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Nelson Mandela once commented that it is “better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Ruler of a tiny sheikhdom on the Arabian Peninsula, never operated on the same plain as the South African icon, but nevertheless he knew the dangers to which Mandela referred.
Rashid: Portrait of a Ruler is a story of leadership, the profound tale of a man who gave his life in the pursuit of progress. Growing up in the poverty of Arabia at the turn of a new century, the Ajman of Sheikh Rashid’s youth was a small, fishing and pearling village. As the son of the Ruler, he was born to lead during turbulent times. As Heir Apparent, the young sheikh grappled with holding together an embattled population amid the uncertainties of difficult times.
In 1928, Sheikh Rashid acceded as Ruler of Ajman. His unenviable task was about to get tougher. A combination of world economic collapse, and the advent of Japanese cultured pearls, would have a ruinous effect upon the Gulf’s economic staple. In 1929 the pearling industry collapsed. The people of the region were thrown into economic purgatory.
Amid these darkest of times, Sheikh Rashid fought to feed his people, rebuild his economy from scratch and guarantee the security of Ajman in trying times. That the Ruler of Ajman succeeded over subsequent, often deeply trying decades is displayed by the emergence of Ajman today. The first four decades of his rule were anything but easy. Rashid: Portrait of a Ruler portrays a leader whose existence revolved around a daily struggle for national survival. Through innovation and determination, Ajman slowly rebuilt itself and the people saw their lot improve. By the late-1960s Sheikh Rashid was in the winter of his life, but worked on to play a role in forging the United Arab Emirates. December 2, 1971, represented the culmination of a long career in public life.
In 1981, Sheikh Rashid passed away. Yet he left behind an enduring legacy in the form of his successor, Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi. Under his leadership, Ajman has continued to prosper, evolving into one of the Arabian Peninsula’s investment hotspots.
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