General Questions About The Ruling Family Of Dubai


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
It is not part of our culture to do so. It remains to be seen whether this will change over the years with the younger generation.

I hope it does change :) *fingerscrossed*
 
All his other wives are never mentioned by him. I think they also believe in drawing fine line between their royal women and the commoner wives, after all royal wives need that royal status and might not want to see themselves on the same scale as that of commoner wife ...

It seems that these men officially recognize only the wives that they would have difficulty divorcing due to political reasons.

Unofficial wives are in the position of being far more disposable. After all, these secret marriages can be made and broken by the man for any petty reason without any public exposure or criticism. Do these unofficial wives ever know what's coming?

Worst of all, once divorced, the children of these women seem to be taken from their mothers and parceled out to be raised by "official" wives or paternal female relatives. I do not have a very high opinion of anyone who participates in separating a child from its own mother. Imagine the feelings of isolation, abandonment and low self-esteem this imposes on a young child.
 
Unofficial wives are in the position of being far more disposable. After all, these secret marriages can be made and broken by the man for any petty reason without any public exposure or criticism.

A marriage - official or unofficial - is not a public matter! Only the two partners have the right to make decisions about their marriage.

Do these unofficial wives ever know what's coming?

Do you ever know whats coming???

Worst of all, once divorced, the children of these women seem to be taken from their mothers and parceled out to be raised by "official" wives or paternal female relatives. I do not have a very high opinion of anyone who participates in separating a child from its own mother. Imagine the feelings of isolation, abandonment and low self-esteem this imposes on a young child.

First: This does not happen in all cases and also not in the form as you describe it!

Second: Usually in the ruling families it is mostly done with the consent of the biological mother to prepare young family members well for their future tasks. In this time the biological mother is in contact with her kid(s) but lacks of specific knowledge of family tradition of a ruling house from their own experience. The child is not taken away from her but merely additionally educated to be a Shaikh or Shaikha by an offcial wive who come from a ruling family.
 
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Worst of all, once divorced, the children of these women seem to be taken from their mothers and parceled out to be raised by "official" wives or paternal female relatives. I do not have a very high opinion of anyone who participates in separating a child from its own mother. Imagine the feelings of isolation, abandonment and low self-esteem this imposes on a young child.

Unofficial wife's children are never separated from their mothers and PARCELED out to be raised by anybody else like Sheikha Mahra was raised up by her own mother Zoe, But only in few cases the child is raised by some other women because of reasons unknown. Ofcourse not for separating them from their mothers and torturing them emotionally and mentally.
 
Ridah, you might be right, but let me tell you Sheikha Mahra's case is very different compared to other children from non-official wives. Sheikh Mohammed never knew about Mahra's existence, until she was 11 years old. Mahra's mom Zoe did not let him know she was expecting Mahra fearing that he would take away the child from her. Sheikha Mahra was raised as Catholic all these years until she recently met her father, converted and changed named to be called Sheikha Mahra. And this story quoted was told by Zoe, Sheikha Mahra's biological mom. A father knowing about her daughter's existence after so many years definitely tells a thing or two to me at least :flowers: However, on a safer side, things might not be that bad with every wife/ Sheikh.
 
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Bu Rashid = descendant of Rashid! Rashid was the name of his grandfather.

No that's not it, in UAE and some gulf countries sertan men names are assosiated with son names until an actual son is born
Ahmed is bu Shihab
Rashid is bu Snidah
Hamdan is bu Rashid

Once he is married and his first son is born then he would be "bu what ever the name is)
Bu = Abu = father of
 
Ridah, you might be right, but let me tell you Sheikha Mahra's case is very different compared to other children from non-official wives. Sheikh Mohammed never knew about Mahra's existence, until she was 11 years old. Mahra's mom Zoe did not let him know she was expecting Mahra fearing that he would take away the child from her. Sheikha Mahra was raised as Catholic all these years until she recently met her father, converted and changed named to be called Sheikha Mahra. And this story quoted was told by Zoe, Sheikha Mahra's biological mom. A father knowing about her daughter's existence after so many years definitely tells a thing or two to me at least :flowers: However, on a safer side, things might not be that bad with every wife/ Sheikh.

Shukran for the information Fatima, can you please post the link of the interview where zoe disclosed this information :)
 
Unofficial wife's children are never separated from their mothers and PARCELED out to be raised by anybody else like Sheikha Mahra was raised up by her own mother Zoe, But only in few cases the child is raised by some other women because of reasons unknown. Ofcourse not for separating them from their mothers and torturing them emotionally and mentally.

I was simply observing that the (3?) children who have been "raised by other women because of reasons unknown" are all the children of divorced "unofficial wives". One more might have been in the same situation, but as has been pointed out, what the mother saw happening to some of the older children led her to conceal her pregnancy.

Do I really think that Emiratis don't know the reasons for this phenomenon? No. I think the reasons are probably very well known, and likely include the "unofficial" status of the marriage, the national origins of the women and, I suspect, their religion.

In a polygamous family, the father spreads his attention among possibly dozens of children and multiple women. Mothers are advocates in helping their children get time, attention and other valuable resources. The privileged "official" wife who is a near relative of the husband has little interest in advocating for the needs of other offspring of her husband. Why would she? They are competitors to her own children and therefore her own status. Is anyone suggesting that this is not true?

Her main goals are: 1. Keeping those other children on the sidelines 2. Making sure that those children (especially the girls) do not do anything to jeopardize the reputations of her own children. Children without mothers are very easy to deal with in this regard. They can be taught from an early age to keep a low profile and not demand very much, because they have no mother to advocate for them. Thus, there is a motivation to marginalize the biological mother and get her completely out the sphere of influence so the children can be taught their place without interference.

The one child of an "unofficial" divorced foreign wife who has not kept a low profile has not exactly been embraced with loving arms by the "official" wife's children, has she? Because she was raised by her mother, rather than a female relative or official wife who could make sure that she was trained to keep her head down and know her place.
 
I was simply observing that the (3?) children who have been "raised by other women because of reasons unknown" are all the children of divorced "unofficial wives". One more might have been in the same situation, but as has been pointed out, what the mother saw happening to some of the older children led her to conceal her pregnancy.

Do I really think that Emiratis don't know the reasons for this phenomenon? No. I think the reasons are probably very well known, and likely include the "unofficial" status of the marriage, the national origins of the women and, I suspect, their religion.

In a polygamous family, the father spreads his attention among possibly dozens of children and multiple women. Mothers are advocates in helping their children get time, attention and other valuable resources. The privileged "official" wife who is a near relative of the husband has little interest in advocating for the needs of other offspring of her husband. Why would she? They are competitors to her own children and therefore her own status. Is anyone suggesting that this is not true?

Her main goals are: 1. Keeping those other children on the sidelines 2. Making sure that those children (especially the girls) do not do anything to jeopardize the reputations of her own children. Children without mothers are very easy to deal with in this regard. They can be taught from an early age to keep a low profile and not demand very much, because they have no mother to advocate for them. Thus, there is a motivation to marginalize the biological mother and get her completely out the sphere of influence so the children can be taught their place without interference.

The one child of an "unofficial" divorced foreign wife who has not kept a low profile has not exactly been embraced with loving arms by the "official" wife's children, has she? Because she was raised by her mother, rather than a female relative or official wife who could make sure that she was trained to keep her head down and know her place.
I agree with you, it now makes sense why some of sheikh mohammeds children were raised by his sisters and I think mahra's mum was smart to hide her pregnancy so mahra wouldn't be taken from her, I mean imagine having ur child taken away such a sad feeling and loss.
 
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could anyone elaborate regarding demolishing of sheikh rashid's house plz
 
could anyone elaborate regarding demolishing of sheikh rashid's house plz

Is is an old topic, happened long before.The reasons are not known publicly. So I think there is no basis for discussion.
 
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Road named after Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid

Shaikh Saud Bin Rashid Al Mualla, Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, has ordered naming Al Wasl Road after Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

In a statement to Emirates News Agency (WAM), Shaikh Saud said that the decision coincides with the UAE’s 43rd National Day celebrations, and comes in recognition of the role played by Shaikh Mohammad as a successful leader.

article
 
I recently saw a picture of a major Dubai sheikh with three brothers, who are high-ranking Abu Dhabi sheikhs. The Dubai sheikh had one man's hand in a handshake, and was holding the another man by the wrist/forearm.

Can anyone explain the gesture of holding another person by the wrist while their hand remains passive versus shaking or holding hands? Do older people only do this to younger? Is there a power differential implied? Do hosts do this with their guests?
 
I recently saw a picture of a major Dubai sheikh with three brothers, who are high-ranking Abu Dhabi sheikhs. The Dubai sheikh had one man's hand in a handshake, and was holding the another man by the wrist/forearm.

Can anyone explain the gesture of holding another person by the wrist while their hand remains passive versus shaking or holding hands? Do older people only do this to younger? Is there a power differential implied? Do hosts do this with their guests?

In the UAE handshake is more soft and takes longer and often the second hand comprises the wrist of the other man. It is also common to see men walking hand in hand in public just because of close friendship. It has not the same meaning as in European countries.
 
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Hello,

Can anybody please explain who is Sheikha Wejdan, (wejdan_mr on Instagram). Futtaim wishes her today in an Instagram post with a caption so confusing, it gives me hint Wejdan is Sheikha Hind. I'm assuming Wejdan may be her pen name/pseudo-name/nick name, etc. Also, contributing to my confusion is the date today i.e. 12th Feb which is supposedly Sheikha Hind's birthday. Speculations suggest Wejdan is also a daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid. But how?

I don't understand if Wejdan is a daughter actually and not Sheikha Hind, why is her name not on the list of official children of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid? What is wrong with this family?
 
Hello,

Can anybody please explain who is Sheikha Wejdan, (wejdan_mr on Instagram). Futtaim wishes her today in an Instagram post with a caption so confusing, it gives me hint Wejdan is Sheikha Hind. I'm assuming Wejdan may be her pen name/pseudo-name/nick name, etc. Also, contributing to my confusion is the date today i.e. 12th Feb which is supposedly Sheikha Hind's birthday. Speculations suggest Wejdan is also a daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid. But how?

I don't understand if Wejdan is a daughter actually and not Sheikha Hind, why is her name not on the list of official children of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid? What is wrong with this family?

She is not a daughter of shiekha hind, she can be a daughter of shiekh Mohammed from another mother or one of the adopted daughters by shiekha hind
 
I am kind of confused. Mrs_almaktoum from Instagram joined ask.fm where she was asked about her family name and she said it was El shebri & she admitted being a mix of Egyptian and Moroccon blood. She is not a member of a ruling family though. When somebody asked her about her current name, she said that her surname changed to Al Maktoum after her marriage to Sheikh Juma and that she also has a title (everything is in her diplomatic passport). She said she is a sheikha and she posted several pics on Instagram (like the birthday cake) where her name was Shaikha Um Nouf or Shaikha Camelia Al Maktoum :ermm:

So my question is: do common women can change name to Al Maktoum and become a sheikha?

I found this photo on twitter and this is Camelia with her daughter Nouf. She looks older than 21 though.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_vjgXMWQAICwtS.jpg
 
I am kind of confused. Mrs_almaktoum from Instagram joined ask.fm where she was asked about her family name and she said it was El shebri & she admitted being a mix of Egyptian and Moroccon blood. She is not a member of a ruling family though. When somebody asked her about her current name, she said that her surname changed to Al Maktoum after her marriage to Sheikh Juma and that she also has a title (everything is in her diplomatic passport). She said she is a sheikha and she posted several pics on Instagram (like the birthday cake) where her name was Shaikha Um Nouf or Shaikha Camelia Al Maktoum :ermm:

So my question is: do common women can change name to Al Maktoum and become a sheikha?

In UAE it isnt common to change your surname after marriage. Usually, the woman keeps her own surname even if getting married to a man/ to a Shaikh with different family name. But with the marriage to a Shaikh she gets the title Shaikha, even if the lady isnt descended from a ruling family and had not get this title from birth.
 
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Hey, do you know anything more about maitha_m_rashid from Instagram? I assume she is one of the daughters of the late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Who is she married to? How old is she? How many children does she have and what are their names? :)
 
Do all the Ruling families of Dubai have falcon's or into the sport?? I know Dubai has a Falcon hospital for them. Is it a sport all the sheikh's grow up doing??
 
Do all the Ruling families of Dubai have falcon's or into the sport?? I know Dubai has a Falcon hospital for them. Is it a sport all the sheikh's grow up doing??

Falconry is a huge sports in the UAE and the Gulf countries. Falcon hunting is a very old sport/hunting way in the region which goes back over 50 years. There are a few Falcon hospitals in the UAE which are open to anyone who have Falcons.
 
Do all the Ruling families of Dubai have falcon's or into the sport?? I know Dubai has a Falcon hospital for them. Is it a sport all the sheikh's grow up doing??

One of UAE's oldest traditions is falconry and it dates to past times. In the local dialect it is called "al qanas". Since pre-Islamic times falconry has played a major part in the calendar of Arab life. It is not known exactly when falconry emerged but some history mentions assume that it dates back to 2000 years. It was an integral part of desert life for many centuries, practiced originally for purely practical reasons. In the old times falconry started as means to source for food, and it was to hunt hares and houbara mostly. Much of UAE's history in doing falconry remains cloaked in mystery as our ancestors have left little written records of the historical practice.

Today falconry is an endangered branch of UAE's rich cultural legacy and more of a traditional sport which is practiced by Emiratis and enjoyed by Shaikhs and Non-Shaikhs a like.
 
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Hello everyone, this page is very informative :) I want to ask if there will be a wedding of any ruling family member in Dubai soon?
 
Just curious, what official duties will the future wife of sheikh Hamdan hold if she is public?
Would it be something similar to maybe... Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge who accompanies her husband with international duties?
 
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Just curious, what official duties will the future wife of sheikh Hamdan hold if she is public?
Would it be something similar to maybe... Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge who accompanies her husband with international duties?

Something more similar to Sheikha Hind and his sisters, I suppose! Less flashes and media attention, more effective work, some care for privacy too.
Don't get me wrong, I like Catherine, but I can't picture Sheikh Hamdan's wife doing Vogue magazine covers, or calling the entire press for coverage on any charity.

Also, the UAE ruling families seem to have divided roles quite fairly. I see Sheikhas more independent than British royal ladies, when it comes to public duties. While the men take care of governing and politics, the women are involved in social activism, art, culture, charity. You never she a Sheikha "accompanying" the husband on official engagements, but doing some work of her own. Which is great!

Catherine hasn't gained her public duties' independence until recently; she still has very few official engagements to honor on her own.
 
Less flashes, media attention and privacy. That's sounds so much better then what the BRF have to go through on a daily basis. I see Princess Haya accompanying her husband a lot, maybe future wife may do the same role. Half Sheikha Hind half P.Haya
 
What's the difference between Crown prince of Dubai and Deputy Ruler of Dubai?
 
What's the difference between Crown prince of Dubai and Deputy Ruler of Dubai?

Deputy ruler supports the current ruler in his duties and represents him in case of absence. But not every emirate has a deputy ruler. Some have more than one, Dubai und Sharjah have 2 Deputy Ruler. Every Emirate / ruler has appointed a CP. The CP is to believed the next ruler if suitable and confirmed to shoulder the burden of leadership of tribe and Emirate. The title CP is used to offer security and political stability to the people and give them the opportunity to get in touch with the possible future ruler at a very early stage.
 
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