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| succession1 = 4th Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates

factoids
status	| termstart = 11 February 2006| termend = | president = Khalifa bin Zayed Al NahyanMohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan| primeminister = | vicepresident =| 1blankname = Deputies| 1namedata| blank1 = Deputies | deputy = | predecessor = Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum| successor = {edih}| succession2 = Minister of Defence factoids status | termstart = 9 December 1971| termend = | primeminister = | vicepresident =| deputy = | predecessor = Post established| successor = {edih}| succession3 = President of the United Arab Emirates factoids | succession4 = Ruler of Dubai| reign4 = 4 January 2006 – present| predecessor4 = Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum| successor4 = Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum| suc-type4 = Heir apparent	#Wives and children>See list	#Wives and children>See list| father = Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum	Hamdan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan>Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan	1949	15|df=yes}}| birth_place = Dubai, Trucial States| religion = Islam| house = Al Maktoum
factoids
department	Dubai Police Force | serviceyears = 1968–1970 | rank = Head of Dubai Police and Public Security | website = Official website

}}Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 15 July 1949) is an Emirati politician and royal who is the current ruler of Dubai, and serves as the vice president, prime minister, and minister of defense of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).WEB,tec.gov.ae/en/dubai-government/rulers-of-dubai/, Dubai Rulers, Government of Dubai, 2 March 2017, dead,tec.gov.ae/en/dubai-government/rulers-of-dubai," title="web.archive.org/web/20161019075927tec.gov.ae/en/dubai-government/rulers-of-dubai,">web.archive.org/web/20161019075927tec.gov.ae/en/dubai-government/rulers-of-dubai, 19 October 2016, Mohammed succeeded his brother Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum as UAE vice president and ruler of Dubai following the latter’s death in 2006.BOOK, Dubai: The Making of a Megapolis, Pranay Gupte, January 2011, Penguin UK, 9788184755046,books.google.com/books?id=7OokHr76UBsC&pg=PT159, 30 June 2020, 19 February 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230219202300/https://books.google.com/books?id=7OokHr76UBsC&pg=PT159, live, A billionaire, Mohammed generates most of his income from real estate and is described as “one of the world’s most prominent real estate developers”. There is a blurred line between the assets of the government of Dubai and those of the ruling Al Maktoum family.BOOK, Herb, Michael,www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1287d29, The Wages of Oil: Parliaments and Economic Development in Kuwait and the UAE, 2014, Cornell University Press, 978-0-8014-5336-6, 110–111, 10.7591/j.ctt1287d29, 24 May 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210524185837/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1287d29, 24 May 2021, live, Land which is owned by him is managed as an asset of the state. He oversaw the growth of Dubai into a global city,NEWS, 16 February 2021, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum: Who is Dubai’s ruler?, en-GB, BBC News,www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51762543, 13 April 2021, 17 January 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210117155132/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51762543, live, NEWS, Analysis, Andrew Hammond-, 27 November 2009, “Dubai model” was the vision of one man, en, Reuters,www.reuters.com/article/us-dubai-model-analysis-1-idUSTRE5AQ3FD20091127, 13 April 2021, 13 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210413064701/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-dubai-model-analysis-1-idUSTRE5AQ3FD20091127, live, as well as the launch of a number of government-owned enterprises including Emirates Airline, DP World, and the Jumeirah Group. Some of these are held by Dubai Holding. Mohammed has overseen the development of certain projects in Dubai, such as the Palm IslandsWEB, 13 October 2005, In Dubai, the Sky’s No Limit,www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-oct-13-fg-dubai13-story.html, 10 May 2021, Los Angeles Times, en-US, 24 February 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210224070337/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-oct-13-fg-dubai13-story.html, live, and the Burj Al Arab hotel, as well as Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.WEB, 3 May 2007, Dubai ruler has big ideas for the little city-state,www.ft.com/content/eb00cfcc-f9a0-11db-9b6b-000b5df10621,ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/eb00cfcc-f9a0-11db-9b6b-000b5df10621, 10 December 2022, subscription, 10 May 2021, www.ft.com, en-GB, Mohammed is the absolute ruler of Dubai and the prime minister of the UAE,NEWS, 16 February 2021, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum: Who is Dubai’s ruler?, en-GB, BBC News,www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51762543, 21 August 2021, 17 January 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210117155132/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51762543, live, a position appointed by the president.WEB, About the Government {{!, UAE Embassy in Washington, DC|url=https://www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/about-government|access-date=21 August 2021|website=www.uae-embassy.org|language=en|archive-date=21 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821135921www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/about-government|url-status=live}} The government is autocratic, as there are no democratic institutions, and internal dissent is prohibited.NEWS, 26 November 2009, Standing still but still standing, The Economist,www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2009/11/26/standing-still-but-still-standing, 26 May 2021, 0013-0613, 25 May 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210525180604/https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2009/11/26/standing-still-but-still-standing, live, NEWS, Louise, Callaghan, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum of Dubai: six wives, 30 children and a 14-year reign of control, The Times, en,www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sheikh-mohammed-al-maktoum-of-dubai-six-wives-30-children-and-a-14-year-reign-of-control-38x3zgb52, 26 May 2021, 0140-0460, 23 July 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210723120559/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sheikh-mohammed-al-maktoum-of-dubai-six-wives-30-children-and-a-14-year-reign-of-control-38x3zgb52, live, WEB, 2009, Dubai faces self-made public image ‘disaster’,www.ft.com/content/2c21584c-e67e-11de-98b1-00144feab49a,ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/2c21584c-e67e-11de-98b1-00144feab49a, 10 December 2022, subscription, live, 26 May 2021, www.ft.com, BOOK, Marozzi, Justin,books.google.com/books?id=mP-EDwAAQBAJ&q=bin+rashid, Islamic Empires: Fifteen Cities that Define a Civilization, 2019, Penguin UK, 978-0-241-19905-3, en, There is no free speech in Dubai... criticism of the ruling family, or any other political activity, is absolutely prohibited... Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, 30 October 2021, 19 February 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230219202300/https://books.google.com/books?id=mP-EDwAAQBAJ&q=bin+rashid, live, It is characterized by scholars as authoritarian.BOOK, Herb, Michael,www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1287d29, The Wages of Oil: Parliaments and Economic Development in Kuwait and the UAE, 2014, Cornell University Press, 978-0-8014-5336-6, 50, 128, 10.7591/j.ctt1287d29, The scores for the UAE on these measures are not unreasonable; it is an authoritarian regime... Sheikh Rashid, the ruler of Dubai, was made the prime minister of the federation, 24 May 2021, 24 May 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210524185837/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1287d29, live, BOOK, Yom, Sean,books.google.com/books?id=Tnm6DwAAQBAJ&q=%22prime+minister%22+%22bin+rashid%22+%22authoritarian%22&pg=PT421, Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa: Development, Democracy, and Dictatorship, 2019, Routledge, 978-0-429-75639-9, Box 17.4, en, 30 October 2021, 19 February 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230219202303/https://books.google.com/books?id=Tnm6DwAAQBAJ&q=%22prime+minister%22+%22bin+rashid%22+%22authoritarian%22&pg=PT421, live, On 5 March 2020, a British court ruled that on the balance of probabilities, Mohammed had abducted two of his daughters, Shamsa and Latifa, and had threatened his former wife, the Jordanian princess Haya bint Hussein.NEWS, 5 March 2020, Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed abducted daughters and threatened wife – UK court, BBC News,www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51756984, 5 March 2020, 5 March 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200305180254/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51756984, live, Allegedly, Shamsa and Latifa were forcibly medicated while held in Dubai under Mohammed’s orders since 2000 and 2018, respectively.WEB, WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Dubai royal insider breaks silence on escaped princesses | 60 Minutes Australia,www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lQLXArjNs8,ghostarchive.org/varchive/9lQLXArjNs8?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lQLXArjNs8, 20 September 2001, www.youtube.com, {{cbignore}} On 16 February 2021, BBC’s Panorama broadcast a documentary featuring Latifa’s video messages that she made secretly under enforced detention in Dubai on her father’s orders.{{Citation |title=Panorama - The Missing Princess |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000sspm/panorama-the-missing-princess |language=en-GB |access-date=17 February 2021 |archive-date=17 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217092205www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000sspm/panorama-the-missing-princess |url-status=live }}NEWS, Siddique, Haroon, 24 March 2022, Dubai ruler to have no direct contact with two children after UK court battle, The Guardian,www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/24/dubai-ruler-no-direct-contact-with-children-after-uk-court-battle, 24 March 2022, 24 March 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220324120116/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/24/dubai-ruler-no-direct-contact-with-children-after-uk-court-battle, live, Mohammed is an equestrian and is the founder of the Maktoum family-owned Godolphin stable and the owner of Darley, a thoroughbred breeding operation, operational in six countries. In 2012, he rode the horse Madji Du Pont 160 km to take the FEI World Endurance Championship.NEWS,gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/mohammad-is-new-world-endurance-champion-1.1065965, Mohammed is new world endurance champion, Narayan, Satya, 25 August 2012, Gulf News, 1 November 2014, live,gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/mohammad-is-new-world-endurance-champion-1.1065965," title="web.archive.org/web/20140905141221gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/mohammad-is-new-world-endurance-champion-1.1065965,">web.archive.org/web/20140905141221gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/mohammad-is-new-world-endurance-champion-1.1065965, 5 September 2014,

Early life

Sheikh Mohammed is the third of four sons of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai. The Al Maktoum family is Dubai’s ruling family and descendants of the House of Al-Falasi, of which Mohammed is the tribal leader.WEB,sheikhmohammed.co.ae/english/dubai/dubai_almaktoum.asp, Rulers of Dubai (archived version), www.sheikhmohammed.ae, 27 October 2016, dead,sheikhmohammed.co.ae/english/dubai/dubai_almaktoum.asp," title="web.archive.org/web/20071018025527sheikhmohammed.co.ae/english/dubai/dubai_almaktoum.asp,">web.archive.org/web/20071018025527sheikhmohammed.co.ae/english/dubai/dubai_almaktoum.asp, 18 October 2007, His mother was Sheikha Latifa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, daughter of former ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan.BOOK, Spirit of the Union: Lecture on the Occasion of the United Arab Emirates’ Fortieth National Day, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 2012, 9781860633300, Dubai, UAE, Motivate, 34, 957655419, Mohammed’s early life was not grand. He grew up in a house without any electricity during his early years and the family sometimes had to sleep together in one room with a fan. A hundred people or more lived in his house, including guards and slaves.BOOK, Krane, Jim,archive.org/details/dubaistoryofworl0000kran, Dubai: The Story of the World’s Fastest City, Atlantic, 2010, 978-1-84887-009-3, London, 180–181,

Education

From the age of four, Mohammed was privately tutored in Arabic and Islamic Studies. In 1955, he began formal education at Al Ahmedia School. At the age of 10, he moved to Al Shaab School, and two years later, attended Dubai Secondary School. In 1966, with his cousin Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, he attended the Bell Educational Trust’s English Language School in the United Kingdom.WEB,www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=cdc1c1922d435310VgnVCM1000003f64a8c0RCRD&appInstanceName=default, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; early Life, 1 September 2014, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=cdc1c1922d435310VgnVCM1000003f64a8c0RCRD&appInstanceName=default," title="web.archive.org/web/20131216091953www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=cdc1c1922d435310VgnVCM1000003f64a8c0RCRD&appInstanceName=default,">web.archive.org/web/20131216091953www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=cdc1c1922d435310VgnVCM1000003f64a8c0RCRD&appInstanceName=default, 16 December 2013, dead, NEWS,books.google.com/books?id=J7IpDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Mohammed+bin+Rashid+Al+Maktoum%22+%22Bell+Educational+Trust%22&pg=PA35, UAE: Public Policy Perspectives, 16 June 2017, Google Books, 9781787147157, 8 March 2023, en, Stephens, Melodena, Moonesar, Immanuel Azaad, Awamleh, Raed, Rowland-Jones, Rhys, He subsequently studied at the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, passing out with the sword of honour as the top Commonwealth student.BOOK, Dubai: The Making of a Megapolis, Gupte, Pranay, Viking, 2010, 978-0-670-08517-0, Bombay, 128, He also travelled to Italy to train as a pilot.BOOK, Dubai: The Making of a Megapolis, Gupte, Pranay, Penguin/Viking, 2011, 978-0-670-08517-0, UK, 132,

Political career

Dubai Police

(File:Shaikh Mohmmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Airforce.jpg|thumb|Mohammed at the Dubai Air Show, 2007)On Mohammed’s return from military training to Dubai, his father appointed him as the head of the Dubai Police Force and the Dubai Defence Force (which later became a part of the Union Defence Force) when he was only 20 years old.NEWS,u.ae/en/about-the-uae/the-uae-government/government-leaders/h-h-sheikh-mohammed-bin-rashid-al-maktoum, H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – The Official Portal of the UAE Government, United Arab Emirates, 15 April 2021, en, 13 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210413172803/https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/the-uae-government/government-leaders/h-h-sheikh-mohammed-bin-rashid-al-maktoum, live, BOOK, Krane, Jim,books.google.com/books?id=mJWrVWZuUJEC, City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism, 15 September 2009, St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 978-1-4299-1899-2, en, 10 May 2021, 19 February 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230219202257/https://books.google.com/books?id=mJWrVWZuUJEC, live,

Minister of Defence

File:Prabowo bertemu Menhan UAE disaksikan Presiden Jokowi.jpg|thumb|240px|Mohammed with Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo SubiantoPrabowo SubiantoIn January 1968, Mohammed was present when his father and Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan first met in the desert between Dubai and Abu Dhabi at Argoub El SediraBOOK, Spirit of the Union, Maktoum, Mohammed, Motivate, 2012, 978-1-86063-330-0, Dubai, 29, to agree to the formation of a union of emirates following British notification of intent to withdraw from the Trucial States. When the new country of the United Arab Emirates was founded on 2 December 1971, Mohammed became its first minister of defence at the age of 22.NEWS, UAE – Profiles – Ministers,www.thefreelibrary.com/UAE+-+Profiles+-+Ministers.-a0117430159, 15 April 2013, APS Review Downstream Trends, 31 May 2004, 20 September 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180920011216/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/UAE+-+Profiles+-+Ministers.-a0117430159, live, A period of uncertainty and instability followed the Union of the United Arab Emirates, including skirmishes between tribes over property, straddling new borders. On 24 January 1972, the exiled former ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, Sheikh Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi, led an insurrectionist coup against his successor, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.BOOK, My Early Life, Al Qasimi, Sultan, Bloomsbury, 2011, 978-1-4088-1420-8, UK, 283–287, Following a spirited firefight between the Union Defence Force and Sheikh Saqr’s forces – mostly Egyptian mercenaries who had entered the UAE through Ras Al Khaimah – Mohammed accepted Saqr’s surrender. Sheikh Khalid had been killed in the action, leading to the accession of his brother Sultan as ruler of Sharjah. Mohammed delivered Saqr to UAE president Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who put Saqr under house arrest in Al Ain.BOOK, Now the Dust Has Settled, De Butts, Freddie, Tabb House, 1995, 1873951132, 231, In 1973, Mohammed was involved in protracted negotiations with the hijackers of JAL 404, led by Japanese Red Army member Osamu Maruouka, which landed in Dubai after being hijacked as it departed Schiphol Airport. Although unsuccessful in obtaining the release of the hostages (they were finally freed, and the 747 blown up, in Libya), he was more successful in a later negotiation with the three hijackers of KLM 861, who released the balance of their hostages and handed over the plane in return for safe passage.WEB,dubaiasitusedtobe.com/dubaihijackhistory.shtm#.VENSSWeSy-4, A Brief History of Hijacking in Dubai, 1 October 2014, Dubai as it used to be, live,dubaiasitusedtobe.com/dubaihijackhistory.shtm#.VENSSWeSy-4," title="web.archive.org/web/20141205015024dubaiasitusedtobe.com/dubaihijackhistory.shtm#.VENSSWeSy-4,">web.archive.org/web/20141205015024dubaiasitusedtobe.com/dubaihijackhistory.shtm#.VENSSWeSy-4, 5 December 2014, In 1977, Mohammed oversaw the integration of Dubai’s military forces with those of the other emirates.

Crown Prince of Dubai

File:The Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum calling on the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi on March 11, 2010.jpg|thumb|left|With Indian prime minister Manmohan SinghManmohan SinghOn 3 January 1995, Mohammed’s brother Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, signed two decrees. One decree appointed Mohammed as crown prince and the other appointed their brother Hamdan as the deputy ruler of Dubai.NEWS,www.upi.com/Archives/1995/01/04/Dubai-ruler-appoints-crown-prince/8479789195600/, Dubai ruler appoints crown prince, 4 January 1995, United Press International, UPI, 15 April 2021, en, 15 April 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210415104837/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/01/04/Dubai-ruler-appoints-crown-prince/8479789195600/, live, Mohammed created the Dubai Shopping Festival in late 1995, an annual event that has become a significant contributor to the economy of the UAE.WEB, Hess, Anna, 29 January 2017, How Dubai’s Shopping Festival Marks a Liberalized Economy,pennpoliticalreview.org/2017/01/how-dubais-shopping-festival-marks-a-liberalized-economy/, 9 May 2021, Penn Political Review, 9 May 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210509054353/https://pennpoliticalreview.org/2017/01/how-dubais-shopping-festival-marks-a-liberalized-economy/, live, In 2001, Mohammed ordered the arrest of Obaid Saqr bin-Busit, the head of Dubai Customs and the chairman of the World Customs Association.NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1163740.stm, Customs chief on corruption charges, 10 February 2001, BBC News, 1 November 2014, live,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1163740.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20141107163830news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1163740.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20141107163830news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1163740.stm, 7 November 2014, File:Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Argentina 04.jpg|thumb|With Argentinian president Cristina Fernández de KirchnerCristina Fernández de KirchnerFile:Michelle Bachelet y Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum (14074554813).jpg|thumb|With Chilean president Michelle BacheletMichelle BacheletFile:The Vice President holds a bilateral meeting with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates.jpg|thumb|With US vice president Joe BidenJoe Biden

Ruler of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister

After roughly a decade of de facto rule, Mohammed became the ruler of Dubai on 4 January 2006, upon the death of his brother Maktoum.NEWS, Wheeler, Julia,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4582236.stm, Dubai’s formidable new ruler, BBC News, 5 January 2006, 30 March 2012, live,news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4582236.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20081231000857news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4582236.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20081231000857news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4582236.stm, 31 December 2008, The following day, the Federal National Council selected him as the new vice president of the UAE. On 11 February, the Council approved President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s nomination of Sheikh Mohammed for prime minister.WEB, Biography,uaecabinet.ae/en/biography, 2 July 2023, uaecabinet.ae, WEB,uaepm.ae/English/PrimeMinister/Pages/Biography.aspx, Biography, United Arab Emirates Prime Minister, 27 October 2016, dead,uaepm.ae/English/PrimeMinister/Pages/Biography.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20150125110449uaepm.ae/English/PrimeMinister/Pages/Biography.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20150125110449uaepm.ae/English/PrimeMinister/Pages/Biography.aspx, 25 January 2015, {{Better source needed|date=September 2021}}Mohammed is the absolute monarch of Dubai.NEWS, 6 December 2011, UAE Leader: Israel Would Destroy Iran if Attacked,www.haaretz.com/2011-12-06/ty-article/uae-leader-israel-would-destroy-iran-if-attacked/0000017f-def8-d3a5-af7f-fefec8cc0000, live,web.archive.org/web/20221020090826/https://www.haaretz.com/2011-12-06/ty-article/uae-leader-israel-would-destroy-iran-if-attacked/0000017f-def8-d3a5-af7f-fefec8cc0000, 20 October 2022, 20 October 2022, Haaretz, en, The government is described as autocratic, as there are no democratic institutions, and internal dissent is prohibited. Scholars characterize the UAE as authoritarian. According to human rights organizations, there are systematic human rights violations, including the torture and forced disappearance of government critics.NEWS, Stack, Liam, 30 April 2017, Dubai Introduces Its Own Font, Lauding Free Expression It Does Not Permit,www.nytimes.com/2017/04/30/world/middleeast/dubai-introduces-its-own-font-lauding-free-expression-it-does-not-permit.html, live,web.archive.org/web/20210525033202/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/30/world/middleeast/dubai-introduces-its-own-font-lauding-free-expression-it-does-not-permit.html, 25 May 2021, 25 May 2021, The New York Times, en-US, 0362-4331, There is a blurred line between the assets of the state of Dubai and those of the Al Maktoum ruling family.Mohammed issued a law in 2006 to form the Dubai Establishment for Women Development, renamed by law in 2009 as the Dubai Women’s Establishment.NEWS,dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2009/Law%20No.%20(36)%20of%202009.pdf, Law No. (36) of 2009 Amending Law No. (24) of 2006 Establishing the Dubai Establishment for Women Development, Government of Dubai, 17 October 2022, en, 3 December 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211203093119/https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2009/Law%20No.%20(36)%20of%202009.pdf, live, WEB,www.zawya.com/mena/en/press-releases/story/Dubai_Electricity_and_Water_Authority_is_the_Gold_Sponsor_of_the_4th_Arab_Women_Leadership_Forum_-ZAWYA20141023095431/, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority is the Gold Sponsor of the 4th Arab Women Leadership Forum, Zawya, 23 October 2014, 14 September 2021, 14 September 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210914102119/https://www.zawya.com/mena/en/press-releases/story/Dubai_Electricity_and_Water_Authority_is_the_Gold_Sponsor_of_the_4th_Arab_Women_Leadership_Forum_-ZAWYA20141023095431/, live, He also formed the UAE Gender Balance Council in 2015.WEB,www.worldgovernmentsummit.org/press/releases/towards-gender-balance-in-governments, Towards Gender Balance in Government, World Government Summit, 10 February 2015, 14 September 2021, 14 September 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210914103634/https://www.worldgovernmentsummit.org/press/releases/towards-gender-balance-in-governments, live, NEWS,www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/sheikh-mohammed-bin-rashid-forms-gender-balance-council-to-empower-women-1.2581, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid forms Gender Balance Council to empower women, 10 February 2015, The National (Abu Dhabi), The National, 20 October 2022, 12 September 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210912202129/https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/sheikh-mohammed-bin-rashid-forms-gender-balance-council-to-empower-women-1.2581, live, On 19 October 2020, Mohammed led the UAE Council of Ministers meeting that ratified a peace agreement with Israel, normalizing diplomatic relationships between the countries.WEB, 19 October 2020, UAE Cabinet approves peace deal with Israel,english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2020/10/19/UAE-Cabinet-approves-peace-deal-with-Israel, 30 March 2021, Al Arabiya English, en, 8 May 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210508142222/https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2020/10/19/UAE-Cabinet-approves-peace-deal-with-Israel, live, The Council, again headed by Mohammed, approved the decision to found an Emirati embassy in Tel Aviv in January, and Mohammed swore in the first Emirati ambassador to Israel, Mahmoud Al Khajah, a month later.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/uk-emirates-israel-diplomacy-idUSKBN2AE0NZ, UAE swears in country’s first ambassador to Israel - Dubai media office, 14 February 2021, Reuters,web.archive.org/web/20210912200226/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-emirates-israel-diplomacy-idUSKBN2AE0NZ, 12 September 2021, 2 March 2023, en,

Space exploration

Mohammed founded the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in 2015,NEWS,wam.ae/en/details/1395279405288, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre established, 18 April 2015, Emirates News Agency, 17 October 2022, en, 26 May 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220526053137/https://wam.ae/en/details/1395279405288, live, which announced it would be launching a spacecraft to Mars to study the planet’s atmosphere;WEB, Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche, The facts on Hope: The UAE’s Mars mission ‘Al-Amal’ {{!, DW {{!}} 9 February 2021|url=https://www.dw.com/en/the-facts-on-hope-the-uaes-mars-mission-al-amal/a-54067401|access-date=21 August 2021|website=DW.COM|language=en-GB|archive-date=21 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821135910www.dw.com/en/the-facts-on-hope-the-uaes-mars-mission-al-amal/a-54067401|url-status=live}} He stated that the planet was chosen for its “epic challenge,“NEWS, U.A.E. plans Arab world’s first mission to Mars, en-US, The Washington Post,www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/07/16/u-a-e-plans-arab-worlds-first-mission-to-mars/, 21 August 2021, 0190-8286, 16 January 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220116110118/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/07/16/u-a-e-plans-arab-worlds-first-mission-to-mars/, live, saying it would benefit the Emirati economy.NEWS,www.thenationalnews.com/business/uaes-space-programme-to-take-economy-to-a-new-frontier-1.109664, UAE’s space programme to take economy to a new frontier, 20 December 2015, The National (Abu Dhabi), The National, 20 October 2022, en, 21 August 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210821135910/https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/uaes-space-programme-to-take-economy-to-a-new-frontier-1.109664, live, He announced that the mission would be called Hope after a public vote, as the name would “send a message of optimism to millions of young Arabs,“WEB, 6 May 2015, UAE Positions 2020 Mars Probe as “Catalyst” for New Generation of Scientists and Engineers,spacenews.com/uae-positions-2020-mars-probe-as-catalyst-for-a-new-generation-of-arab-scientists-and-engineers/, 21 August 2021, SpaceNews, en-US, 19 February 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230219202255/https://spacenews.com/uae-positions-2020-mars-probe-as-catalyst-for-a-new-generation-of-arab-scientists-and-engineers/, live, since “Arab civilisation once played a great role in contributing to human knowledge, and [would] play that role again.“TWEET, HHShkMohd, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 6 May 2015, 595912196049096706, Arab civilisation once played a great role in contributing to human knowledge, and will play that role again, Mohammed announced that the Hope mission had succeeded at orbit insertion on 9 February 2021,NEWS, 14 February 2021, UAE Hope mission returns first image of Mars, en-GB, BBC News,www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56060890, 22 August 2021, 14 August 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210814083405/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56060890, live, and shared the first picture the probe had captured days later. Hope became the first Arab mission to space, as well as the first of three missions in July 2020—the others from the United States and China–to arrive at Mars.WEB, Natasha, Turak, Dan, Murphy, 9 February 2021, United Arab Emirates becomes the first Arab country to reach Mars,www.cnbc.com/2021/02/09/mars-probe-uae-attempts-to-become-first-arab-country-to-reach-mars-with-hope-probe.html, 22 August 2021, CNBC, en, 24 March 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220324000939/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/09/mars-probe-uae-attempts-to-become-first-arab-country-to-reach-mars-with-hope-probe.html, live, WEB, 14 February 2021, UAE’s Mars Mission ‘Hope’ probe sends first photo of planet’s surface,english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/14/UAE-s-Mars-Mission-Hope-probe-sends-first-photo-of-planet-s-surface, 21 August 2021, Al Arabiya English, en, 16 February 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220216042956/https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/02/14/UAE-s-Mars-Mission-Hope-probe-sends-first-photo-of-planet-s-surface, live, WEB, Staff Reporter, 1 September 2023, In historic first, Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed book launched from space,dubainewsweek.com/sheikh-mohammeds-book/, 6 September 2023, Dubai Newsweek, en-US, In 2020, Mohammed announced a second mission, this one to the moon.WEB, Mike, Wall, 14 April 2021, Japanese ispace lander to carry UAE moon rover to lunar surface in 2022,www.space.com/uae-moon-mission-ispace-lander-2022, 22 August 2021, Space.com, en, 25 August 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210825120549/https://www.space.com/uae-moon-mission-ispace-lander-2022, live, WEB, 29 September 2020, UAE to launch new Emirati space mission to explore moon: Dubai ruler,english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2020/09/29/UAE-to-launch-new-Emirati-space-mission-to-explore-moon-Dubai-ruler, 21 August 2021, Al Arabiya English, en, 21 August 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210821135910/https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2020/09/29/UAE-to-launch-new-Emirati-space-mission-to-explore-moon-Dubai-ruler, live, The Emirates Lunar Mission used a lunar rover named Rashid, reportedly built entirely in the UAE.NEWS,www.cnn.com/2020/11/24/middleeast/uae-moon-rover-mission-scn-spc-intl/index.html, UAE hopes this tiny lunar rover will discover unexplored parts of the moon, 24 November 2020, CNN,web.archive.org/web/20210821203857/https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/24/middleeast/uae-moon-rover-mission-scn-spc-intl/index.html, 21 August 2021, 14 March 2023, en, It was launched on 11 December 2022 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket.WEB, Rosenstein, Sawyer, 11 December 2022, SpaceX launches Falcon 9 carrying private Japanese moon lander,www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/12/hakuto-r-m1/, 2 July 2023, NASASpaceFlight.com, en-US, In a historic WEB, Malik, Tanveer, 1 September 2023, Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed book launched from space,dubainewsweek.com/sheikh-mohammeds-book/, 6 September 2023, Dubai Newsweek, en-US, first, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s book titled “The Journey From the Desert to the Stars” was launched from the International Space Station (ISS) through Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi.

Business career

(File:Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the World Economic Forum Summit on the Global Agenda 2008 1.jpg|thumb|upright|left|At the World Economic Forum Summit on the Global Agenda, 2008)Mohammed has overseen the creation and growth of a number of businesses and economic assets of Dubai, with a number held by two companies under his ownership, Dubai World and Dubai Holding. According to the laws of Dubai, the ruling family owns all undeveloped land in Dubai, which has allowed the family to prosper from real estate development. During Mohammed’s rule, Dubai has seen enormous population growth, causing a real estate boom in Dubai.BOOK, Ali, Syed,books.google.com/books?id=98MmAQAAMAAJ, Dubai: Gilded Cage, 2010, Yale University Press, 978-0-300-15217-3, en, 30 October 2021, 19 February 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230219202258/https://books.google.com/books?id=98MmAQAAMAAJ, live, The boom was in part facilitated by Sheikh Mohammed’s 2002 decree that foreigners would be allowed to purchase property in Dubai.Mohammed established Dubai World by decree,BOOK, Young, Karen E.,link.springer.com/10.1057/9781137021977, The Political Economy of Energy, Finance and Security in the United Arab Emirates, 2014, Palgrave Macmillan UK, 978-1-349-43777-1, London, 69–70, en, 10.1057/9781137021977, 25 May 2021, 19 February 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230219202258/https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137021977, live, leading to the company’s launch on 2 July 2006, as a holding company consolidating a number of assets including logistics company, DP World, property developer Nakheel Properties, and investment company Istithmar World. With more than 50,000 employees in over 100 cities around the globe, the Group has real estate, logistics and other business investments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. The company is owned by the government of Dubai.Sheikh Mohammed’s personal corporate portfolio is the Dubai Holding Group, which is involved in a variety of investments. Dubai Holding benefits from its association with the ruling family of Dubai, and is given free land by the Dubai government.Mohammed was responsible for the launch of Emirates Airline.WEB, Mayo, Anthony, Nohria, Nitin, Mendhro, Umaimah, Cromwell, Johnathan, Sheikh Mohammed and the Making of ‘Dubai, Inc.’,www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=38351, 21 June 2021, Harvard Business School, 18 July 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210718040401/https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=38351, live, {{clear}}

Launch of Emirates Airline

Through the 1970s, as well as his role as head of Dubai Defence Force and UAE Minister of Defence, Mohammed oversaw Dubai’s energy resources and was in charge of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. It was in this latter role, in March 1985, that he founded Emirates Airline, tasking then-head of Dnata, Maurice Flanagan, with launching a new airline to be called Emirates after a dispute with Gulf Air over Dubai’s ‘Open Skies’ policy. The launch budget of the airline was $10 million (the amount Flanagan said he needed to launch an airline) and its inaugural flight took place on 25 October 1985.WEB,www.emirates.com/ae/english/about/the_emirates_story.aspx, The Emirates Story, 16 April 2018, Emirates, live,www.emirates.com/ae/english/about/the_emirates_story.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20141008060013www.emirates.com/ae/english/about/the_emirates_story.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20141008060013www.emirates.com/ae/english/about/the_emirates_story.aspx, 8 October 2014, NEWS,gulfnews.com/uae/year-of-the-50th/dubai-takes-off-to-become-one-of-the-worlds-largest-air-travel-hubs-1.1621942241291, Dubai takes off to become one of the world’s largest air travel hubs, 8 June 2021, Gulf News, 14 March 2023, en, Sheikh Mohammed appointed his uncle Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum as chairman of the new company. A further $75 million in facilities and materials was provided, but Emirates has always maintained that it has received no further subsidies throughout the company’s meteoric growth to become one of the world’s leading airlines.In 1989, Mohammed inaugurated the first Dubai Airshow. In 2013, the exhibition had grown to over 1,000 exhibiting companies, and was the venue for Emirates’ placement of the largest aeroplane order in history, with $99 billion combined orders with Airbus for its A380 and Boeing for its 777X.WEB,www.emirates.com/ae/english/about/news/news_detail.aspx?article=1443077, Emirates announces largest-ever aircraft order, 3 October 2016, emirates.com, live,www.emirates.com/ae/english/about/news/news_detail.aspx?article=1443077," title="web.archive.org/web/20161008200024www.emirates.com/ae/english/about/news/news_detail.aspx?article=1443077,">web.archive.org/web/20161008200024www.emirates.com/ae/english/about/news/news_detail.aspx?article=1443077, 8 October 2016, {{Better source needed|date=September 2021}}

Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah

File:Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach (9601659067).jpg|thumb|250px|Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah BeachJumeirah BeachThe Burj Al Arab was inaugurated in December 1999. The hotel, constructed from a design by WS Atkins in response to a brief from Mohammed to create “a truly iconic” building, styles itself as “the world’s most luxurious hotel”. It was constructed on an island offshore from the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the first property managed by Jumeirah,WEB,www.jumeirah.com/Global/Jumeirah%20Group/Press%20Centre%20(1)/Press%20Kits/Jumeirah%20Beach%20Hotel%20-%20Media%20Fact%20File.pdf, Jumeirah Beach Hotel Fact File (PDF), 1 October 2014, Jumeirah, dead,www.jumeirah.com/Global/Jumeirah%20Group/Press%20Centre%20%281%29/Press%20Kits/Jumeirah%20Beach%20Hotel%20-%20Media%20Fact%20File.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20141019093400www.jumeirah.com/Global/Jumeirah%20Group/Press%20Centre%20%281%29/Press%20Kits/Jumeirah%20Beach%20Hotel%20-%20Media%20Fact%20File.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20141019093400www.jumeirah.com/Global/Jumeirah%20Group/Press%20Centre%20%281%29/Press%20Kits/Jumeirah%20Beach%20Hotel%20-%20Media%20Fact%20File.pdf, 19 October 2014, the hotel management company launched by Mohammed in 1997 and headed by ex-Trust House Forte executive Gerald Lawless. While work began on both hotels at the same time, the island to house the Burj Al Arab required three years to build before construction began above ground. Jumeirah’s international expansion, driven after it became part of Dubai Holding in 2004,NEWS,www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/15138-ceo-interview-jumeirahs-gerald-lawless/, Jumeirah’s Gerald Lawless, Oakley, Louise, Hotelier Middle East, 1 October 2014, live,www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/15138-ceo-interview-jumeirahs-gerald-lawless/," title="web.archive.org/web/20141027203345www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/15138-ceo-interview-jumeirahs-gerald-lawless/,">web.archive.org/web/20141027203345www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/15138-ceo-interview-jumeirahs-gerald-lawless/, 27 October 2014, encompasses 22 hotels in ten countries.WEB,www.jumeirah.com/en/jumeirah-group/portfolio/jumeirah-hotels--resorts/, Jumeirah Portfolio, 1 October 2014, Jumeirah, live,www.jumeirah.com/en/jumeirah-group/portfolio/jumeirah-hotels--resorts/," title="web.archive.org/web/20140929160306www.jumeirah.com/en/jumeirah-group/portfolio/jumeirah-hotels--resorts/,">web.archive.org/web/20140929160306www.jumeirah.com/en/jumeirah-group/portfolio/jumeirah-hotels--resorts/, 29 September 2014,

Dubai Internet City and TECOM

On 29 October 1999, Mohammed announced Dubai Internet City, a technology hub and free trade zone. Offering companies long leases, full ownership, and fast access to government services, DIC grew from its first tenants in October 2000, to a current zone employing about 15,000 people.WEB,www.dubaiinternetcity.com/about-dic, About DIC, 1 October 2014, Dubai Internet City, dead,www.dubaiinternetcity.com/about-dic," title="archive.today/20141019103723www.dubaiinternetcity.com/about-dic,">archive.today/20141019103723www.dubaiinternetcity.com/about-dic, 19 October 2014, {{Better source needed|date=September 2021}} In November 2000, it was joined by Dubai Media City, a content and media production-free zone, which is co-located with DIC. The launch of DIC came with assurances from Mohammed regarding media freedoms. In 2007, he issued a decree banning the imprisonment of journalists following an incident in which local journalists were accused of libel and sentenced to jail terms.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2007/sep/26/pressreedomboostasdubaiss, Press freedom boost as Dubai’s Sheikh says journalists won’t go to jail, Greenslade, Roy, September 2007, The Guardian, 1 October 2014, live,www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2007/sep/26/pressreedomboostasdubaiss," title="web.archive.org/web/20141005182243www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2007/sep/26/pressreedomboostasdubaiss,">web.archive.org/web/20141005182243www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2007/sep/26/pressreedomboostasdubaiss, 5 October 2014,

Palm Islands

File:ISS-47 Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.jpg|thumb|Palm JumeirahPalm JumeirahThe Palm Islands were developed by Nakheel Properties, which Mohammed founded.

Interests, activities and philanthropic work

Mohammed bin Rashid Global initiatives (MBRGI)

The Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives is a charitable foundation which consolidates the work of some 33 charitable foundations, entities and initiatives which, together, implement more than 1,400 development programs, including the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU).The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, Year in Review 2016, First Edition.{{Better source needed|date=September 2021}}

Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government

The Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (previously the Dubai School of Government) is an academic and research institution in the area of public policy and administration.WEB,www.mbrsg.ae/HOME.aspx?lang=en-US, MBRSG, 1 November 2014, Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government, live,www.mbrsg.ae/HOME.aspx?lang=en-US," title="web.archive.org/web/20141102082140www.mbrsg.ae/HOME.aspx?lang=en-US,">web.archive.org/web/20141102082140www.mbrsg.ae/HOME.aspx?lang=en-US, 2 November 2014, {{Better source needed|date=September 2021}}

Aid to Palestine

Mohammed made a grant of 600 houses to Gaza following the 2008–2009 Gaza war.NEWS,reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/vp-donates-600-houses-palestinians-gaza, VP donates 600 houses to Palestinians in Gaza, 10 January 2009, Reliefweb, 1 November 2014, live,reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/vp-donates-600-houses-palestinians-gaza," title="web.archive.org/web/20141107142427reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/vp-donates-600-houses-palestinians-gaza,">web.archive.org/web/20141107142427reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/vp-donates-600-houses-palestinians-gaza, 7 November 2014,

Aiding mosque construction in the Netherlands

In 2000, Mohammed donated €4 million for the construction of the (:nl:Essalammoskee|Essalaam Mosque) in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.WEB, Rotterdam mosque: complete or demolish?,www.rnw.org/archive/rotterdam-mosque-complete-or-demolish, RNW Media, 8 July 2017, en, live,www.rnw.org/archive/rotterdam-mosque-complete-or-demolish," title="web.archive.org/web/20150129014257www.rnw.org/archive/rotterdam-mosque-complete-or-demolish,">web.archive.org/web/20150129014257www.rnw.org/archive/rotterdam-mosque-complete-or-demolish, 29 January 2015, BOOK, Roose, Eric, The Architectural Representation of Islam: Muslim-commissioned Mosque Design in the Netherlands, 2009, Amsterdam University Press, 9789089641335, 236,books.google.com/books?id=tDhoNLbM45gC&pg=PA236, 8 July 2017, en, In June 2017, two new initiatives were added to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives, within the “Empowering Communities” sector, namely the International Institute for Tolerance and the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Tolerance. In this respect, Sheikh Mohammed issued Law No. (9) of 2017 on the Establishment of the International Institute for Tolerance and Decree No. (23) of 2017 on the Formation of a Board of Trustees and Decree No. (28) of 2017 on the Appointment of a Managing Director for the International Institute for Tolerance. In this respect, Law No. (9) of 2017 includes the launch of the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Tolerance, administered in accordance with the provisions and statute of said Law. Hence, the establishment of the International Institute for Tolerance aims at instilling a spirit of tolerance across the community, building a cohesive society, strengthening the UAE’s standing and position as a model of tolerance, as well as renouncing extremism and all forms of discrimination among people on the basis of religion, sex, race, color or language, in addition to honoring all entities and institutions contributing to the promotion of tolerance and open, interfaith dialogue.Mohammed bin Rashid issues law on establishing International Institute for Tolerance {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801081432wam.ae/en/details/1395302620195 |date=1 August 2017 }}, Emirates News Agency, Retrieved 21 June 2017.

Sporting interests

Mohammed is a major figure in international thoroughbred horse racing and breeding. He owns Darley Stud, the biggest horse breeding operation in the world with farms in the United States, Ireland, England, and Australia. In 1985 he bought the Irish thoroughbred Park Appeal for an undisclosed sum at the end of her second season. She went on to produce at least nine winners from twelve foals and is the ancestor of many successful horses.BOOK, Timeform staff, Racehorses of 1984, Timeform, 1985, 0-900599-40-5, Mohammed had raced horses as a child (he would share his breakfast with his horse on the way to school)WEB,www.godolphin.com/about-us/our-founder/, Our Founder, 1 November 2014, Godolphin, live,www.godolphin.com/about-us/our-founder/," title="web.archive.org/web/20141028115114www.godolphin.com/about-us/our-founder/,">web.archive.org/web/20141028115114www.godolphin.com/about-us/our-founder/, 28 October 2014, but he attended his first formal race at Newmarket in 1967 with his brother Hamdan, watching Royal Palace win the 2,000 guineas.WEB,www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=eb0d5c1090cc4110VgnVCM1000007064a8c0RCRD, The Equestrian, 1 November 2014, Sheikh Mohammed, 29 October 2014,www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=eb0d5c1090cc4110VgnVCM1000007064a8c0RCRD," title="web.archive.org/web/20141029174120www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=eb0d5c1090cc4110VgnVCM1000007064a8c0RCRD,">web.archive.org/web/20141029174120www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=eb0d5c1090cc4110VgnVCM1000007064a8c0RCRD, dead, {{Better source needed|date=September 2021}} Becoming an owner in his own right, ten years later he won his first race with Hatta at Brighton. And five years after that, Mohammed and Hamdan had three studs and 100 horses under training.WEB,www.broughscott.com/story.asp?NewsID=1514, Sheikh Mohammed outlines his vision, 1 November 2014, Brough Scott, live,broughscott.com/story.asp?newsid=1514," title="web.archive.org/web/20160306202732broughscott.com/story.asp?newsid=1514,">web.archive.org/web/20160306202732broughscott.com/story.asp?newsid=1514, 6 March 2016, File:Racing silks of Sheikh Mohammed.svg|thumb|Racing silks of Mohammed (Darley RacingDarley RacingIn late 1981, Mohammed purchased Gainsborough Stud at Woolton Hill, near Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom. He owns Ballysheehan Stud in County Tipperary, Ireland; as well as Gainsborough Farm Inc. in Versailles, Kentucky, United States. His racing operations include the ownership of Darley Stables and he is the leading partner in his family’s Godolphin Stables. Mohammed hosts the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse.By 1992, Mohammed had started ‘wintering’ his horses in Dubai, frequently against the advice of trainers and pundits in the UK. The results were a string of high-profile wins, and by 1994 he founded Godolphin. In 1995, his hands-on approach to racing resulted in a major split with leading trainer Henry Cecil after a disagreement over racing a horse Mohammed insisted was injured. Cecil took the argument public and Mohammed removed all his horses from Cecil’s stable.NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/sport/sheikh-speaks-out-on-cecil-1344214.html, Sheikh Speaks Out On Cecil, Edmonson, Richard, 26 March 1996, The Independent, 1 November 2014, live,www.independent.co.uk/sport/sheikh-speaks-out-on-cecil-1344214.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20141105004412www.independent.co.uk/sport/sheikh-speaks-out-on-cecil-1344214.html,">web.archive.org/web/20141105004412www.independent.co.uk/sport/sheikh-speaks-out-on-cecil-1344214.html, 5 November 2014, Godolphin’s first win, Balanchine taking the Oaks at Epsom Downs, England, in 1994, was to mark the beginning of a winning streak with horses such as Lammtarra, Daylami, Fantastic Light, Street Cry, Sulamani, Dubawi, and Ramonti among them. Dubai Millennium, said to be Mohammed’s favourite, won nine of his ten starts before succumbing to injury followed by grass sickness in 2001.BOOK, Dubai Millennium: A Vision Realised, A Dream Lost, Pagones, Rachel, Highdown, 2007, 978-1-905156-32-0, UK, 118, In 1996, the Dubai World Cup was inaugurated as the world’s richest horserace, drawing the legendary American dirt track horse Cigar to race in Dubai. Today, held at the Meydan Racecourse, the race meeting carries a prize of $27 million.In the UK, Mohammed’s horses have won Group One races including several of the British Classic Races. His horses have also won the Irish Derby Stakes, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and, the 2006 Preakness Stakes with Bernardini in the US. In 2008, he bought the Woodlands Stud empire for more than $460 million.NEWS,www.smh.com.au/news/horseracing/meet-racings-new-king/2008/03/24/1206207012905.html, Meet racing’s new king, SMH, 2011, 6 September 2011, live,www.smh.com.au/news/horseracing/meet-racings-new-king/2008/03/24/1206207012905.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20121108192340www.smh.com.au/news/horseracing/meet-racings-new-king/2008/03/24/1206207012905.html,">web.archive.org/web/20121108192340www.smh.com.au/news/horseracing/meet-racings-new-king/2008/03/24/1206207012905.html, 8 November 2012, File:Endurance riding.png|thumb|left|Sheikh Mohammed and his son Hamdan participating in an endurance rideendurance rideAt the age of 63, Mohammed won the 2012 World Endurance Championship over a 160 km course.WEB,www.fei.org/news/fei-world-endurance-championships-2012, MASSIVE MEDAL HAUL FOR UAE AT LONGINES FEI WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS, 26 August 2012, 1 September 2014, FEI, live,www.fei.org/news/fei-world-endurance-championships-2012," title="web.archive.org/web/20140910215829www.fei.org/news/fei-world-endurance-championships-2012,">web.archive.org/web/20140910215829www.fei.org/news/fei-world-endurance-championships-2012, 10 September 2014, Both his thoroughbreds and endurance horses have failed drug tests – although his trainers (including Mahmood Al Zarooni) have accepted the blame. His endurance racing stable has also been involved in other scandals, including both fatal injuries, and ringers.NEWS,www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11334418/FEI-faces-backlash-after-Maktoum-ringer-inquiry-ends-with-no-disciplinary-action.html, FEI faces backlash after Maktoum ‘ringer’ inquiry ends with no disciplinary action, The Telegraph, 2015, 6 June 2015, live,www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11334418/FEI-faces-backlash-after-Maktoum-ringer-inquiry-ends-with-no-disciplinary-action.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20150709104020www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11334418/FEI-faces-backlash-after-Maktoum-ringer-inquiry-ends-with-no-disciplinary-action.html,">web.archive.org/web/20150709104020www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11334418/FEI-faces-backlash-after-Maktoum-ringer-inquiry-ends-with-no-disciplinary-action.html, 9 July 2015, In 2015, the FEI suspended the United Arab Emirates following a series of scandals.NEWS,www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11468943/FEI-suspend-United-Arab-Emirates-from-equestrianism-following-spate-of-scandals.html, FEI Suspend United Arab Emirates from Equestrianism Following Spate of Scandals, The Telegraph, 12 March 2015, 27 October 2016, Cuclson, Pippa, live,www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11468943/FEI-suspend-United-Arab-Emirates-from-equestrianism-following-spate-of-scandals.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20161028023445www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11468943/FEI-suspend-United-Arab-Emirates-from-equestrianism-following-spate-of-scandals.html,">web.archive.org/web/20161028023445www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11468943/FEI-suspend-United-Arab-Emirates-from-equestrianism-following-spate-of-scandals.html, 28 October 2016, In the 15th Asian Games in 2006, the sheikh’s eldest son, Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, took the individual gold in endurance riding. Mohammed’s sons Rashid, Ahmed, Majid, and Hamdan took the team gold in endurance riding,WEB,www.uaeequafed.ae/newsdetail41.htm, UAE Equestrian Racing Federation, UAE Equafed, 14 December 2006, 30 March 2012, dead,www.uaeequafed.ae/newsdetail41.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20120327065208www.uaeequafed.ae/newsdetail41.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20120327065208www.uaeequafed.ae/newsdetail41.htm, 27 March 2012, his niece Latifa took a bronze in show jumping,WEB,www.uaeinteract.com/russian/news/default.asp?ID=196, Latifa does UAE proud as she qualifies for Beijing Olympics, UAE interact, Uae interact, 30 March 2012, dead,www.uaeinteract.com/russian/news/default.asp?ID=196," title="web.archive.org/web/20120403044454www.uaeinteract.com/russian/news/default.asp?ID=196,">web.archive.org/web/20120403044454www.uaeinteract.com/russian/news/default.asp?ID=196, 3 April 2012, and his daughter Maitha led the UAE team in taekwondo.NEWS, Shaikha Maitha bound for Beijing Olympics,archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/olympics08/sports/10199968.html, Gulf News, 24 March 2008, 15 June 2008, dead,archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/olympics08/sports/10199968.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080620232311archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/olympics08/sports/10199968.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080620232311archive.gulfnews.com/indepth/olympics08/sports/10199968.html, 20 June 2008, In 2013, when the UAE national football team won the Gulf Cup, Mohammed gave the team 50 million dirhams ($13.7 million). His wife awarded the team a further 25 million dirhams ($6.8 million), while their grandsons contributed 12 million dirhams ($3.3 million).WEB, UAE showers riches on {{sic, y, error in source, victorius, Gulf Cup victors|url=http://www.arabherald.com/index.php/sid/212127737/scat/48fcf33f9aeb6130/ht/UAE-showers-riches-on-victorius-Gulf-Cup-victors|access-date = 25 January 2013|publisher = Arab Herald|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728114633www.arabherald.com/index.php/sid/212127737/scat/48fcf33f9aeb6130/ht/UAE-showers-riches-on-victorius-Gulf-Cup-victors|archive-date = 28 July 2013}}Godolphin’s Cross Counter, ridden by Kerrin McEvoy and trained by Charlie Appleby won the 2018 Melbourne Cup.NEWS,www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-04/melbourne-cup-2018-field-form-guide-and-sweep/10441492, Melbourne Cup: 2018 field, form guide and sweep, 4 November 2018, ABC News, 6 November 2018, 6 November 2018,web.archive.org/web/20181106065343/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-04/melbourne-cup-2018-field-form-guide-and-sweep/10441492, live, NEWS,www.theage.com.au/sport/melbourne-cup-2018-all-the-races-fashion-and-colour-of-flemington-20181106-p50e7a.html, Melbourne Cup 2018: Cross Counter takes out the Melbourne Cup, 6 November 2018, The Age, 6 November 2018, 6 November 2018,web.archive.org/web/20181106091144/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/melbourne-cup-2018-all-the-races-fashion-and-colour-of-flemington-20181106-p50e7a.html, live,

Controversies

Sheikha Latifa and Sheikha Shamsa kidnap allegations

An early 2000s British police investigation of allegations, made by a former riding instructor about the attempted escape of Mohammed’s daughter Latifa (born 1985) from her family estate in England and the subsequent kidnapping on a street in Cambridge of Latifa’s sister Shamsa in 2001, was inconclusive.NEWS, Millar, Stuart, Wilson, Jamie, Unruly daughter of wealthy sheikh made a bid for freedom. But what happened next?,www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/dec/15/jamiewilson.stuartmillar1, 11 February 2019, Guardian, 14 December 2001, 29 August 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190829163025/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/dec/15/jamiewilson.stuartmillar1, live, (File:Latifa_bint_Mohammed_bin_Rashid_Al_Maktoum_(II).jpg|thumb|180px|Sheikha Latifa escaped Dubai before being captured in the Indian Ocean.)On 11 March 2018, a video was released of Sheikha LatifaNEWS, Yee, Vivian, A Princess Vanishes. A Video Offers Alarming Clues.,www.nytimes.com/2019/02/10/world/middleeast/princess-latifa-sheikha-dubai.html?module=inline, 11 February 2019, The New York Times, 10 February 2019, 12 February 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190212012033/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/10/world/middleeast/princess-latifa-sheikha-dubai.html?module=inline, live, WEB,www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/03/08/sheikha-latifa-how-princess-plotted-escape-dubai-maktoum-khashoggi-fitaihi/3003369002/, Princess Sheikha Latifa tried to flee Dubai. She left a video to prove it, Hjelmgaard, Kim, USA TODAY, en, 3 August 2019, 3 August 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190803034410/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/03/08/sheikha-latifa-how-princess-plotted-escape-dubai-maktoum-khashoggi-fitaihi/3003369002/, live, {{Citation|last=Escape from Dubai|title=Latifa Al Maktoum – FULL UNEDITED VIDEO – Escape from Dubai – Hervé Jaubert|date=11 March 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN7OEFyNUkQ| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/UN7OEFyNUkQ?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN7OEFyNUkQ| archive-date=20 September 2021|access-date=24 June 2018}}{{cbignore}} after her failed attempt to flee the UAE and subsequent disappearance,NEWS,apnews.com/4336b41b8075420280fe4011c6bc185e, Ex-spy: Daughter of Dubai ruler missing since escape attempt, AP News, 16 July 2018, en-US, 7 May 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180507061726/https://apnews.com/4336b41b8075420280fe4011c6bc185e, live, in which she claimed she was fleeing from her family, made allegations of abuse, and said her father was responsible for a number of murders, including the murder of his deceased older brother’s wife. The escape attempt was the focus of a documentary by Australian broadcaster Nine News as well as BBC Newsnight investigation.WEB,www.9news.com.au/national/2018/07/15/08/51/60-minutes-princess-latifa-of-dubai-missing-sheik-mohammed, Where is Princess Latifa?, www.9news.com.au, 15 July 2018, 16 July 2018, 16 July 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180716140624/https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/07/15/08/51/60-minutes-princess-latifa-of-dubai-missing-sheik-mohammed, live, NEWS,www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-44017588, Call for clarity on Dubai missing princess, 5 May 2018, BBC News, 16 July 2018, en-GB, 16 July 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180716194232/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-44017588, live, In December 2018, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, after meeting Latifa in the presence of other family members, said that Latifa was now in the care of her family. Her statement was criticised by human rights groups, who said that Robinson would not have been able to tell in the meeting whether Latifa truly had psychological issues.WEB,www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-46697867, Sheikha Latifa: Mary Robinson ‘backed Dubai version of events’, 28 December 2018, BBC News, en, 27 December 2018, 28 December 2018,web.archive.org/web/20181228004544/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-46697867, live, A spokeswoman for “The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice” confirmed that Robinson was approached by Latifa’s stepmother Princess Haya bint Hussein, an old friend of Robinson’s, and was requested to go to Dubai by Princess Haya and that Haya paid the fare, less than two weeks after the BBC ran a documentary detailing Latifa’s failed escape attempt in March.NEWS, UAE princess’s relative paid for Mary Robinson’s flight to see her in Dubai,www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-princesss-relative-paid-mary-robinsons-flight-see-her-dubai, 11 February 2019, Middle East Eye, 30 December 2018, 12 February 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190212011850/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-princesss-relative-paid-mary-robinsons-flight-see-her-dubai, live, NEWS, Feehan, Conor, McQuinn, Cormac, Robinson ‘had nothing to do’ with press ban on her speech,www.independent.ie/irish-news/robinson-had-nothing-to-do-with-press-ban-on-her-speech-37686220.html, 11 February 2019, Independet.ie, 7 January 2019, 12 February 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190212012829/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/robinson-had-nothing-to-do-with-press-ban-on-her-speech-37686220.html, live, NEWS, Quinn, Ben, Mary Robinson labelled a ‘willing pawn’ over visit with UAE princess,www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/27/mary-robinson-labelled-a-willing-pawn-of-uae-over-visit-with-princess, 11 February 2019, Guardian, 27 December 2018, 6 January 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190106150051/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/27/mary-robinson-labelled-a-willing-pawn-of-uae-over-visit-with-princess, live, Robinson admits she was “horribly tricked” when photographs of the private lunch were made public and that both she and Haya had been told of details of Latifa’s bipolar disorder, a condition which she does not have.NEWS, Finn, Melanie, Mary Robinson says she feels ‘horribly tricked’ by the family of Dubai’s Princess Latifa,www.independent.ie/news/mary-robinson-says-she-feels-horribly-tricked-by-the-family-of-dubais-princess-latifa-40098707.html, 19 February 2021, Independent Ireland, 16 February 2021, 19 February 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210219103902/https://www.independent.ie/news/mary-robinson-says-she-feels-horribly-tricked-by-the-family-of-dubais-princess-latifa-40098707.html, live, Latifa’s cousin Marcus Essabri reported that Latifa’s photos with Mary Robinson seem to show Latifa medicated while held in Dubai under her father’s orders. She has not been seen in public since.In February 2021, video footage obtained by the BBC shows Latifa saying she has been “a hostage” for over a year “with no access to medical help” in “solitary confinement” without access to medical or legal help in a “villa jail” with windows and doors barred shut, and guarded by police. The governments of Dubai and the UAE have not responded to requests for comment from the BBC.NEWS, Princess Latifa: ‘Hostage’ ordeal of Dubai ruler’s daughter revealed,www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-56084768, 19 February 2021, BBC Panorama, 16 February 2021, 19 February 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210219013407/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-56084768, live, Despite her family’s insistence that she has been enjoying time with them at home the past two years, Latifa says in the series of videos released by her advocates that she is “a hostage” and fears for her life. “Every day, I’m worried about my safety in my life. I don’t really know if I’m going to survive this situation.” “The police threaten me that they would take me outside and shoot me if I didn’t cooperate with them,” she said. “They also threatened me that I would be in prison my whole life and I’ll never see the sun again.“NEWS, Princess Latifa: ‘Hostage’ ordeal of Dubai ruler’s daughter revealed,www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56075528, 19 February 2021, BBC Panorama, 16 February 2021, 19 February 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210219070844/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56075528, live, NEWS, Yee, Vivian, In Videos, Dubai Princess Says She Is a ‘Hostage’,www.nytimes.com/2021/02/16/world/middleeast/sheikha-latifa-video-dubai.html,ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/16/world/middleeast/sheikha-latifa-video-dubai.html, 28 December 2021, limited, 19 February 2021, The New York Times, 16 February 2021, {{cbignore}}In 2021, investigative reporting into the Pegasus spyware found that Latifa’s name was added to a list of names that were potential targets of the spyware just days before she was seized by commandos of an unknown country, off the coast of India, while she was aboard a yacht in an attempt to flee Dubai.NEWS, 21 July 2021, A princess raced to escape Dubai’s powerful ruler. Then her phone appeared on the list.,www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/21/dubai-princesses-spyware/, 21 July 2021, Washington Post, en, 21 July 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210721162832/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/21/dubai-princesses-spyware/, live,

Princess Haya escape

In June 2019, it was reported that Princess Haya had fled Dubai along with her two children, a son and a daughter, and was in Germany seeking political asylum.NEWS, 30 July 2019, Dubai ruler’s wife seeks marriage protection order,www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-49162276, live, BBC News,archive.today/20210929011754/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49162276, 29 September 2021, 6 October 2021, A subsequent poem composed by Mohammed (an occasional couplet-writer) and posted on Instagram alluded to betrayal in love.WEB,foreignpolicy.com/2019/07/10/the-fairy-tale-is-over-for-dubais-royal-family/, The Fairy Tale Is Over for Dubai’s Royal Family, Ola, Salem, 10 July 2019, 16 July 2019, 16 July 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190716174855/https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/07/10/the-fairy-tale-is-over-for-dubais-royal-family/, live, WEB,www.france24.com/en/20190705-dubai-ruler-sheikh-mohammed-maktoum-scandal-princess-haya-refuge-london-court, Dubai’s ruling family rocked by fresh scandal as Princess Haya seeks refuge in London, 5 July 2019, France 24, 16 July 2019, 16 July 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190716152830/https://www.france24.com/en/20190705-dubai-ruler-sheikh-mohammed-maktoum-scandal-princess-haya-refuge-london-court, live, In 2020, a 34-page fact-finding ruling by the UK High Court Family Division found that Princess Haya had been having an affair with her bodyguard.WEB, 2020-03-05, Re: AI M handed down by Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division,www.judiciary.uk/judgments/re-ai-m-handed-down-by-sir-andrew-mcfarlane-president-of-the-family-division/, 2024-01-02, Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, en-US, She paid around $9 million to hide the affair.WEB, 2021-12-21, Princess Paid Bodyguard $9M in Blackmail to Keep Their Affair Quiet, but Still Got Busted,news.yahoo.com/princess-paid-lover-9m-blackmail-123524175.html, 2024-01-02, Yahoo News, en-US, Haya moved from Germany to the United Kingdom, filed for sole custody of their two children, a forced marriage protection order (FMPO), and a non-molestation order at the High Court of Justice in London in July 2019.(File:HRH_Princess_Haya_of_Jordan_meets_with_Tracy_Edwards_MBE_(cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Princess Haya bint Hussein)In December 2019, a UK family court ruled that, on the balance of probabilities, Mohammed may have committed the crime of “taunting” Haya after her adulterous affair with a bodyguard became known, which verbal “taunting,” the court held, amounted to subjecting Haya to “a campaign of intimidation,“NEWS, Dubai ruler threatened ex-wife, abducted daughters,www.dw.com/en/dubai-ruler-threatened-ex-wife-abducted-daughters-uk-court-says/a-52657741, 24 December 2023, Reuters, 6 March 2020, reportedly including guns placed on her pillow.WEB, 2022-01-04, Stunning New Developments in the Case of the Runaway Princesses of Dubai,www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a29848986/dubai-princess-disappearance-divorce/, 2024-01-02, Town & Country, en-US, The findings were published in March 2021.NEWS, Siddique, Owen Bowcottand Haroon, 5 March 2020, Dubai ruler organised kidnapping of his children, UK court rules, The Guardian,www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/05/dubai-ruler-sheikh-mohammed-organised-kidnapping-of-his-children-uk-court-finds, 5 March 2020, 0261-3077, 14 January 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210114075305/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/05/dubai-ruler-sheikh-mohammed-organised-kidnapping-of-his-children-uk-court-finds, live, WEB,www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Al-M-Factfinding-APPROVED-Judgment-111219-for-publication.pdf, Re Al M [2019] EWHC 3415 (Fam), 8 March 2020, 12 January 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210112075837/https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Al-M-Factfinding-APPROVED-Judgment-111219-for-publication.pdf, live, In October 2021, the High Court ruled that Mohammed’s agents used the Israeli Pegasus spyware to hack the phones of Princess Haya, her solicitors, a personal assistant and two members of her security team in the summer of 2020. The court ruled that the agents acted “with the express or implied authority” of the sheikh; he denied knowledge of the hacking. The judgment referred to the hacking as “serial breaches of (UK) domestic criminal law”, “in violation of fundamental common law and ECHR rights”, “interference with the process of this court and the mother’s access to justice” and “abuse of power” by a head of state.NEWS, Gardner, Frank, Frank Gardner (journalist), 6 October 2021, Princess Haya: Dubai ruler had ex-wife’s phone hacked – UK court,www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-58814978, live, BBC News,archive.today/20211006163200/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58814978, 6 October 2021, 6 October 2021, In December 2021, Haya was granted full custody of her children, and alimony and support in the amount of US$720 million.NEWS,www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/21/dubai-divorce-maktoum-haya/, Liz, Sly, 21 December 2021, 21 December 2021, Dubai princess gets record $720 million divorce payout, The Washington Post, subscription,archive.today/20211221170731/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/21/dubai-divorce-maktoum-haya/, 21 December 2021, live, The Washington Post reported that “In justifying the amounts, (Justice) Moor cited the need to preserve the truly opulent and unprecedented standard of living enjoyed by these parties” and dismissed as “irrelevant” Haya’s admitted adultery with her bodyguard while ensconced in this opulent luxury.Report in Washington Post In 2022, the court ordered that there should be no direct contact between Mohammed and his children, and no input by him into decision-making about their lives.

Child camel jockeys

In 2006, a UNICEF-sponsored program with the UAE government resulted in the repatriation of hundreds of children formerly enslaved as camel jockeys, and provided them with social services and compensation upon return to their home countries of Pakistan, Sudan, Mauritania, and Bangladesh. The UAE government set aside US$2.7 million in initial funding in 2005 with an additional $9 million for the second phase, and to enforce compliance, adopted a law officially banning the practice with penalties of jail time and a $27,200 fine.WEB,www.uae-us.org/page.cfm?id=63, Initiatives to Combat Human Trafficking, UAE Embassy, 30 March 2012, dead,uae-us.org/page.cfm?id=63," title="web.archive.org/web/20081229160217uae-us.org/page.cfm?id=63,">web.archive.org/web/20081229160217uae-us.org/page.cfm?id=63, 29 December 2008, UNICEF endorsed the UAE’s efforts and expressed the hopes that “the UAE’s programme will serve as a model to other countries in the region, as a means of ending all forms of exploitation of children”.WEB,www.unicef.org/media/media_26692.html, UAE supports UNICEF in safe return of camel jockeys to home countries, UNICEF, 30 March 2012, live,www.unicef.org/media/media_26692.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120510102714www.unicef.org/media/media_26692.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120510102714www.unicef.org/media/media_26692.html, 10 May 2012, In September 2006, Mohammed was accused of encouraging the abduction and enslavement of thousands of boys for use as jockeys in camel races. A class-action suit was filed against him in the US state of Florida.NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/dubai-princes-accused-of-masterminding-trade-in-jockey-slaves-416101.html, The Independent, London, Dubai princes accused of masterminding trade in jockey slaves, Andrew, Gumbel, 15 September 2006, 13 May 2010, live,www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/dubai-princes-accused-of-masterminding-trade-in-jockey-slaves-416101.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090303142836www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/dubai-princes-accused-of-masterminding-trade-in-jockey-slaves-416101.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090303142836www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/dubai-princes-accused-of-masterminding-trade-in-jockey-slaves-416101.html, 3 March 2009, NEWS,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5346430.stm, BBC News, Dubai’s ruler accused of slavery, 14 September 2006, 13 May 2010, live,news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5346430.stm," title="web.archive.org/web/20101202134935news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5346430.stm,">web.archive.org/web/20101202134935news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5346430.stm, 2 December 2010, NEWS,www.nysun.com/foreign/dubai-leader-faces-charges-of-enslavement/62611/, A Dubai Leader Faces Charges of Enslavement, The New York Sun, 14 September 2007, 30 March 2012, live,www.nysun.com/foreign/dubai-leader-faces-charges-of-enslavement/62611/," title="web.archive.org/web/20121013002829www.nysun.com/foreign/dubai-leader-faces-charges-of-enslavement/62611/,">web.archive.org/web/20121013002829www.nysun.com/foreign/dubai-leader-faces-charges-of-enslavement/62611/, 13 October 2012, In 2006, American lawyers representing the UAE raised a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on the grounds that none of the involved parties resided in the US, arguing that the UN program best served the interests of the children. In July 2007, Judge Cecilia Altonaga accepted the motion and dismissed the suit.NEWS,www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2007/07/31/dubai-ruler-accused-slavery, Dubai ruler accused of slavery, 31 July 2007, SBS, 1 November 2014, live,www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2007/07/31/dubai-ruler-accused-slavery," title="web.archive.org/web/20141111114302www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2007/07/31/dubai-ruler-accused-slavery,">web.archive.org/web/20141111114302www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2007/07/31/dubai-ruler-accused-slavery, 11 November 2014,

Horse racing drugs scandal

In April 2013, Mohammed’s Godolphin stables trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni was disqualified for eight years from thoroughbred horse racing by the British Horseracing Authority for administering steroids to eleven racehorses. Mohammed stated that he was “appalled and angered” by the case and announced that the stable would be locked down while drug tests were carried out on all horses under Al Zarooni’s care.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/uk-horseracing-doping-idUKBRE93O15C20130425, Trainer Al Zarooni gets eight-year ban for doping horses, Reuters, 25 April 2013, 3 July 2019, 3 July 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190703023700/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-horseracing-doping-idUKBRE93O15C20130425, live, In May, Mohammed, as prime minister of the UAE, issued a decree outlawing and criminalizing the use of anabolic steroids on horses in the UAE.NEWS,www.bbc.com/sport/horse-racing/22644130, Sheikh Mohammed to criminalise use of anabolic steroids in UAE, BBC, 23 May 2013, 3 July 2019, 3 July 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190703023655/https://www.bbc.com/sport/horse-racing/22644130, live, In October 2013, Mohammed faced another scandal in the venue of horseracing, with reports of potentially toxic and dangerous steroids, anaesthetics, and anti-inflammatory drugs being shipped into the UAE, mislabeled as “horse tack”. The Telegraph commented that a “PR campaign is already underway, with Sheikh Mohammed again cast as a victim of employee malpractice”.NEWS,www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/10345803/Sheikh-Mohammeds-equine-operations-must-not-be-above-the-law-after-recent-drug-scandals.html, Telegraph, Sheikh Mohammed’s equine operations must not be above the law after recent drug scandals, Hayward, Paul, 1 October 2014, live,www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/10345803/Sheikh-Mohammeds-equine-operations-must-not-be-above-the-law-after-recent-drug-scandals.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20141227234415www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/10345803/Sheikh-Mohammeds-equine-operations-must-not-be-above-the-law-after-recent-drug-scandals.html,">web.archive.org/web/20141227234415www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/10345803/Sheikh-Mohammeds-equine-operations-must-not-be-above-the-law-after-recent-drug-scandals.html, 27 December 2014,

Pandora Papers

In October 2021, an investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed that over 330 prominent politicians and public officials across the world had ties with offshore companies. Amongst them were 35 current and former world leaders. The leaked 11.9 million files revealed that Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also used offshore companies to manage and expand his wealth. In order to carry out his dealings, he secretly registered three companies in the tax havens of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Bahamas. Registered by an Emirati firm, Axiom Limited, the three companies were Tandem Investco Limited and Tandem DirectorCo Limited in BVI and Allied International Investments Limited in the Bahamas. Partly owned by the Dubai Holding, in which Mohammed owns major shares, Axiom Limited used the three companies to “expand its core business”.WEB,www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/global-investigation-tax-havens-offshore/, Offshore havens and hidden riches of world leaders and billionaires exposed in unprecedented leak, 3 October 2021, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 3 October 2021, 3 October 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211003164024/https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/global-investigation-tax-havens-offshore/, live, WEB,www.dw.com/en/pandorapapersworldleaderstonyblairkenyattashakirasachintendulkartaxhavensleaks/a-59376192, Pandora Papers: Secret tax havens of world leaders, celebrities revealed, 3 October 2021, Deutsche Welle, 3 October 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211003170914/https://www.dw.com/en/pandorapapersworldleaderstonyblairkenyattashakirasachintendulkartaxhavensleaks/a-59376192, live, WEB,www.middleeasteye.net/news/pandora-papers-uae-dubai-ruler-sheikh-mohammed-offshore-companies, Pandora Papers: The offshore companies of UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed, 4 October 2021, Middle East Eye, 2 January 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200102225119/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pandora-papers-uae-dubai-ruler-sheikh-mohammed-offshore-companies, live,

Personal life

Sheikh Mohammed has 26 children from several wives.Princess Haya: Dubai ruler’s wife in UK ‘in fear of her life’ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809012449www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48843168 |date=9 August 2019 }}, Frank Gardner, BBC, 2 July 2019Sheikh Mohammed’s ex-wife was Princess Haya bint Hussein, daughter of former King Hussein of Jordan and half-sister of King Abdullah II of Jordan.Princess Haya, Wife of Dubai’s Ruler, Seeks Refuge in London {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704174933www.nytimes.com/2019/07/02/world/middleeast/princess-haya-sheikh-mohammed-bin.html |date=4 July 2019 }}, The New York Times, 2 July 2019 In 2022, the High Court of England and Wales ruled and mandated that Sheikh Mohammed must not have direct contact with his children by Princess Haya, or input into decision-making about them, because of his coercive and abusive behaviour which “had emotionally and psychologically harmed their children”. On 19 September 2022, he attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey, London.MAGAZINE,www.harpersbazaararabia.com/culture/royal-watch/arab-royals-at-queen-elizabeth-ii-funeral, Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral: Arab Royals Pay Their Respects Ahead of The Ceremony, 19 September 2022, Harper’s Bazaar, 24 October 2022, en, 24 October 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221024111515/https://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/culture/royal-watch/arab-royals-at-queen-elizabeth-ii-funeral, live, In addition to Arabic, he also speaks English.{{Citation |title=Sheikh Mohammed (FULL) exclusive interview - BBC NEWS |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeDb2nU9jKU |access-date=2024-01-03 |language=en}}

Wealth and assets

In 2021, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project estimated that Sheikh Mohammed owned assets worth $14 billion.WEB, OCCRP, Luxembourg Companies Lead to Luxury Real Estate Across Europe,www.occrp.org/en/openlux/luxembourg-companies-lead-to-luxury-real-estate-across-europe, 14 July 2021, OCCRP, en, 4 August 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210804175322/https://www.occrp.org/en/openlux/luxembourg-companies-lead-to-luxury-real-estate-across-europe, live, Sheikh Mohammed owns the yacht named Dubai, built by the German company Blohm + Voss and designed by English designer Andrew Winch, who owns Winch Design. The yacht is {{convert|162|m}} long, and was the world’s third largest yacht as of 2014, with the capacity for up to 115 people including crew.WEB,www.ealuxe.com/worlds-most-expensive-yachts-2013/, Luxury on the Sea: Most Expensive Yachts on Earth, 27 September 2016, 29 October 2013, 14 October 2013,www.ealuxe.com/worlds-most-expensive-yachts-2013," title="web.archive.org/web/20131014191002www.ealuxe.com/worlds-most-expensive-yachts-2013,">web.archive.org/web/20131014191002www.ealuxe.com/worlds-most-expensive-yachts-2013, dead, Another of his yachts is the {{convert|40|m}} Alloya, built by Sanlorenzo in 2013.WEB,www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/the-sanlorenzo-40-alloy-in-dubai/, The Sanlorenzo 40 Alloy in Dubai – SuperYacht Times, 20 March 2014, 12 July 2016, live,www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/the-sanlorenzo-40-alloy-in-dubai/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160420022320www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/the-sanlorenzo-40-alloy-in-dubai/,">web.archive.org/web/20160420022320www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/the-sanlorenzo-40-alloy-in-dubai/, 20 April 2016, WEB,www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/sanlorenzo-s-alloya-superyacht-in-dubai/, Sanlorenzo’s Alloya superyacht in Dubai – SuperYacht Times, 5 April 2016, 12 July 2016, live,www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/sanlorenzo-s-alloya-superyacht-in-dubai/," title="web.archive.org/web/20160421125655www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/sanlorenzo-s-alloya-superyacht-in-dubai/,">web.archive.org/web/20160421125655www.superyachttimes.com/yacht-news/sanlorenzo-s-alloya-superyacht-in-dubai/, 21 April 2016, Sheikh Mohammed owns real estate in the United Kingdom worth more than 100 million British pounds, as well as properties in Rome through a company registered in Luxembourg. According to a 2021 analysis by The Guardian and Transparency International, Sheikh Mohammed is one of the largest landowners in the UK, owning more than 100,000 acres.WEB, 14 April 2021, Revealed: the huge British property empire of Sheikh Mohammed,www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/14/revealed-the-huge-british-property-empire-of-sheikh-mohammed, 23 July 2021, the Guardian, en, 24 July 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210724013601/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/14/revealed-the-huge-british-property-empire-of-sheikh-mohammed, live, The exact number of properties is not known, as most of the properties connected to him are owned through offshore companies in the tax havens of Guernsey and Jersey. When asked about these holdings, Sheikh Mohammed’s lawyer rejected that the properties were bought through offshore companies or that the holdings were intended to avoid UK taxes.In the 2021 Pandora Papers leaks, it was revealed that Sheikh Mohammed was a shareholder in three additional companies registered in jurisdictions allowing secrecy.WEB, Pandora Papers: Secret tax havens of world leaders, celebrities revealed,www.dw.com/en/pandorapapersworldleaderstonyblairkenyattashakirasachintendulkartaxhavensleaks/a-59376192, 3 October 2021, Ãœnker, Pelin, Vardar, Serdar, 3 October 2021, Deutsche Welle, 3 October 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211003170914/https://www.dw.com/en/pandorapapersworldleaderstonyblairkenyattashakirasachintendulkartaxhavensleaks/a-59376192, live,

Wives and children

Mohammad has been married to at least seven women. As of 2023, he is divorced from all his wives except his first wife, Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum Al Maktoum.

Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum

Mohammed and Hind married in 1979. The couple are first cousins. Together they have 12 children:

• Sheikha Hessa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 6 November 1980), she is married to Sheikh Saeed bin Dalmook Al Maktoum and they have three children:
  • Sheikha Hind bint Saeed Al Maktoum (born 25 November 2009).
  • Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum (born 20 May 2012).
  • Sheikha Salama bint Saeed Al Maktoum (born 17 July 2018).NEWS,lovin.co/dubai/en/news/royal-family-baby-girl, Mabrook! The Dubai Royal Family Has Just Welcomed A Baby Girl, 19 July 2018, lovin.co, 25 May 2023, en,
• Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (12 November 1981 – 19 September 2015).WEB, 10000376 – Rashid Bin Mohd AL MAKTOUM (UAE),data.fei.org/Person/Detail.aspx?p=2C972500738EF87B7C053B20DC30F5EF,web.archive.org/web/20190803024116/https://data.fei.org/Person/Detail.aspx?p=2C972500738EF87B7C053B20DC30F5EF, 3 August 2019, 3 August 2019, NEWS, 19 September 2015, Dubai Ruler’s Son Dies of Heart Attack, DT News, Dubai,www.newsofbahrain.com/viewNews.php?ppId=6008&TYPE=Posts&pid=21&MNU=2&SUB=1, live, 9 November 2015,www.newsofbahrain.com/viewNews.php?ppId=6008&TYPE=Posts&pid=21&MNU=2&SUB=1," title="web.archive.org/web/20160304090326www.newsofbahrain.com/viewNews.php?ppId=6008&TYPE=Posts&pid=21&MNU=2&SUB=1,">web.archive.org/web/20160304090326www.newsofbahrain.com/viewNews.php?ppId=6008&TYPE=Posts&pid=21&MNU=2&SUB=1, 4 March 2016, Sheikh Rashid has one son:
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born 18 November 2003).
• Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 14 November 1982), Crown Prince of Dubai (since 2008). He is married to Sheikha Shaikha bint Saeed bin Thani Al Maktoum.NEWS, 16 May 2019, Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan Just Got Married, Harper’S Bazaar Arabia,www.harpersbazaararabia.com/people/news/dubai-crown-prince-sheikh-hamdan-just-got-married, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, en, 2 August 2019, 17 June 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190617142210/https://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/people/news/dubai-crown-prince-sheikh-hamdan-just-got-married, live, He has three children:
  • Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum (born 20 May 2021).Sheikh Hamdan welcomes twins Rashid and Sheikha into the world {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701010556www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/sheikh-hamdan-welcomes-twins-rashid-and-sheikha-into-the-world-1.1226853 |date=1 July 2021 }} The Nation. 21 May 2021.
  • Sheikha Shaikha bint Hamdan Al Maktoum (born 20 May 2021).
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamdan Al Maktoum (born 25 February 2023).WEB,www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/dubai-sheikh-hamdan-announces-birth-of-third-child, Dubai: Sheikh Hamdan announces birth of third child, Khaleej Times, Nasreen, Abdulla, 25 February 2023, 25 February 2023,
• Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 24 November 1983), First Deputy Ruler of Dubai (since 2008), Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE (since 2021), UAE Minister of Finance (since 2021). He is married to Sheikha Maryam bint Butti bin Maktoum Al Maktoum,NEWS, 6 June 2019, UAE celebrates Hamdan, Maktoum, Ahmad weddings, Gulf News,gulfnews.com/uae/uae-celebrates-hamdan-maktoum-ahmad-weddings-1.64367858, 2 August 2019, 2 July 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190702025815/https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-celebrates-hamdan-maktoum-ahmad-weddings-1.64367858, live, and they have three daughters:
  • Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum Al Maktoum (born 24 November 2020).NEWS,www.arabianbusiness.com/culture-society/dubais-sheikh-maktoum-welcomes-baby-daughter-shaikha, Dubai’s Sheikh Maktoum welcomes baby daughter – Shaikha, 6 January 2023, Arabian Business, 25 May 2023, en,
  • Sheikha Latifa bint Maktoum Al Maktoum (born 11 January 2022).NEWS,emirateswoman.com/sheikh-hamdan-congratulates-sheikh-maktoum-on-second-child-birth/, Sheikh Hamdan congratulates brother Sheikh Maktoum on birth of his second child, 12 January 2022, Emirates Woman, 25 May 2023, en,
  • Sheikha Shaikha bint Maktoum Al Maktoum (born 25 January 2023).NEWS,www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/dubai-sheikh-maktoum-blessed-with-another-baby-girl-royal-siblings-take-to-social-media-to-wish-hi?amp=1, Dubai: Sheikh Maktoum blessed with baby girl; royal siblings take to social media to wish him, 26 January 2023, Khaleej Times, 25 May 2023, en,
• Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 7 February 1987), Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai (since 2023). He is married to Sheikha Madiyah bint Dalmook Al Maktoum. They have one daughter:
  • Sheikha Hind bint Ahmed Al Maktoum (born 22 October 2022).
• Sheikh Saeed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 20 March 1988).
• Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (III) (born 30 March 1989).WEB, 10045216 – Sheikha Latifa Mohd Bin Rashid AL MAKTOUM (UAE),data.fei.org/Person/Detail.aspx?p=A055C9E5273E020D0B891080B1178CF3,web.archive.org/web/20190803030954/https://data.fei.org/Person/Detail.aspx?p=A055C9E5273E020D0B891080B1178CF3, 3 August 2019, 3 August 2019, She is married to Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, and they have five children:
  • Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi (born 29 December 2009).
  • Sheikha Aisha bint Mohammed Al Sharqi (born 1 November 2011).
  • Sheikha Fatima bint Mohammed Al Sharqi (born 11 March 2014).
  • Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Sharqi (born 15 December 2015).WEB, The Ruling Family,www.fujairahobserver.ae/fujairah-city/the-ruling-family-1298032500.html, live,www.fujairahobserver.ae/fujairah-city/the-ruling-family-1298032500.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20150729010132www.fujairahobserver.ae/fujairah-city/the-ruling-family-1298032500.html,">web.archive.org/web/20150729010132www.fujairahobserver.ae/fujairah-city/the-ruling-family-1298032500.html, 29 July 2015, 21 July 2015, Fujairah Observer,
  • Sheikha Hind bint Mohammed Al Sharqi (born 22 June 2020).
• Sheikha Maryam bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (II) (born 11 January 1992). She is married to Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, and they have three sons:
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Khaled Al Nahyan (born 25 September 2020).NEWS,emirateswoman.com/sheikh-mohammeds-daughter-sheikha-maryam-given-birth-first-child/, Sheikh Mohammed’s daughter Sheikha Maryam has given birth to her first child, 29 September 2020, Emirates Woman, 2 June 2023, en,
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Khaled Al Nahyan (born 25 August 2021).NEWS,emirateswoman.com/sheikha-maryam-shares-adorable-photo-sheikh-hamdan-newborn-nephew/, Sheikha Maryam shares adorable photo of Sheikh Hamdan with his newborn nephew, 2 September 2021, Emirates Woman, 2 June 2023, en,
  • Sheikh Khalifa bin Khaled Al Nahyan (born 10 October 2022).NEWS,emirateswoman.com/sheikh-mohammeds-daughter-sheikha-maryam-welcomes-third-child/, Mabrook! Sheikh Mohammed’s daughter, Sheikha Maryam, welcomes third child, 11 October 2022, Emirates Woman, 21 June 2023, en,
• Sheikha Sheikha bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 20 December 1992). She is married to Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and they have five children:
  • Sheikha Sheema bint Nasser Al Khalifa (born 16 July 2010).
  • Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser Al Khalifa (born 6 June 2012).
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Nasser Al Khalifa (born 6 June 2012).
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Nasser Al Khalifa (born 28 October 2018).NEWS,www.bna.bh/en/HRHPremierissuedEdict33/CrownPrincecongratulatesShaikhNasseronnewbornbaby.aspx?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2BDgic9sqwaaEZhPXEQflyF0I%3D, Crown Prince congratulates Shaikh Nasser on newborn baby, 28 October 2018, Bahrain News Agency, 21 June 2023, en,
  • Sheikh Khalid bin Nasser Al Khalifa (born 15 February 2022).NEWS,emirateswoman.com/sheikh-mohammeds-daughter-welcomes-baby-boy-with-husband-sheikh-nasser/, Mabrook! Sheikh Mohammed’s daughter welcomes baby boy with husband Sheikh Nasser, 16 February 2022, Emirates Woman, 21 June 2023, en,
• Sheikha Futtaim bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 22 July 1994).WEB, 10045073 – Sheikha Futaim Mohd Bin Rashid AL MAKTOUM (UAE),data.fei.org/Person/Detail.aspx?p=A40ABC0528703519233EF782164B3763,web.archive.org/web/20190803023239/https://data.fei.org/Person/Detail.aspx?p=A40ABC0528703519233EF782164B3763, 3 August 2019, 3 August 2019,
• Sheikha Salamah bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 8 August 1999).
• Sheikha Shamma bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 13 November 2001).

Haya bint Hussein

Sheikh Mohammed married Princess Haya bint Hussein on 10 April 2004, and they divorced on 7 February 2019. They have two children:

• Sheikha Al Jalila bint Mohammed Al Maktoum 2 December 2007).WEB, Biography,english.princesshaya.net/biographieshrh-princess-haya, dead,english.princesshaya.net/biographieshrh-princess-haya," title="web.archive.org/web/20151004105832english.princesshaya.net/biographieshrh-princess-haya,">web.archive.org/web/20151004105832english.princesshaya.net/biographieshrh-princess-haya, 4 October 2015, 21 July 2015, Official Website of Princess Haya bint Hussein,
• Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 7 January 2012).

Randa bint Mohammad Al-Banna

The sheikh married Randa bint Mohammed Al-Banna in 1972. Mohammed and Randa later divorced.NEWS, Callaghan, Louise, 22 December 2019, Randa al-Banna interview: ‘Our baby is now in her forties. The emir still won’t let me near’, The Times,www.thetimes.co.uk/article/randa-al-banna-interview-our-baby-is-now-in-her-forties-the-emir-still-wont-let-me-near-xbgsx5f27, live, 21 September 2021,archive.today/20200224002526/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/randa-al-banna-interview-our-baby-is-now-in-her-forties-the-emir-still-wont-let-me-near-xbgsx5f27, 24 February 2020, They have one daughter:

• Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 12 November 1977). She is married to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and they have five children:
  • Sheikha Fatima bint Mansour Al Nahyan (born 9 June 2006).
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Mansour Al Nahyan (born 4 December 2007).
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Mansour Al Nahyan (born 21 June 2011).
  • Sheikha Latifa bint Mansour Al Nahyan (born 23 January 2014).
  • Sheikh Rashid bin Mansour Al Nahyan (born 22 March 2017).WEB, 22 March 2017, Sheikh Mohammed meets his newborn grandson,www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/dubai/sheikh-mohammed-meets-his-newborn-grandson, live,www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/dubai/sheikh-mohammed-meets-his-newborn-grandson," title="web.archive.org/web/20170519063046www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/dubai/sheikh-mohammed-meets-his-newborn-grandson,">web.archive.org/web/20170519063046www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/dubai/sheikh-mohammed-meets-his-newborn-grandson, 19 May 2017, 20 June 2017, Khaleej Times,

Delila Aloula

Mohammed has three daughters from his marriage to Delila Aloula:

• Sheikha Dalal bint Mohammed Al Maktoum
• Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (I) (born 16 June 1983). She is married to Sheikh Faisal bin Saud bin Khalid Al Qassimi and they have four children:
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal Al Qassimi (born 28 July 2018).NEWS,whatson.ae/2018/07/dubais-royal-family-welcomes-a-baby-boy/, Dubai’s royal family welcomes a baby boy, 29 July 2018, whatson.ae, 16 May 2023, en,
  • Sheikha Shaikha bint Faisal Al Qassimi (born 29 October 2020).NEWS,www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/sheikh-mohammeds-daughter-sheikha-latifa-gives-birth-to-baby-girl?amp=1, Sheikh Mohammed’s daughter Sheikha Latifa gives birth to baby girl, 29 October 2020, Khaleej Times, 16 May 2023, en,
  • Sheikh Hamdan bin Faisal Al Qassimi (born 24 December 2021).NEWS,en.vogue.me/culture/hh-sheikha-latifa-bint-mohammed-bin-rashid-al-maktoum-announces-birth-third-child-baby-boy/amp/, HH Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Announces the Birth of Her Third Child, a Baby Boy, 26 December 2021, Vogue Arabia, 16 May 2023, en,
  • Sheikha Hind bint Faisal Al Qassimi (born 14 May 2023).NEWS,www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-sheikh-mohammeds-daughter-sheikha-latifa-announces-birth-of-baby-girl-reveals-baby-name, UAE: Sheikh Mohammed’s daughter Sheikha Latifa announces birth of baby girl, reveals baby name, 14 May 2023, Khaleej Times, 16 May 2023, en,
• Sheikha Maryam bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (I) (born 11 August 1987). She is married to Sheikh Suhail bin Ahmed Al Maktoum and they have four children:
  • Sheikha Fatima bint Suhail Al Maktoum (born 26 September 2019).NEWS,www.khaleejtimes.com/article/dubai-royal-family-welcomes-baby-girl, Dubai royal family welcomes baby girl, 26 September 2019, Khaleej Times, 5 July 2023, en,
  • Sheikh Ahmed bin Suhail Al Maktoum (born 1 December 2020).
  • Sheikha Latifa bint Suhail Al Maktoum (born 17 February 2022).
  • Sheikha Hessa bint Suhail Al Maktoum (born 3 January 2024)

Houria Ahmad Lamara

From his marriage to Houria Ahmed Lamara, Mohammed has five children:

• Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 5 March 1980).
• Sheikha Shamsa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 15 August 1981).
• Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (II) (born 5 December 1985).
• Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 16 October 1987).WEB, 10014773 – Majid Bin Mohd AL MAKTOUM (UAE),data.fei.org/Person/Detail.aspx?p=243CFA79A5431B5EB13C303474BDBA9B,web.archive.org/web/20190803023404/https://data.fei.org/Person/Detail.aspx?p=243CFA79A5431B5EB13C303474BDBA9B, 3 August 2019, 3 August 2019, He is married to Hessa Beljafla and they have five children:
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Majid Al Maktoum (born 15 July 2015).
  • Sheikha Dubai bint Majid Al Maktoum (born 15 July 2015).
  • Sheikha Maitha bint Majid Al Maktoum (born 17 May 2017).NEWS,www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/photos-dubai-royal-family-welcomes-new-bundle-of-joy, Photos: Dubai royal family welcomes new bundle of joy, 18 May 2017, Khaleej Times, 7 July 2023, en,
  • Sheikh Rashid bin Majid Al Maktoum (born 2 February 2019).
  • Sheikh Maktoum bin Majid Al Maktoum (born 15 July 2022).NEWS,emirateswoman.com/mabrook-sheikh-mohammed-welcomes-a-new-grandchild-on-his-birthday/, Mabrook! Sheikh Mohammed welcomes a new grandchild on his birthday, 19 July 2022, Emirates Woman, 7 July 2023, en,
• Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 26 June 1989).

Umm Marwan

Mohammed has a son with one of his former wives:

• Sheikh Marwan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 20 March 1981). He is married to Dalal Al Marzouqi and they have two sons:
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Marwan Al Maktoum
  • Sheikh Rashid bin Marwan Al Maktoum (born 18 June 2013)

Zoe Grigorakos

Mohammed has one daughter from his marriage to Greek Zoe Grigorakos:

• Sheikha Mahra bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 26 February 1994).
  • Sheikha Mahra bint Mana Al Maktoum (1 May 2024)

Dalya Al Muthanna

Sheikh Mohammed was married to Dr. Dalya Al Muthanna, President & CEO Gulf at GE. They have one daughter:

• Sheikha Haya bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 2 October 2000)

Honours

• {{Flag|Brazil}}: Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross awarded by President Jair Bolsonaro (12 November 2021).NEWS,noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ultimas-noticias/2021/11/12/bolsonaro-condecora-lideres-do-oriente-medio-antes-de-viagem.htm, Bolsonaro condecora líderes do Oriente Médio antes de viagem à região, 12 November 2021, noticias.uol.com.br, 16 November 2022, pt, 17 November 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211117223754/https://noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ultimas-noticias/2021/11/12/bolsonaro-condecora-lideres-do-oriente-medio-antes-de-viagem.htm, live,
• {{Flag|Bahrain}}: Collar of the Order of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa
• {{Flag|KSA}}: First Class of the Order of King Abdulaziz
• {{Flag|Spain}}: Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III
• {{Flag|Morocco}}: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Throne
• {{Flag|Netherlands}}: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau awarded by Queen Beatrix (8 February 1974)
• {{Flag|UAE}}: Collar of the Order of Zayed (2 December 2012)
• {{Flag|United Kingdom}}: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) awarded by Queen Elizabeth II (25 November 2010).NEWS,assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/512855/2010_Honorary_Awards.pdf, Honorary awards, gov.uk, 16 November 2022, 18 May 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210518035952/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/512855/2010_Honorary_Awards.pdf, live, NEWS,www.emirates247.com/news/government/president-khalifa-confers-order-of-zayed-on-queen-2010-11-25-1.321318, President Khalifa confers Order of Zayed on Queen, 25 November 2010, Emirates 24/7, 16 November 2022, en, 30 September 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220930083545/https://www.emirates247.com/news/government/president-khalifa-confers-order-of-zayed-on-queen-2010-11-25-1.321318, live,
• {{Flag|United Kingdom}}: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire

Ancestry

{{ahnentafelalign=centerDATE=ACCESS-DATE=5 MARCH 2021ARCHIVE-DATE=13 DECEMBER 2019URL-STATUS=LIVE, |boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;|1= 1. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al MaktoumRashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum>Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum|3= 3. Sheikha Latifa bint Hamdan Al NahyanSaeed bin Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum>Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum|5= 5. Sheikha Hassa bint Al Marr|6= 6. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan|7= 7. Sheikha Shamseh bint Obaid bin MejrenMaktoum bin Hushur>Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher Al MaktoumZayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan>Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan|14= 14. Sheikh Obaid bin MejrenHushur bin Maktoum>Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum|24= 24. Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakbut Al Nahyan|28= 28. Sheikh Mejren}}

See also

• Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park
• Timeline of Dubai

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

• BOOK, My Vision: Challenges in the Race for Excellence, Maktoum, Mohammed, Motivate, 2012, 978-1-86063-344-7, UAE, Vision for governance.
• BOOK, Spirit of the Union, Maktoum, Mohammed, Motivate, 2012, 978-1-86063-330-0, UAE, Talks about UAE independence & union.
• BOOK, Flashes of Thought, Maktoum, Mohammed, Motivate, 2013, 978-1-86063-356-0, UAE, A number of insights into policy, attitude & approach to leadership.
• Dubai The Maktoum Story by John M. Smith; in English; a book which criticizes the governance of Sheikh Mohammed

External links

• {{Commons category-inline}}
  • Official website of the UAE Government
• www.uaepm.ae/en/index.html" title="web.archive.org/web/20090619215426www.uaepm.ae/en/index.html">The Official Website of the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates
• His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928064811www.sheikhmohammed.ae/ |date=28 September 2007 }}
• Vision 2021 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019235629www.vision2021.ae/en/news |date=19 October 2017 }}

{{Rulers of Dubai}}{{Presidents of the United Arab Emirates}}{{UAEPMs}}{{FSC Members}}{{Dubai Holding}}{{Sovereigns of monarchies}}{{Arab country leaders}}{{Current heads of government}}{{Authority control}}