Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (* 1918 in al-Ain ; † November 2, 2004 in Abu Dhabi ; Arabic الشيخ زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان, DMG aš-Šaiḫ Zāyid b. Sulṭān Āl Nahyān ) had been the Emir of Abu Dhabi since 1966 and the first President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since independence in 1971 until his death .

The first years

Postage stamp from 1967

Sheikh Zayed was born in 1918 in al-Ain, an oasis village about 160 kilometers east of the capital. His exact date of birth is unknown, there are also sources that put it as 1916. Sheikh Zayed was named after his grandfather, Sheikh Zayed bin Chalifa Al Nahyan . He was the youngest of four sons of Sheikh Sultan bin Zayid , ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1922 until his assassination in 1926. His education was limited, as was usual in this time and region, to the religious principles of Islam and the traditional way of life Bedouin .

Career

In 1928 his brother Sheikh Shakhbut (Shakhbut) bin Sultan Al Nahyan took over the business of government after his uncle Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan was murdered. Zayid was installed by Shachbut in 1946 as governor in eastern Abu Dhabi, based at the Muwaiji Fort in al Ain. At that time the population of this region was very poor and repeatedly suffered from various diseases. When British oil exploration operations began, Sheikh Zayed accompanied and supported them.

1952 occupied a small Saudi Arabian combat unit led by Turki bin Abdullah Al Otaishan the village Hamasa at the Buraimi - oasis . Zayid was known for his resistance to Saudi Arabian territorial claims. He turned down £ 30 million in bribes from Aramco , which was looking for oil in the disputed area. In this dispute with Saudi Arabia , Zayid and his brother Hazza visited the Buraimi Arbitration Court in Geneva in 1955 and proved the attempted bribery, whereupon Saudi Arabia left the negotiations. As a result, the British successfully began to retake the occupied territory with a local combat unit. A period of greater political stability followed, which enabled Sheikh Zayed to develop the region further. In particular, he improved the irrigation system , a network of water channels from the Buraimi oasis to irrigate the fields, called the Falaj system.

The slow progress despite the oil discoveries in 1958 and the start of oil exports in 1962 led the ruling family to serious doubts about Schachbut's government. On August 6, 1966, Sheikh Chessbut was finally deposed in a bloodless palace coup. The brothers Zayed and Shachbut kept the promise they made to their mother never to use violence against one another. Although it is not entirely clear from historical records, Sheikh Zayed may have enjoyed the full support not only of his family but also of the British government in this coup. The Trucial Oman Scouts brought Sheikh Chessbut safely from Abu Dhabi. After sometimes difficult negotiations with the rulers of the other six emirates , the United Arab Emirates were founded on December 2, 1971 with Sheikh Zayed as president. Sheikh Zayed was elected President of the UAE four more times: in 1976, 1981, 1986 and 1991.

In 1974, Sheikh Zayed ended the border dispute with Saudi Arabia through the Treaty of Jeddah , by granting Saudi Arabia access to the lower Persian Gulf (land connection between the UAE and Qatar ) and part of the Shaybah oil field in return for recognition of the UAE .

Values ​​and attitudes

Sheikh Zayed was determined to unite the Emirates into a federation. His call for cooperation also concerned Iran on the other side of the Persian Gulf . He relied on dialogue in the dispute between Sharjah and Iran, which involved three strategically important islands in Iranian hands, which Sharjah claimed, however. Despite more than three decades of diplomatic efforts on the part of the United Arab Emirates, the islands still belong to Iran.

Sheikh Zayed was a relatively liberal ruler and allowed private media, among other things. However, he expected a certain amount of self-censorship and lack of criticism towards the ruling families. The permitted freedom of religion and the extensive rights of foreigners were often a thorn in the side of other Arab states, in these points some were disappointed by Sheikh Zayed as the Muslim head of state.

When it came to controversial topics or events in the Arab world, Sheikh Zayed did not hesitate to express his opinion. For example, shocked by the suffering of Iraqi civilians, he urged the United States to relax economic sanctions against Iraq . This met with great displeasure on the part of Kuwait , as the USA finally decided on these sanctions because of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Sheikh Zayed was one of the richest men in the world. According to Forbes Magazine , he owned about $ 20 billion. Its wealth came mainly from the immense oil masses of the UAE, which are among the top ten largest oil reserves found. In 1988 he bought the famous Tittenhurst Park for £ 5 million .

politics

In 1971, when the British withdrew from the Persian Gulf, Sheikh Zayed founded the Abu Dhabi Fund for Arab Economic Development . In the following decades, part of the oil revenues were passed on to poorer Arab countries in Asia and Africa . Sheikh Zayed is also known as "the man who made the desert green". That was an allusion to his large investments in projects to make the harsh desert area more appealing.

Zayid also used the money from the oil exports to build institutions such as hospitals, schools and universities. He gave the citizens of the United Arab Emirates free access to it. Other charities include the adoption of hundreds of orphans and the establishment of hospitals in Europe , Asia and Africa .

When asked by reporters for the New York Times in 1997 why there was no elected legislature in the UAE , he replied:

“Why should we give up a system that satisfies our people to introduce a system that creates contradiction and strife? Our system of government is based on our religion and that is what our people want. If you are looking for alternatives, we are ready to listen to you.

We have always said that our people should be open about their concerns. We are all in the same boat and you are both captain and crew. Our doors are open to any opinion, every one of our citizens knows that very well. It is our deepest conviction that Allah created human beings free and he prescribed that every individual must enjoy freedom. Nobody should behave as if they own others.

Those in leadership positions should treat their people with patience and understanding, for this is their duty commanded by Allah, who commands us to treat all living beings with dignity. How could there be anything less for mankind created as descendants of Allah on earth? Our system of government does not derive its authority from the people, but is anchored in our religion and is based on Allah's book, the Koran . What duty do we have that others have forced upon us? His teachings are eternal and complete, while human systems are ephemeral and incomplete. "

Land was often given away for free. This helped many landless families, but it also benefited enormously wealthy clans and individuals given land in proportion to their status and influence on the royal family. His majilis (traditional Arabic discussion boards ) were open to the public. As well as discussing national and personal issues, he enjoyed listening to people's views on poetry and the accounts of young poets. Sheikh Zayed allowed the construction of non-Muslim buildings such as churches and temples . As a result, he was fondly remembered by many foreign workers, who make up around three quarters of the population of the United Arab Emirates. Sheikh Zayed was also an advocate of women's rights such as access to education and labor rights for women. He acted within the framework of traditional guidelines, but was much more liberal than his interlocutors in the Gulf Cooperation Council .

death

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

In 2000, Zayid received a kidney transplant at the Cleveland Clinic in the United States. He died on November 2nd, 2004 after a long illness. The exact cause of death was not disclosed. According to Islamic tradition, he was buried on the afternoon of November 3rd next to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, which was under construction . His eldest son, Crown Prince Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan , who had provisionally led the government during the long illness of Sheikh Zayid, took over the official duties for the emirate of Abu Dhabi and was elected by the Supreme Court of Rulers on November 3, 2004 Rulers of the individual emirates) elected as the new president of the UAE.

After Zayid's death, three days of state mourning was ordered for the private sector and eight days for government agencies, during which these facilities remained closed, except for emergency operations. In addition, all flags hung at half-mast for 40 days. The radio stations switched their programs to Koranic verses and classical music for 20 days. In many other Arab states, too, several days of state mourning were declared. Kukës Airport, which was started during his lifetime, is named after him and was completed posthumously in 2010. It is one of two commercial airports in Albania .

In 2005, Zayid was posthumously awarded the Champions of Earth Award .

literature

Web links

Commons : Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sayyid Hamid Hurriez: Folklore and Folklife in the United Arab Emirates . Psychology Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0-7007-1413-1 ( books.google.at - German translation of his answer).
personal data
SURNAME Nahyan, Zayid bin Sultan Al
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nahayan, Zayed ibn Sultan Al
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Arab politician, Emir of Abu Dhabi
DATE OF BIRTH 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH al-Ain
DATE OF DEATH November 2, 2004
Place of death Abu Dhabi