Back Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Afrikaans محمد بن زايد آل نهيان Arabic محمد بن زايد آل نهيان ARZ Məhəmməd bin Zayed Əl-Nəhyan Azerbaijani Мухамед бен Зайд ан-Нахаян Byelorussian Мохамед ибн Заид ал-Нахаян Bulgarian মোহাম্মদ বিন জায়েদ আল নাহিয়ান Bengali/Bangla Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Catalan محەممەد بن زاید CKB Muhammad ibn Zájid Ál Nahján Czech

Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

"MbZ" redirects here. For other uses of the initials MBZ, see MBZ.
In this Arabic name, the surname is Al Nahyan.

Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
محمد بن زايد آل نهيان
Sheikh Mohammed in 2024
3rd President of the United Arab Emirates
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 May 2022
Prime MinisterMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Vice President
Preceded byKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Ruler of Abu Dhabi
Reign13 May 2022 – present
PredecessorKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Heir apparentKhaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan
Born (1961-03-11) 11 March 1961 (age 63)
Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Trucial States
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1981)​
Issue
Detail
  • Sheikha Mariam
  • Sheikh Khaled
  • Sheikha Shamsa
  • Sheikh Theyab
  • Sheikh Hamdan
  • Sheikha Fatima
  • Sheikha Shamma
  • Sheikh Zayed
  • Sheikha Hassa
  • Amina (adopted)
  • Salha (adopted)
Names
Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa bin Shakhbout bin Theyab bin Issa bin Nahyan bin Falah bin Yas[1]
Arabic: محمد بن زايد بن سلطان بن زايد بن خليفة بن شخبوط بن ذياب بن عيسى بن نهيان بن فلاح بن ياس
HouseAl Nahyan
FatherZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
MotherFatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi
Education
ReligionSunni Islam
Military career
Service / branchUnited Arab Emirates Air Force
Years of service1979–present
RankGeneral
Commands

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan[a] (born 11 March 1961), popularly known by his initials as MBZ or MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who currently serves as the third president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi.[2][3][4]

MBZ completed his education in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in April 1979.[5] He later joined the UAE Military and held various posts before becoming a pilot in the UAE Air Force; he was promoted to general in 2005.[5]

Sheikh Mohamed is the third son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was the first president of the UAE and the 16th ruler of Abu Dhabi.[6][7] MBZ became the crown prince of Abu Dhabi in November 2004, following the death of his father, when his brother, Sheikh Khalifa became the second president of the UAE and the ruler of Abu Dhabi.[8] In 2014, Sheikh Khalifa suffered a stroke and MBZ became the de facto president of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi.[7] MBZ officially became president of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, after being chosen by the UAE Supreme Council, following the death of his brother on 13 May 2022.[6] On 29 March 2023, MBZ appointed his son Sheikh Khalid as crown prince of Abu Dhabi and his future successor.[9]

Academics have characterized the UAE under MBZ as an authoritarian capitalist country.[10][11] Since Mohamed became the de facto president, he introduced policies which aimed at economic liberalization. This included the introduction of VAT in 2018,[12] corporate taxes[13] and bankruptcy laws;[14] the elimination of gas subsidies,[15] as well as the removal of curbs of foreign ownership of businesses[16] and the decriminalization of bounced cheques.[17] MBZ also introduced liberal social policies under his watch, including the de jure removal of corporal punishment and Sharia law outside of blood money claims and personal status matters of Muslims;[18] the decriminalization of co-habitation, extra-marital relationships and alcohol consumption by Muslims;[19] a legal process of children born outside of wedlock;[20] and civil courts for personal status matters of non-Muslims residents.[21]

MBZ is known to be a fierce opponent of the Muslim Brotherhood,[22][23] Iran and its proxies in the Middle East.[24] Since becoming de facto president, the UAE participated in the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the Syrian civil war and was officially part of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen until the MBZ disagreed with the Saudi Arabia's approach in the war for its support of Al-Islah, a party which is known to have close connections with the Muslim Brotherhood but has maintained his support of the Southern Transitional Council.[25] MBZ fell out with the Obama administration on the Iran nuclear deal and supported the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.[26][27] The UAE was a leading party in the Qatar diplomatic crisis, in which the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan severed diplomatic relations with Qatar based on claims that Qatar supports the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoot organizations.[28] MBZ maintained a close relationship with former US President Donald Trump, with reports suggesting that MBZ was pushing Trump to take a tougher stance on Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood.[28] In September 2020, the UAE, alongside Bahrain, and later Morocco and Sudan, signed the Abraham Accords, an agreement to normalize diplomatic relationship with the State of Israel, a deal which was brokered by Trump.[29] The UAE has more recently been involved in an economic rivalry with Saudi Arabia,[30] and opposed Saudi efforts for OPEC+ production cuts.[31][32]

In 2019, The New York Times named him as the most powerful Arab ruler,[33] and was named as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2019 by Time magazine.[34][35] In 2023, the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre ranked MBZ as the eighth-most influential Muslim.[36]

  1. ^ "H. H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan - The Official Portal of the UAE Government". U.ae. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  2. ^ Cafiero, Giorgio. "Analysis: With MBZ as president, is it time for a US-UAE reset?". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Top Facts About HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan". UAE Moments. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Who is MBZ, the UAE's new president?". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference BIO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Hubbard, Ben (14 May 2022). "Mohammed bin Zayed, an Ambitious U.S. Partner, Rises to Lead the U.A.E." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Crown prince, longtime de facto ruler Mohamed bin Zayed elected UAE president". Times of Israel. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference mubadala was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "UAE leader names his son as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi". CNN. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Schmid, Ulrich (17 December 2021). "Authoritarianism has not hindered UAE's economic success". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). ISSN 0376-6829. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  12. ^ John, Isaac. "5% value added tax in UAE from 2018". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  13. ^ Barrington, Lisa (1 June 2023). "UAE begins corporate tax roll-out, with free zones exempted". Reuters. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  14. ^ "New UAE insolvency law: Everything you need to know". gulfnews.com. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  15. ^ Kerr, Simeon; Clark, Pilita (22 July 2015). "UAE drops fuel subsidies to boost finances and cut emissions". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  16. ^ "UAE: What are the business activities that allow 100 per cent foreign ownership? All you need to know". gulfnews.com. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  17. ^ "UAE: Bounced cheque cases decriminalised – what happens to old cases?". gulfnews.com. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  18. ^ "Federal Decree Law No. (15) of 2020". Ministry of Justice. 27 September 2020. Pages 1, Article 1 "The provisions of the Islamic Shari’a shall apply to the retribution and blood money crimes. Other crimes and their respective punishments shall be provided for in accordance with the provisions of this Law and other applicable penal codes". Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  19. ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (9 November 2020). "UAE decriminalises alcohol and lifts ban on unmarried couples living together". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  20. ^ Tabrez, Huda (3 January 2022). "What is the legal status of a child born out of wedlock?". Gulf News. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  21. ^ Husain, Zainab (27 December 2022). "New UAE law for non-Muslims – 5 criteria for civil marriage". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  22. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. (27 March 2023). "The Dirty Secrets of a Smear Campaign". The New Yorker. Vol. 99, no. 7. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference :8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference The New York Times was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Al-Atrush, Samer; England, Andrew (19 September 2023). "US pushes Saudi Arabia and UAE to heal divisions over Yemen". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  26. ^ "Quiet ties and secret talks paved way for UAE-Israel deal". AP News. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  27. ^ "World leaders react to Trump's nuclear deal decision". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  28. ^ a b Gross, Terry. "UAE's Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed's Growing Influence On The U.S." NPR.
  29. ^ Ward, Alex (1 December 2020). "The battle over Trump's huge UAE arms deal, explained". Vox. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  30. ^ Said, Summer; Kalin, Stephen (3 March 2023). "WSJ News Exclusive | Saudi Arabia and U.A.E. Clash Over Oil, Yemen as Rift Grows". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  31. ^ "UAE Won't Make Extra Voluntary OPEC+ Output Cuts at This Time". Bloomberg.com. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  32. ^ Said, Summer; Nissenbaum, Dion (1 November 2022). "WSJ News Exclusive | Before OPEC+ Production Cut, Saudis Heard Objections From a Top Ally, the U.A.E." The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  33. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. (2 June 2019). "The Most Powerful Arab Ruler Isn't M.B.S. It's M.B.Z." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  34. ^ "Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed: The 100 Most Influential People of 2019". TIME. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  35. ^ "Mohammad Bin Zayed named among Time's 100 most influential people 2019". gulfnews.com. 18 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  36. ^ "THE WORLD'S 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS" (PDF). The Muslim 500. 2023.


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