of the Uptown School, who has been in the UAE since 1974 and has seen the late Shaikh Rashid rule, said, “Shaikh Mohammed has inherited his father’s vision and he is not just a follower but a leader. It is forcing people to open their eyes to the region. Good role models like Shaikh Mohammed will change perceptions worldwide.”

She added, “America needs visionaries like him since they don’t have one of their own.

“He is like the Nelson Mandela of this part of the world. The students of our school feel very inspired by him.”

Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, said, “There is no doubt that the example set by His Highness for tolerance, diversity and a focus on the quality of people’s lives has forced a re-examination of many stereotypes.”

He noted that it wasn’t surprising that Shaikh Mohammed had been noticed for the role he plays in leading the region and help the world in critical issues of health, education and healthy economies./Khaleej Times/