On 5 March 2020, a British court ruled thaton the balance of probabilities, Mohammed had abducted two of his daughters,Shamsa andLatifa, and had threatened his former wife, the Jordanian princessHaya bint Hussein.[17] Allegedly, Shamsa and Latifa were forcibly medicated while held in Dubai under Mohammed's orders since 2000 and 2018, respectively.[18] On 16 February 2021, theBBC'sPanorama broadcast a documentary featuring Latifa's video messages that she made secretly under enforced detention in Dubai on her father's orders.[19][20]
Mohammed is anequestrian and is the founder of theMaktoum family-ownedGodolphin stable and the owner ofDarley, athoroughbred breeding operation, operational in six countries. In 2012, he rode the horseMadji Du Pont 160 km to take theFEI World Endurance Championship.[21]
From the age of four, Mohammed was privately tutored inArabic andIslamic Studies. In 1955, he began formal education at Al Ahmedia School. At the age of 10, he moved to Al Shaab School, and two years later, attended Dubai Secondary School. In 1966, with his cousinMohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, he attended theBell Educational Trust's English Language School in the United Kingdom.[25][26] He subsequently studied at theMons Officer Cadet School inAldershot, passing out with the sword of honour as the topCommonwealth student.[27] He also travelled to Italy to train as a pilot.[28]
In January 1968, Mohammed was present when his father and SheikhZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan first met in the desert between Dubai and Abu Dhabi atArgoub El Sedira[31] to agree to the formation of a union of emirates following British notification of intent to withdraw from theTrucial States. When the new country of the United Arab Emirates was founded on 2 December 1971, Mohammed became its first minister of defence at the age of 22.[30][32]
A period of uncertainty and instability followed the Union of the United Arab Emirates, including skirmishes between tribes over property, straddling new borders. On 24 January 1972, the exiled former ruler of theEmirate of Sharjah, SheikhSaqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi, led an insurrectionistcoup against his successor,Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.[33] Following a spirited firefight between theUnion Defence Force and Sheikh Saqr's forces – mostlyEgyptian mercenaries who had entered the UAE throughRas Al Khaimah[31] – Mohammed accepted Saqr's surrender.[33] Sheikh Khalid had been killed in the action, leading to the accession of his brotherSultan as ruler of Sharjah. Mohammed delivered Saqr to UAE president Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who put Saqr under house arrest inAl Ain.[34]
In 1973, Mohammed was involved in protracted negotiations with the hijackers ofJAL 404, led byJapanese Red Army member Osamu Maruouka, which landed in Dubai after being hijacked as it departedSchiphol Airport. Although unsuccessful in obtaining the release of the hostages (they were finally freed, and the 747 blown up, in Libya), he was more successful in a later negotiation with the three hijackers ofKLM 861, who released the balance of their hostages and handed over the plane in return for safe passage.[35] In 1977, Mohammed oversaw the integration of Dubai's military forces with those of the otheremirates.[30]
With Indian prime ministerManmohan Singh (right), March 2010
On 3 January 1995, Mohammed's brother SheikhMaktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum,ruler of Dubai, signed two decrees. One decree appointed Mohammed as crown prince and the other appointed their brotherHamdan as the deputy ruler of Dubai.[36]
Mohammed is theabsolute monarch of Dubai.[42] The government is described asautocratic, as there are no democratic institutions, and internal dissent is prohibited.[11][12][13][14] Scholars characterize the UAE as authoritarian.[15][16] According to human rights organizations, there are systematichuman rights violations, including the torture and forced disappearance of government critics.[43] There is a blurred line between the assets of the state of Dubai and those of theAl Maktoum ruling family.[4]
On 19 October 2020, Mohammed led the UAE Council of Ministers meeting that ratified apeace agreement with Israel, normalizing diplomatic relationships between the countries.[48] The Council, again headed by Mohammed, approved the decision to found anEmirati embassy inTel Aviv in January, and Mohammed swore in the first Emirati ambassador to Israel, Mahmoud Al Khajah, a month later.[49]
Mohammed founded theMohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in 2015,[50] which announced it would be launching a spacecraft toMars to study the planet’s atmosphere;[51] He stated that the planet was chosen for its "epic challenge,"[52] saying it would benefit theEmirati economy.[53] He announced that the mission would be called Hope after a public vote, as the name would "send a message of optimism to millions of young Arabs,"[54] since "Arab civilisation once played a great role in contributing to human knowledge, and [would] play that role again."[55]
Mohammed announced that theHope mission had succeeded at orbit insertion on 9 February 2021,[56] and shared the first picture the probe had captured days later. Hope became the first Arab mission to space, as well as the first of three missions in July 2020—the others from the United States and China–to arrive at Mars.[57][58][59]
At the World Economic Forum Summit on the Global Agenda, 2008
Mohammed has overseen the creation and growth of a number of businesses and economic assets of Dubai, with a number held by two companies under his ownership,Dubai World andDubai Holding. According to the laws of Dubai, the ruling family owns all undeveloped land in Dubai, which has allowed the family to prosper from real estate development.[4] During Mohammed's rule, Dubai has seen enormous population growth, causing a real estate boom in Dubai.[66] The boom was in part facilitated by Sheikh Mohammed's 2002 decree that foreigners would be allowed to purchase property in Dubai.[66]
Mohammed establishedDubai World by decree,[67] leading to the company's launch on 2 July 2006, as aholding company consolidating a number of assets including logistics company,DP World, property developerNakheel Properties, and investment companyIstithmar World. With more than 50,000 employees in over 100 cities around the globe, the Group has real estate, logistics and other business investments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. The company is owned by thegovernment of Dubai.[67]
Sheikh Mohammed's personal corporate portfolio is theDubai Holding Group, which is involved in a variety of investments.[67]Dubai Holding benefits from its association with theruling family of Dubai, and is given free land by the Dubai government.[4]
Through the 1970s, as well as his role as head of Dubai Defence Force and UAE Minister of Defence, Mohammed oversaw Dubai's energy resources and was in charge of theDubai Civil Aviation Authority. It was in this latter role, in March 1985, that he foundedEmirates Airline,[68] tasking then-head ofDnata,Maurice Flanagan, with launching a new airline to be calledEmirates after a dispute with Gulf Air over Dubai's 'Open Skies' policy. The launch budget of the airline was $10 million (the amount Flanagan said he needed to launch an airline) and its inaugural flight took place on 25 October 1985.[69][70] Sheikh Mohammed appointed his uncle SheikhAhmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum as chairman of the new company. A further $75 million in facilities and materials was provided, butEmirates has always maintained that it has received no further subsidies throughout the company's meteoric growth to become one of the world's leading airlines.[69]
In 1989, Mohammed inaugurated the firstDubai Airshow. In 2013, the exhibition had grown to over 1,000 exhibiting companies, and was the venue forEmirates' placement of the largest aeroplane order in history, with $99 billion combined orders withAirbus for itsA380 andBoeing for its777X.[71][better source needed]
TheBurj Al Arab was inaugurated in December 1999. The hotel, constructed from a design byWS Atkins in response to a brief from Mohammed to create "a truly iconic" building, styles itself as "the world's most luxurious hotel". It was constructed on an island offshore from theJumeirah Beach Hotel, the first property managed byJumeirah,[72] the hotel management company launched by Mohammed in 1997 and headed by ex-Trust House Forte executive Gerald Lawless. While work began on both hotels at the same time, the island to house theBurj Al Arab required three years to build before construction began above ground.Jumeirah's international expansion, driven after it became part ofDubai Holding in 2004,[73] encompasses 22 hotels in ten countries.[74]
On 29 October 1999, Mohammed announcedDubai Internet City, a technology hub and free trade zone. Offering companies long leases, full ownership, and fast access to government services,DIC grew from its first tenants in October 2000, to a current zone employing about 15,000 people.[75][better source needed] In November 2000, it was joined byDubai Media City, a content and media production-free zone, which is co-located with DIC. The launch of DIC came with assurances from Mohammed regarding media freedoms. In 2007, he issued a decree banning the imprisonment of journalists following an incident in which local journalists were accused oflibel and sentenced to jail terms.[76]
In June 2017, two new initiatives were added to theMohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives, within the "Empowering Communities" sector, namely the International Institute for Tolerance and the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Tolerance. In this respect, Sheikh Mohammed issued Law No. (9) of 2017 on the Establishment of the International Institute for Tolerance and Decree No. (23) of 2017 on the Formation of a Board of Trustees and Decree No. (28) of 2017 on the Appointment of a Managing Director for the International Institute for Tolerance. In this respect, Law No. (9) of 2017 includes the launch of the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Tolerance, administered in accordance with the provisions and statute of said Law. Hence, the establishment of the International Institute for Tolerance aims at instilling a spirit of tolerance across the community, building a cohesive society, strengthening the UAE's standing and position as a model of tolerance, as well as renouncing extremism and all forms of discrimination among people on the basis of religion, sex, race, color or language, in addition to honoring all entities and institutions contributing to the promotion of tolerance and open, interfaith dialogue.[82]
Mohammed is a major figure in internationalthoroughbredhorse racing andbreeding. He ownsDarley Stud, the biggest horse breeding operation in the world with farms in the United States, Ireland, England, and Australia. In 1985 he bought the IrishthoroughbredPark Appeal for an undisclosed sum at the end of her second season. She went on to produce at least nine winners from twelvefoals and is the ancestor of many successful horses.[83]
Mohammed had raced horses as a child (he would share his breakfast with his horse on the way to school)[84] but he attended his first formal race atNewmarket in 1967 with his brother Hamdan, watchingRoyal Palace win the 2,000guineas.[85][better source needed] Becoming an owner in his own right, ten years later he won his first race with Hatta at Brighton. And five years after that, Mohammed and Hamdan had three studs and 100 horses under training.[86]
By 1992, Mohammed had started 'wintering' his horses in Dubai, frequently against the advice of trainers and pundits in the UK. The results were a string of high-profile wins, and by 1994 he foundedGodolphin. In 1995, his hands-on approach to racing resulted in a major split with leading trainerHenry Cecil after a disagreement over racing a horse Mohammed insisted was injured. Cecil took the argument public and Mohammed removed all his horses from Cecil's stable.[87]
In 1996, theDubai World Cup was inaugurated as the world's richest horserace, drawing the legendary American dirt track horseCigar to race in Dubai. Today, held at theMeydan Racecourse, the race meeting carries a prize of $27 million.
At the age of 63, Mohammed won the 2012 World Endurance Championship over a 160 km course.[90] Both histhoroughbreds and endurance horses have failed drug tests – although his trainers (includingMahmood Al Zarooni) have accepted the blame. His endurance racing stable has also been involved in other scandals, including both fatal injuries, and ringers.[91] In 2015, theFEI suspended the United Arab Emirates following a series of scandals.[92]
Mohammed has three daughters named Latifa. The other two daughters are not connected to this allegation.
An early 2000s British police investigation of allegations, made by a former riding instructor about the attempted escape of Mohammed's daughterLatifa (born 1985) from her family estate in England and the subsequent kidnapping on a street inCambridge of Latifa's sisterShamsa in 2001, was inconclusive. He has been indicted due to the mistreatment of Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum since then.[99]
Sheikha Latifa escaped Dubai before being captured in theIndian Ocean.
On 11 March 2018, a video was released of Sheikha Latifa[100][101][102] after her failed attempt to flee the UAE and subsequent disappearance,[103] in which she claimed she was fleeing from her family, made allegations of abuse, and said her father was responsible for a number of murders, including the murder of his deceased older brother's wife. The escape attempt was the focus of a documentary by Australian broadcasterNine News as well asBBCNewsnight investigation.[104][105]
In December 2018, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsMary Robinson, after meeting Latifa in the presence of other family members, said that Latifa was now in the care of her family. Her statement was criticised by human rights groups, who said that Robinson would not have been able to tell in the meeting whether Latifa truly had psychological issues.[106] A spokeswoman for "The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice" confirmed that Robinson was approached by Latifa's stepmotherPrincess Haya bint Hussein, an old friend of Robinson's, and was requested to go to Dubai by Princess Haya and that Haya paid the fare, less than two weeks after theBBC ran a documentary detailing Latifa's failed escape attempt in March.[107][108][109] Robinson admits she was "horribly tricked" when photographs of the private lunch were made public and that both she and Haya had been told of details of Latifa'sbipolar disorder, a condition which she does not have.[110] Latifa's cousin Marcus Essabri reported that Latifa's photos with Mary Robinson seem to show Latifa medicated while held in Dubai under her father's orders.[18]
In February 2021, video footage obtained by the BBC showed Latifa saying she has been "a hostage" for over a year "with no access to medical help" in "solitary confinement" without access to medical or legal help in a "villa jail" with windows and doors barred shut, and guarded by police. The governments of Dubai and the UAE have not responded to requests for comment from the BBC.[111] Despite her family's insistence that she has been enjoying time with them at home the past two years, Latifa says in the series of videos released by her advocates that she is "a hostage" and fears for her life. "Every day, I'm worried about my safety in my life. I don't really know if I'm going to survive this situation. The police threaten me that they would take me outside and shoot me if I didn't cooperate with them," she said. "They also threatened me that I would be in prison my whole life and I'll never see the sun again."[112][113]
In 2021, investigative reporting into thePegasus spyware found that Latifa's name was added to a list of names that were potential targets of the spyware just days before she was seized by Indian commandos, off the coast of India, while she was aboard a yacht in an attempt to flee Dubai.[114] A brief statement issued on Latifa's behalf by law firmTaylor Wessing stated that she was free to travel and requested privacy.[115][116] In the same year the #FreeLatifa campaign ended after Latifa had been photographed in public places such as Dubai, Spain and Iceland.[115]
In February 2022, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, stated that she met Latifa in Paris and that Latifa was well and wished for respect for her privacy.[117]
In June 2019, Princess Haya fled Dubai along with her two children, a son and a daughter, and was in Germany seekingpolitical asylum.[118] A subsequent poem composed by Mohammed (an occasional couplet-writer) and posted onInstagram alluded to betrayal in love.[119][120]
In December 2019, a UKfamily court ruled that,on the balance of probabilities, Mohammed may have committed the crime of "taunting" Haya after her adulterous affair with a bodyguard became known, which verbal "taunting", the court held, amounted to subjecting Haya to "a campaign of intimidation",[121] reportedly including guns placed on her pillow.[122] The findings were published in March 2021.[123][124][17] In October 2021, theHigh Court ruled that Mohammed's agents used the IsraeliPegasus spyware to hack the phones of Princess Haya, her solicitors, a personal assistant and two members of her security team in the summer of 2020. The court ruled that the agents acted "with the express or implied authority" of the sheikh; he denied knowledge of the hacking. The judgment referred to the hacking as "serial breaches of (UK) domestic criminal law", "in violation of fundamental common law andECHR rights", "interference with the process of this court and the mother's access to justice" and "abuse of power" by ahead of state.[125]
In December 2021, Haya was granted full custody of her children, andalimony and support in the amount of US$720 million.[126] In 2022, the court ordered that there should be no direct contact between Mohammed and his children, and no input by him into decision-making about their lives.[20]
In September 2006, Mohammed was accused of encouraging the abduction andenslavement of thousands of boys for use as jockeys incamel races. Aclass-action suit was filed against him in the US state of Florida.[127][128][129] In 2006, American lawyers representing the UAE raised a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on the grounds that none of the involved parties resided in the US, arguing that the UN program best served the interests of the children. In July 2007, JudgeCecilia Altonaga accepted the motion and dismissed the suit.[130]
A 2006UNICEF-sponsored program with the UAE government resulted in the repatriation of hundreds of children formerlyenslaved ascamel jockeys, and provided them with social services and compensation upon return to their home countries of Pakistan, Sudan, Mauritania, and Bangladesh. The UAE government set aside US$2.7 million in initial funding in 2005 with an additional $9 million for the second phase, and to enforce compliance, adopted a law officially banning the practice with penalties of jail time and a $27,200 fine.[131]UNICEF endorsed the UAE's efforts and expressed the hopes that "the UAE's programme will serve as a model to other countries in the region, as a means of ending all forms of exploitation of children".[132]
In April 2013, Mohammed's Godolphin stables trainerMahmood Al Zarooni was disqualified for eight years fromthoroughbred horse racing by theBritish Horseracing Authority for administeringsteroids to eleven racehorses. Mohammed stated that he was "appalled and angered" by the case and announced that the stable would be locked down while drug tests were carried out on all horses under Al Zarooni's care.[133] In May, Mohammed, as prime minister of the UAE, issued a decree outlawing and criminalizing the use ofanabolic steroids on horses in the UAE.[134]
In October 2013, Mohammed faced another scandal in the venue ofhorseracing, with reports of potentially toxic and dangerous steroids,anaesthetics, andanti-inflammatory drugs being shipped into the UAE, mislabeled as "horse tack".The Telegraph commented that a "PR campaign is already underway, with Sheikh Mohammed again cast as a victim of employee malpractice".[135]
In October 2021, an investigation by theInternational Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed that over 330 prominent politicians and public officials across the world had ties with offshore companies. Amongst them were 35 current and former world leaders. The leaked 11.9 million files revealed that Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also used offshore companies to manage and expand his wealth. In order to carry out his dealings, he registered three companies in thetax havens of theBritish Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Bahamas. Registered by an Emirati firm, Axiom Limited, the three companies were Tandem Investco Limited and Tandem DirectorCo Limited in BVI and Allied International Investments Limited in the Bahamas. Partly owned by theDubai Holding, in which Mohammed owns major shares, Axiom Limited used the three companies to “expand its core business”.[136][137][138]
Sheikh Mohammed has 26 children from several wives.[139][needs update]
One of Sheikh Mohammed's ex-wives isPrincess Haya bint Hussein, daughter of former KingHussein of Jordan and half-sister of KingAbdullah II of Jordan.[140] In 2022, the High Court of England and Wales ruled and mandated that Sheikh Mohammed must not have direct contact with his children by Princess Haya, or input into decision-making about them, because of his coercive and abusive behaviour which "had emotionally and psychologically harmed their children".[20]
Sheikh Mohammed owns the yacht namedDubai, built by the German companyBlohm + Voss and designed by English designerAndrew Winch, who owns Winch Design. The yacht is 162 metres (531 ft) long, and was the world's third largest yacht as of 2014, with the capacity for up to 115 people including crew.[143] Another of his yachts is the 40 metres (130 ft)Alloya, built by Sanlorenzo in 2013.[144][145]
Sheikh Mohammed owns real estate in the United Kingdom worth more than 100 million British pounds, as well as properties inRome through a company registered in Luxembourg.[3] According to a 2021 analysis byThe Guardian and Transparency International, Sheikh Mohammed is one of the largest landowners in the UK, owning more than 100,000 acres.[146] The exact number of properties is not known, as most of the properties connected to him are owned throughoffshore companies in thetax havens ofGuernsey andJersey.[146] When asked about these holdings, Sheikh Mohammed's lawyer rejected that the properties were bought through offshore companies or that the holdings were intended to avoid UK taxes.[146]
In the 2021Pandora Papers leaks, it was revealed that Sheikh Mohammed was a shareholder in three additional companies registered in jurisdictions allowing secrecy.[147]
Mohammad has been married to at least eleven women. As of 2023, he is divorced from all his wives except his first wife, SheikhaHind bint Maktoum Al Maktoum.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born 18 November 2004).
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 14 November 1982), Crown Prince of Dubai (since 2008), Deputy Prime Minister of UAE (since 2024), and Defence Minister of UAE (since 2024). He is married to Sheikha Shaikha bint Saeed bin Thani Al Maktoum.[151] He has four children:
Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum (born 20 May 2021).[152]
Sheikha Shaikha bint Hamdan Al Maktoum (born 20 May 2021).[152]
Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamdan Al Maktoum (born 25 February 2023).[153]
Sheikha Hind bint Hamdan Al Maktoum (born 22 March 2025).[154]
Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 24 November 1983), First Deputy Ruler of Dubai (since 2008), Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE (since 2021), UAE Minister of Finance (since 2021). He is married to Sheikha Maryam bint Butti bin Maktoum Al Maktoum,[155] and they have four daughters:
Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum Al Maktoum (born 24 November 2020).[156]
Sheikha Latifa bint Maktoum Al Maktoum (born 11 January 2022).[157]
Sheikha Shaikha bint Maktoum Al Maktoum (born 25 January 2023).[158]
Sheikha Maryam bint Maktoum Al Maktoum (born 7 July 2025)[159]
Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 7 February 1987), Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai (since 2023). He is married to Sheikha Madiyah bint Dalmook Al Maktoum.[155] They have one daughter:
Sheikha Hind bint Ahmed Al Maktoum (born 22 October 2022).
Sheikh Saeed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 20 March 1988).
Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi (born 29 December 2009).
Sheikha Aisha bint Mohammed Al Sharqi (born 1 November 2011).
Sheikha Fatima bint Mohammed Al Sharqi (born 11 March 2014).
Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Sharqi (born 15 December 2015).[161]
Sheikha Hind bint Mohammed Al Sharqi (born 22 June 2020).
Sheikha Maryam bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (II) (born 11 January 1992). She is married to Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, and they have three sons:
Sheikh Mohammed bin Khaled Al Nahyan (born 25 September 2020).[162]
Sheikh Hamdan bin Khaled Al Nahyan (born 25 August 2021).[163]
Sheikh Khalifa bin Khaled Al Nahyan (born 10 October 2022).[164]
Sheikha Shaikha bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 20 December 1992). She is married toSheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and they have five children:
Sheikha Sheema bint Nasser Al Khalifa (born 16 July 2010).
Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser Al Khalifa (born 6 June 2012).
Sheikh Mohammed bin Nasser Al Khalifa (born 6 June 2012).
Sheikh Hamdan bin Nasser Al Khalifa (born 28 October 2018).[165]
Sheikh Khalid bin Nasser Al Khalifa (born 15 February 2022).[166]
Sheikha Futtaim bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 22 July 1994).[167]
Sheikha Salamah bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 8 August 1999).
Sheikha Shamma bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 13 November 2001).
Mohammed has one daughter from his marriage to Zoe Grigorakos:
SheikhaMahra bint Mohammed Al Maktoum (born 26 February 1994). She was married to Sheikh Mana bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mana Al Maktoum from 2023 until her divorce in 2024.[179]
Sheikha Mahra bint Mana Al Maktoum (born 1 May 2024)
^abMarozzi, Justin (2019).Islamic Empires: Fifteen Cities that Define a Civilization. Penguin UK.ISBN978-0-241-19905-3.Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved30 October 2021.There is no free speech in Dubai ... criticism of the ruling family, or any other political activity, is absolutely prohibited ... Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai
^Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (2012).Spirit of the Union: Lecture on the Occasion of the United Arab Emirates' Fortieth National Day. Dubai, UAE: Motivate. p. 34.ISBN9781860633300.OCLC957655419.
^Edmonson, Richard (26 March 1996)."Sheikh Speaks Out On Cecil".The Independent.Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved1 November 2014.
^Pagones, Rachel (2007).Dubai Millennium: A Vision Realised, A Dream Lost. UK: Highdown. p. 118.ISBN978-1-905156-32-0.