Nominations for The Muslim 500, 2024 edition are Now CLOSED

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan became the President of the United Arab Emirates after his brother, Sheikh Khalifa, passed away in May 2022. He is the third son of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, the widely respected first Presi­dent of the UAE who ruled from independence in 1971 until his death in 2004.

Military Leadership: Sheikh Mohamed has trans­formed the military capabilities of the UAE not only through buying military hardware (over 80 F-16 jets), but also by developing the UAE’s own industry, both hardware and special forces. All of these have also been deployed in various conflicts including Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen. The UAE is an important centre for global weapons trad­ing hosting the world’s largest defence expos.

Global Player: Sheikh Mohamed has enjoyed ex­cellent personal relationships with the previous two US presidents managing to have his views heard on Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine and the sup­port of a young Saudi prince. Further, Sheikh Mohamed has shown that he is his own man by follow­ing policies that the US does not support publicly: the support of Libyan general Khalifa Haftar and the blockade on Qatar. Involvement in other key issues shows that the UAE is punching above its weight in international affairs. Its involvement in Yemen has become increasingly complex with a recent split with Saudi policy meaning their respective proxies on the ground are fighting each other as well as local forc­es and proxies of Iran. The humanitarian disaster in Yemen is of an immense magnitude with many voices squarely laying the brunt of the blame on the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Abraham Accords: The UAE (along with Bahrain) formalised relations with Israel by signing the Abra­ham Accords Peace Treaty at the White House in September 2020 with the Israeli Prime Minister and the former American President Trump in attendance. An Israeli embassy was opened in July 2021 with the President of Israel in attendance as the UAE pushes ahead with a full normalisation strategy which has outraged Palestin­ians and their supporters.

Economic Development: With Abu Dhabi sitting on 10th of the world’s proven oil reserves, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan maintains im­mense political influence in the Muslim World as a leading member of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company—which directs development efforts for the UAE’s role in the oil and gas industries. He also controls one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds ($700bn). He has overseen a con­struction boom which includes man-made islands, entertainment parks and museum franchises of the Louvre and Guggenheim.

Sustainable Development and Conservationist: Sheikh Mohamed has been a champion of sustaina­ble development in Abu Dhabi as an advocate for the implementation of green technologies. He pledged $15bn for the development of clean energy through solar, wind and hydrogen power. He is also a keen falconer and is committed to protecting falcons and other species in the region.

Philanthropy and Tolerance: Sheikh Mohamed has donated billions of dollars to various causes, in­cluding AED 55 million to the UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, and purchasing vaccines in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development celebrated its 50-year anniversary in 2021; it has given over AED 150 billion in devel­opment funding and investments in 97 countries. The UAE is home to a diverse workforce and has been keen to show respect to other religions and cul­tures. It has allowed various houses of worship to be built, and three synagogues have already been completed. The country hosted Pope Francis on a recent trip. It has also created a “Ministry of Tolerance” and de­clared 2019 the official “Year of Tolerance”.

Controversy: Human rights organisations have raised the issue of severe human rights violations and repressive dictatorship practiced in the UAE as well as calling for halting arms supply to the UAE, in wake of the Yemen war.

“If your point of view is positive, you will see the challenges in the future as opportunities.”

$15 billion pledged towards the development of solar, wind, and hydrogen power technologies in the UAE

70% of the country’s university graduates are women