Omar Saif Ghobash

Omar Saif Ghobash (Arabic: عمر سيف غباش; born 4 June 1971)[1] is the Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy in the UAE and an author.[2] He was appointed ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to France on 24 November 2017, having previously served as UAE ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2017.[3] Ghobash authored the book, Letters to a Young Muslim, which was written as a series of letters to his eldest son about what it means to be Muslim in the 21st century.[4]

Omar Saif Ghobash
عمر سيف غباش
Omar Saif Ghobash with Dmitry Medvedev
United Arab Emirates Ambassador to France
In office
24 November 2017 – 2018
PresidentKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Preceded byMaadhad Hareb Al Khayeli
United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Russia
In office
27 February 2009 – November 2017
PresidentKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Personal details
Born (1971-06-04) 4 June 1971
Ras Al Kaimah, Trucial States
SpouseFatima Ghobash
ChildrenSaif, Abdullah
ParentSaif Ghobash
Alma materBalliol College, Oxford (BA)

Education

Ghobash attended Rugby School, a boarding independent school for boys in Rugby, Warwickshire. Ghobash read Law at Balliol College at the University of Oxford and graduated in 1992. Between 2003 and 2007, he studied BSc. in Pure and Applied Mathematics, in an external programme at the University of London.[5]

Life and career

Ghobash sponsors the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, in memory of his father, Saif Ghobash, the UAE's first minister of state for foreign affairs,[6] who was assassinated at Abu Dhabi International Airport in 1977.[7][8] Likewise, he is a founding trustee of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction which runs with the support of the Booker Prize Foundation. He founded one of the region's first contemporary art galleries, The Third Line, which is based in Dubai as well as The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture which supports and identifies the production, research, and distribution channels of contemporary Arab art and culture.

Ghobash is on the advisory body of The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence at King's College London and the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi.[9]

Prior to his appointment as ambassador, the UAE did not have a diplomatic mission in Moscow for many years. More recently, however, the UAE has invested roughly US$6 billion in Russian infrastructure.[10] Ghobash believes Russian participation in fighting extremism is integral to creating stability in the Middle East.[11] A delegation from Abu Dhabi led by the UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has bolstered its presence at The Kremlin in 2015 to coproduce solutions to counter terrorism and conflicts in the Middle East.[12]

He is considered by many to be a thought leader on moderate Islam and the future of the Arab world, often calling for change through technological innovation and education in Arab countries.[13] Regarding extremism in young Muslims, he said, “The key challenge for us is to stop treating our youth with distance, because there are recruiters out there making sure to grab those youth from us.”[14]

After receiving funding from the government of Abu Dhabi, Ghobash was involved in 2008 in discussions with John Sexton on the opening of a campus of New York University in Abu Dhabi in 2010.[15]

Ghobash is an avid hiker, once spending five years climbing the mountains of Nepal and Switzerland. He speaks Arabic, English, Russian, French, Italian and Spanish.[1]

Bibliography
  • Ghobash, Omar Saif (12 January 2017). Letters to a Young Muslim. Picador. ISBN 9781509842599.

References
  1. "New envoys urged to lift UAE's stature". Gulf News. 21 September 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  2. "Noura Al Kaabi and Omar Saif Ghobash assume new roles at Expo 2020 Dubai". www.gulftoday.ae. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  3. "UAE Russia ambassador meets President Medvedev". Emirates Business 24/7. 28 February 2009. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  4. Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem (11 January 2017). "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Two Books About Muslim Identity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  5. "people - Sharjah Art Foundation". sharjahart.org. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  6. "Remembering Saif Ghobash". Gulf News. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  7. "About The Prize". Banipal Trust for Arab Literature. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  8. Niblock, Tim (1982). State, society and economy in Saudi Arabia. Taylor & Francis. p. 161. ISBN 0-7099-1806-2. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  9. "Governance". ICSR. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  10. "Portrait of a Nation: Omar Ghobash". The National. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  11. "People & Politics: UAE and Russia have a bond that will only grow stronger". The National. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  12. "UAE and Russia in talks to tackle extremism in Middle East". The National. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  13. "Fighting ISIS in the Realm of Ideas". Knowledge at Wharton.
  14. Al Almeri, Khalid. "Our Youth Need Guidance". The National. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  15. Lewin, Tamar (10 February 2008). "U.S. Universities Rush to Set Up Outposts Abroad". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
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