Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
| Abdullah الملك عبد الله |
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| King of Saudi Arabia | |
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| Reign | 1 August 2005 – present |
| Predecessor | Fahd |
| Consort | 4 wives[1] |
| Issue | |
| 7 sons and 15 daughters[2]as of 2006 | |
| Royal house | House of Saud |
| Father | Ibn Saud |
| Mother | Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim[3] |
| Born | August 1, 1924 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
Children
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King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, (Arabic: خادم الحرمين الشريفين الملك عبد الله بن عبد العزيز آل سعود, born August 1924[4]) is the current King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Head of the House of Saud. He succeeded to the throne and assumed the title of King on the death of his half-brother, King Fahd, August 1 2005.[5] As Crown Prince since 1987, he had previously acted as de facto regent and thus ruler of Saudi Arabia since January 1 1996[6], when Fahd was incapacitated by a major stroke. He was formally enthroned on August 3 2005. One of his sons, Prince Mutaib, serves as a deputy commander in the Saudi National Guard.
Abdullah also serves as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia and Commander of the Saudi National Guard. He is Chairman of the Supreme Economic Council, President of the High Council for Petroleum and Minerals, President of the King Abdulaziz Centre for National Dialogue, Chairman of the Council of Civil Service and Head of the Military Service Council. Abdullah is the fifth[7] son (out of 37 sons) of King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, to ascend to the throne.
His wealth is estimated at over $21 billion.[8]
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Early life
King Abdullah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz Al Saud was born in Riyadh to Ibn Saud's eighth wife, Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim of the Abde section of the Shammar tribe. She had earlier been married to the 10th Rashidi Emir, Saud, who was killed in 1920.
One of Abdullah's wives is a Syrian woman[9] who is related to President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria.
He was given the position of Commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard in August 1962, the position of Second Deputy Prime Minister in March 1975 and the position of First Deputy Prime Minister in June 1982. Abdullah has had over 30 wives[10][11][12] during his lifetime, among them Tardi Al-Jorba, Hessa Al Shaalan, Aida, Anud, Malika, and al-Jauhara. He has at least 15 sons and 20 daughters.
Religion
King Abdullah has been described as a "good Muslim"[13] and follows the Salafi understanding of Islam, which is a strict Sunni interpretation of the religion based on the teachings of the first three generations of Muslims; by some, although not its devotees, this creed is labeled Wahhabism.
Interfaith dialogue
In March 2008 King Abdullah called for a “brotherly and sincere dialogue between believers from all religions.”[14]
Abdullah held a conference at Mecca in June 2008 to urge Muslim leaders to speak with one voice with Jewish and Christian leaders.[15] He discussed and took approval of the Saudi Islamic scholars and the world's renowned Islamic scholars to hold the interfaith dialogue.
In June 2008, Saudi Arabia and Spain agreed to hold the interfaith dialogue in Spain.[16] The historic conference finally took place in Madrid in July 2008 where religious leaders of different faiths participated.[17]
Abdullah had never earlier made any overtures for dialogue with non-monotheistic religious leaders such as Hindus and Buddhists. The Mecca conference discussed an important paper on the dialogue with the followers of monotheistic religions highlighting the monotheistic religions of southeast Asia including Sikhism in the third axis of the fourth meeting titled "With Whom We Talk" presented by Sheikh Badrul hasan Alqasmi. The session was chaired by HE Dr. Ezz Eddin Ibrahim, Adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates for Culture.
The session also discussed a paper presented on coordination among Islamic institutions on Dialogue by Dr. / Abdullah bin Omar Nassif, Secretary General of the World Islamic Council for Preaching and relief, and a paper on dialogue with divine messages, presented by Professor / Mohammad Sammak - Secretary General of the Islamic spiritual summit/ Lebanon. The session ended by Sheikh Al Fadel alzafzaaf - Under secretary-Azhar and Chairman of the Committee for dialogue among religions formerly / Cairo discussing the futuristics of dialogue in the light of repeated abuse to Islam.
United Nations 'Peace of Culture' - November 2008
King Abdullah and his government were responsible for the 'Peace of Culture' which took place on November 2008 at the United Nations General Assembly. It brought together Muslim and non-Muslim nations to eradicate the preconception of Islam and Terrorism. It brought together leaders including former PM of UK Tony Blair, Israeli President Shimon Peres, George W Bush and King Abdullah of Jordan.
War on Terrorism
Since May 12 2003, Saudi Arabia has faced several serious terrorist attacks, targeting primarily Western expatriates and also Saudi security forces. The attacks have included car and truck bombings as well as raids by gunmen against civilians.
Several international groups, such as al-Qaeda, have been linked to the attacks, with the common motivation being resentment of the perceived pro-Western stance of the King and royal family, and their encouragement of Westerners residing in Saudi Arabia. The militants believe that the Prophet Muhammad commanded that non-Muslims should be expelled from the Arabian peninsula. The militants are especially outraged at the presence of the U.S. military in Saudi Arabia, which they see as sanctioned by the royal family.
The response of King Abdullah's administration to the insurgency has been a series of crackdowns including raids by security forces, arrests, torture[18] and public beheadings. King Abdullah has vowed to fight terrorist ideologies within the country.
On the second anniversary of the September 11 attack on the United States, the then-prince wrote a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush, which ended with:
"God Almighty, in His wisdom, tests the faithful by allowing such calamities to happen. But He, in His mercy, also provides us with the will and determination, generated by faith, to enable us to transform such tragedies into great achievements, and crises that seem debilitating are transformed into opportunities for the advancement of humanity. I only hope that, with your cooperation and leadership, a new world will emerge out of the rubble of the World Trade Center: a world that is blessed by the virtues of freedom, peace, prosperity and harmony." [19]
Philanthropy
Abdullah paid for the surgery of a pair of Polish conjoined twins, which took place at the King Abd al-Aziz Medical City in Riyadh on January 03, 2005. He was given "honorary citizenship" by the Polish town of Janikowo, where the twins were born.
Abdullah has established two libraries, one in Riyadh (the King Abdulaziz Library) and another in Casablanca, Morocco.
Abdullah has donated $50 million in cash and $10 million worth of relief materials for the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake in China. [20]
Abdullah donated $10 billion to the endowment fund of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in May 2008.[21]
Criticism
On January 24 2007, Human Rights Watch sent an open letter to King Abdullah asking him to cease religious persecution of the Ahmadi faith in Saudi Arabia. Two letters were sent in November 2006 and February 2007 asking him to remove the travel ban on critics of the Saudi government.[22] Human Rights Watch has not yet indicated whether they have received any response to these letters.
During a state visit to the UK on October 30 2007, Abdullah was greeted by protesters accusing him of being a 'murderer' and a 'torturer'.[18] Concerns were raised in the UK about the treatment of women and homosexuals by the Saudi kingdom, and also alleged bribes involved in arms deals between Saudi Arabia and the UK.[23]
Relationship with the United States
In October 1976, as Prince Abdullah was being groomed for greater responsibility in Riyadh, he was sent to the United States to meet with then-President Gerald Ford. He again traveled to the United States as Crown Prince in October 1987, meeting then-Vice President George H. W. Bush. In September 1998, Crown Prince Abdullah made a state visit to the United States to meet in Washington, D.C. with then-President Bill Clinton. In September 2000, he attended millennium celebrations at the United Nations in New York City. In April 2002, Crown Prince Abdullah made a state visit to the United States with President George W. Bush and he returned again in April 2005 with President George W. Bush.
See also
- List of national leaders
- King Abdullah Economic City
- Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh
- List of the wealthiest royals
Notes
- ↑ Meet India's Republic Day chief guest, Rediff.com, 2006-01-04. Accessed 2008-11-17.
- ↑ Meet India's Republic Day chief guest
- ↑ King Abdullah: A Who2 Profile
- ↑ Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- ↑ King Fahd of Saudi Arabia dies, BBC News, August 1, 2005. Accessed March 29, 2008.
- ↑ "King Fahd ibn Abdel-Aziz Al Saud: The Times obituary", Times Online, August 1, 2005. Accessed March 29, 2008.
- ↑ "Analysis: Arabian Medicis"
- ↑ "The World's Richest Royals Forbes List".
- ↑ Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Global Security. Accessed July 24, 2008.
- ↑ Brown, Colin. A Saudi state visit: five jumbo jets, 100 servants... several wives, The Independent, October 31, 2007. Accessed July 24, 2008.
- ↑ Weaver, Matthew. Secretive ruler treasured and tolerated by western allies, The Guardian, October 29, 2007. Accessed July 24,2008.
- ↑ King Abdullah - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia - King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz - Saudi King Abdullah
- ↑ Richey, Warren. Power behind throne is Saudi of a different stripe, The Christian Science Monitor, November 1, 2001. Accessed July 24, 2008.
- ↑ The King’s call for interfaith dialogue, Saudi Gazette.
- ↑ Saudis launch Islamic unity drive, BBC News, June 4, 2008. Accessed June 10, 2008.
- ↑ Inter-faith meet to be held in Spain, Saudi Gazette.
- ↑ Let concord replace conflict – Abdullah, Saudi Gazette.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Brown, Colin. Shouts of 'murderers' and 'torturers' greet King Abdullah on Palace tour, The Independent, October 31, 2007. Accessed May 17, 2008.
- ↑ Crown Prince sends message to America
- ↑ "More countries offer aid to quake-hit China", Xinhua (2008-05-15). Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
- ↑ "SAUDI'S KING ABDULLAH GRANTS $10BN FOR NEW UNIVERSITY FUND", Financial Times (2008-05-19). Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
- ↑ Letter to King Abdullah
- ↑ Saudi king's royal meet draws fire, CNN, October 31, 2007. Accessed June 10, 2008.
External links
- Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia - Bio of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
- Extended biography by CIDOB Foundation
- Equestrian Club of Riyadh
- Saudi king details succession law
- Crude oil prices
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Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
Born: 1924 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Fahd |
King of Saudi Arabia 2005 – present |
Incumbent Designated heir: Crown Prince Sultan |
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Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine •
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine •
Ralph Bunche •| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Abdullah |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | عبد الله بن عبد العزيز آل سعود(Arabic non-titular name) |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | King of Saudi Arabia |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1924 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |