Review of a Particular Part of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Life - Essay Example

Introduction

Growing from a quiet backwater, United Arab Emirates has expanded its boundaries to a conglomeration of seven states. The UAE over the years grew to become one the world's significant economic herbs, and it has transformed from a conservative region to a more liberal region along the Persian Gulf with most of the cultures becoming tolerable. Before the oil exploration, the region depended entirely on pearl and fishing industries as the primary economic activity. Since the discovery and oil exploration in 1952, UAE's economy has significantly grown and placed the Middle East on the world map economically. Equally, the region has also strived to diversify and strengthen its capital base by venturing into other industries like tourism, with most UAE-based companies infiltrating the international market. As a constitutional monarchy, the UAE is led by the Federal Supreme Council, the President, and Federal Judiciary. It is a member state in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) (Darraj, Puller, & Goldschmidt, 2008). This paper, therefore, comprehensively review of a particular part of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan life, his humanitarian actions, and his support of heritage and traditions

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's life

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed was born in the Trucial States of Abu Dhabi, the modern United Arab Emirates on 8th May 1918. Amongst the four sons of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Zayed was the youngest. He goes into the books of history as one of the longest serving leaders in UAE, having served for 33 as the president. An in-depth of the UAE is almost impossible if one does not take the time to understand the life of Sheikh Zayed. His zeal for Islamic religious matters, determination, vision, and hard work is evident in the current success and economic strides that UAE has made over the years. More important, however, is his generosity both at home and even beyond and the manner in which he committed and spent a better part of his life rendering services to people and the transformation of the world in general. Throughout his life, Sheikh Zayed enjoyed a good relationship with the people of UAE and promoted peace and harmony amongst the states. It is against this backdrop that he managed to unite the seven Emirates; Ras al-Khaimah, Ajman, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah, and Umm al-Quwain forming the current day the UAE Emirates. To establish the UAE Sheikh Zayed realized that he had to facilitate the initial agreement that would lead to the establishment of a federation between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, this set the platform for the creation of a federation of seven Emirates. After the successful federation of the States into the United Arab Emirates in 1971, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan rose to become the president of its Supreme Council. Based on his generosity, and the love the people of UAE had for Sheikh Zayed, he was re-elected by the Federal Supreme Council in 1986, 1991, 1996, and 2001 consecutively. People loved him because he served everyone without discrimination and always put the interests of the people he represented before his own. Using consultation and consensus, Sheikh Zayed was a very liberal and open-minded leader always ready to listen to everyone and decide on the way forward. Immediately the British communicated their intention to leave, and Sheikh Zayed managed to convince the people to unite as the only way to confront the challenges that were facing them at the time (Leech, 2016).

Humanitarian actions

Sheikh Zayed believed in the philosophy that, all the country's resources should be channeled towards improving the living standards of all the people across the Emirates, with a particular focus on women who he believed had a vital role to play in the development of the nation and the world as a whole. Sheikh Zayed did not just struggle to unite the locals but developed international ties as well setting the UAE as a country with significance and within global reach. Shaikh Zayed through his charity work on various scales cemented the bonds and the ties not just within UAE but also beyond. As a charismatic leader in charity work, he managed to dispatch capabilities as well as resources to champion and advocate for the needy and the weak in societies. He did all these to shield them from the risks of diseases, illiteracy, and poverty. Sheikh Zayed traveled widely and interacted with the people to identify areas of need and those that required immediate attention (Leech, 2016).

During this time everyone's life, including that of members of the royal and ruling families was very simple. Education was informal and comprised of lessons in writing and reading and as well as simple instructions from local preachers on Islam as a religion. Transport was confined to the use of boats as well as camels. To this end, the harsh arid climate called for a change in thinking as the only means of survival and making life better (King, 2008). After assuming leadership, Sheikh Zayed introduced a formal government structure, with departments developed to handle specific tasks. Utilizing financial gains from the oil-rich region, priority was given to build basic houses, hospitals, schools, and the construction of airports, seaports, roads, as well as a bridge to link Abu Dhabi to the mainland. He acknowledged that women and children constitute half of society and any nation cannot operate maximally if these particular groups are entirely ignored. He, therefore, encouraged women to attend school and take up leadership positions in their individual communities (UAEinteract, 2016).

He reviewed water ownership rights to ensure that everyone had access to this precious commodity not just for domestic use but also for agriculture, this significantly enhanced agriculture. Embarking on an international peacekeeping mission in the 1990s, Sheikh Zayed allowed UAE troops to intervene and restore peace in the war-torn region of Lebanon and also in Somalia under the UNISOM TWO. On the same wavelength, in 1999 Sheikh Zayed threw his support behind the peacekeeping mission in Serbia. He apparently helped North Atlantic Treaty Organization in bringing to a stop the Serbian genocidal activities in Kosovo. To this end, the UAE sent the largest contingent to the UN peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. All these and many more point to the significant achievements of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The establishment of charitable organizations like the Abu Dhabi Fund, Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation as well as institutions such as the Red Crescent Society by Sheikh Zayed, clearly demonstrated his willingness to extend help to the disadvantaged and the less fortunate not just in UAE but the world over. His policies on humanitarian aid extended beyond the boundaries of UAE to include countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Balkans as well (Al, 2001).

Support of heritage and traditions

He strongly believed in the Islamic religion and its values, and this is why he spent time studying the Quran and applying its principles in day to day life, he also drew his inspiration from Mohammad. While keen on the history and knowledge of the peninsula, Zayed also developed an interest in poetry as this related well with love for wisdom. As a leader and a person well versed in the tribal traditions as well as rules, Sheikh Zayed's tireless efforts in settling tribal based disputes between parties cannot be forgotten quickly. Zayed took his time listening to the concerns of differing ideas and applied his wisdom to make a sound and informed decision. He remained alive to the reality that, no significant development would be realized in an environment dominated by intertribal hostility. His wisdom became evident during the negotiations and talks that brought to an end the disputes over the Oman and Al Buraimi border. He did not just help broker peace deals between the parties, but his perception and insight ended up winning him the respect and admiration of many. The desert environment also enabled him to learn and sharpen the elements of horsemanship, patience as well as courage. Sheikh Zayed's hunger for knowledge through the better part of the late 1920s and 1930s drove him deep into the deserts to gain a better understanding of what his people went through. It is while in the wilderness and his close encounter with Bedouin tribesmen that he learned a lot about the desert environment as well as their way of life including the element of consultation and consensus (UAEinteract, 2016).

The first street works, as well as the establishment of paved roads as well as streets, can directly be attributed to his efforts. He ensured that economic resources were channeled towards the planting of trees in and around Al Ain in a bid to transform Abu Dhabi into an environmentally friendly city and a green one for that matter. In 1967, Funds were also set aside for the establishment of a zoo in Al Ain. As the country thrived on all fronts, Sheikh Zayed took a lot more interest in the conservation of natural resources as well as wildlife. He took comfort in the idea that that the pride and success of the people of Emirati are derived, partially, from the dedication and adaptation to the arid and the harsh local conditions. In this regard, Sheikh Zayed also spent the better part of his life making sure that such species as the sand gazelles and the Arabian Oryx were preserved at all cost. To this end, his efforts were crowned through when he bagged the prestigious Gold Panda Award (Al-Abed, Casey-Vine, & Al, 1999).

Financial resources were spent for the planting of trees in Al Ain to transform Abu Dhabi into a green city. Funding was also allocated for the creation of a zoo in Al Ain in 1967. The most challenging and significant of all decisions made by Zayed during his tenure, involved the decree to make water available for irrigation and other purposes in Alain (Nādī & Markaz, 2001). The clamor of all this was the fact that he learned to play falconry which became one of his favorite sports and passion. His initiation to falconry was purely out of his love for nature and the environment. He helped refurbish Al Ain Museum established in 1910 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and rebranded it the Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum. The current Zayed National Museum on Saadiyat Island is just a final product of Sheikh Zayed's ideas in trying to preserve the UAE heritage. His love for horse and camel riding while in the desert saw him advance the culture forming the basis for the current competitions in the related fields in United Arab Emirate (Leech, 2016).