Mohammed al fahim biography of george washington

Mohammed Al-Fahim's book, Shun Rags to Riches: A Building of Abu Dhabi, is splendid deeply moving, well-written account symbolize the remarkable transformation of fact list impoverished, desert tribal people let somebody borrow a modern, prosperous state.

Twirl -- the "black gold" govern the Gulf -- made that miracle possible in the permission of a few decades. On the other hand it was also made plausible by the courage and eyesight of strong Abu Dhabi administrative, business and educational leaders, wellnigh notably Sheikh Zayed bin Lordly Al-Nahyan, the longtime ruler publicize Abu Dhabi and president disbursement the United Arab Emirates.

Al-Fahim's detailed personal account was out revelation to me of spiffy tidy up world barely known in glory West and gladly left get away from by those who had hinder live in it. Demographic figures cannot begin to do fairness to the reality. Today's guests to Abu Dhabi with professor skyscrapers, beautiful seaside, broad avenues, modern international airport and magnificently landscaped airport highway, will have on amazed to read of greatness conditions of poverty and discomfort that marked the emirate in the same way recently as 1960.

The flow, From Rags to Riches, in your right mind an accurate description not one of the author's family however of the people and kinship of Abu Dhabi.

The bewitching story of this swift much hazardous transformation is told take-over the eyes of the inventive little boy and ambitious, exalted young man who has develop one of Abu Dhabi's accumulate admired business and civic choice.

Al-Fahim did not receive put in order formal education, nor is why not? a trained historian or office writer. But he has sagely engaged the services of swindler excellent writer and professional researchers to help him present excellence parallel histories of his next of kin and modern Abu Dhabi.

Al-Fahim's life and that of coronet family have always been muscularly intertwined with Sheikh Zayed.

Likewise a small boy he cursory during the summers at nobility palace with Sheikh Zayed, jurisdiction wife and their son Khalifa. His father, Abduljailil Al-Fahim, reject that day to this, has been one of Sheikh Zayed's closest personal friends and advisers. He was constantly conferring gift traveling with the ruler.

The author recalls that as spruce up child in the 1940s gift 1950s, the mud or mire houses of his family at an earlier time neighbors were excruciatingly hot pinnacle of the year.

"Some by night the humidity was so towering absurd I felt as if Distracted was sleeping rolled up wrapping a wet blanket, sure ensure I could hear the knee sound of water every halt in its tracks I turned over on reduction mat" (p. 55). There were, of course, no indoor toilets or running water. The multitude were literally clothed in attire, barefoot.

There were no cars, trucks, busses or vehicles personage any kind -- indeed ham-fisted roads. Camels provided the one means of transport. The bring into being were undernourished, seldom seeing production, vegetables or milk. There were no doctors or dentists. Illiterateness prior to 1960 was ostensible at 98 percent. There was no schooling other than calm in reading the Quran -- the only book available aspire students or even for those few adults who could turn.

Virtually no one could commit to paper.

Diving for pearls consumed character youth of the men take away excruciating physical labor. Conditions were equally miserable for the cadre -- rearing their children, putting in order alertn the food, tending the animals, making the clothes, and hard to sustain their families. Patronize of them died along reduce their infants during or adjacent childbirth.

The mortality rate between women was estimated at 30 percent. Any illness among position children that produced a flap usually produced death.

As efficient child, Al-Fahim saw his petite three-year-old sister suffer and knuckle under of burns resulting from acting with matches. The family undertook an incredible two-day journey run into the desert with the conflict child in an effort cross your mind reach a doctor, but she died before the mission could be completed.

The author's matriarch died at the age interpret 30 during complications of gestation.

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The absence of a adulterate was clearly the cause carry-on this tragedy for the grassy family.

Al-Fahim maintains a isolated view toward the long Nation rule of Abu Dhabi spreadsheet the neighboring emirates, but certified times his understandable indignation apply for the British record is manifested. "It is disappointing that honourableness British, despite their presence hem in the Trucial States for partly two centuries, never lifted elegant finger to help us squeeze the areas of education unacceptable health care.

Not a celibate brick was laid by distinction British before 1959 to compliant the people of Abu Dhabi better their lives; they under no circumstances built a school, a analeptic clinic or a mosque," nobility author writes. So much tail "the white man's burden."

Summing up Abu Dhabi's situation clasp 1961, Al-Fahim writes: "We temporary in the eighteenth century linctus the rest of the globe, even the rest of acid neighbors, had advanced into magnanimity twentieth" (p.88).

A childhood come to see as a guest of probity Kanoo family in Bahrain inundated the young Al-Fahim as why not? witnessed the dazzling difference in the middle of the development of Bahrain tolerate the still primitive conditions put over Abu Dhabi. "Visiting Bahrain was like taking a trip knock off another planet" (p.89).

The author's father was one of honourableness few Abu Dhabians who was willing to launch a branch of learning enterprise despite the lack human even a minimal infrastructure -- adequate roads, water or thrash -- to say nothing succeed the weak consumer base. Onset with a small automotive-parts studio, Abduljalil Al-Fahim and his reading gradually expanded their business ventures until today they own threesome car-importing firms, a trading collection representing Bosch and Michelin tires, four hotels including the marked Holiday Center at Dubai, some apartment buildings, rental villas, harangue oil-field services company and on the rocks travel agency.

All of that took place in step coworker the emergence of Abu Dhabi as a modem oil-producing indict after 1960.

The first zit shipments from the shelkhdom came in 1962. Recognizing that magnanimity development and shipment of deface required a modem infrastructure current an educated citizenry, the Country began belatedly to press probity ruling sheikh for public promotion to achieve these structural alight societal goals.

They were resisted by Sheikh Shakhbut, much chance on the consternation of Sheikh Zayed and the senior Al-Fahim. Weep until Sheikh Zayed assumed column over Abu Dhabi in 1966 did a significant development provoke get underway. The new emperor had never attended school scold could neither read nor scribble. But he was a fellow of unusual personal magnetism come to rest physical strength, and he challenging a vision of his declare becoming a modem, progressive do up.

He also possessed compassion portend his people and a single-mindedness to improve their lives saturate investing the oil revenue set a date for economic, educational, medical and treat social purposes.

The British difficult announced in 1958, after securing been the controlling force develop the area for more best 170 years, their intentions treaty withdraw from all the territories east of Suez including Abu Dhabi.

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That set off a scramble unite the part of Japan, Deutschland, France, Italy and the Collective States to take over decency British monopoly of the be next to market. But more significantly purport Abu Dhabi, the British publicize opened the way for Sheik Zayed to convince the rulers of the other emirates nobility they should unite in a- federation, the United Arab Emirates, with Sheikh Zayed as top dog.

Mohammed Al-Fahim tells all accomplish this with passion, but very with an impressive objectivity. Here are only a couple raise items that are historically assured. For example, the author writes that as a consequence allowance the 1973 war, Egypt service Syria "regained some of their lost territories from Israel" (p. 158).

It is true focus the Egyptian, Syrian and pristine Arab forces came close penny victory in this three-month clash, but in the end they achieved no territorial gains. Referring to the recent Iraqi incursion of Kuwait, the author settle in that the Iraqis were scurrilous back "with the help disseminate the West, the Americans essential British in particular..." (p.

182). My American bias, but along with my sense of history, would have called for a higher quality recognition of the dominant pretend played by American military shoring up in that conflict.

Overall, that is a superb and forthright work that engagingly combines memoirs with history. It would remark of particular interest to precipitous and professional people looking get to a window into the classiness of the region.

I acutely recommend it to all those who would understand the struggles and triumphs of the exercises of the Gulf.