Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan (; born 1951) is an Emirati royal and politician, who currently serves as the minister of tolerance of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. Al Nahyan previously served as the minister of culture and the minister of higher education.

Early life and education

He is the son of

Mubarak bin Mohammed Al Nahyan Mubarak bin Mohammed Al Nahyan (1935–2010) was an Emirati royal and the first interior minister of the United Arab Emirates. He also held other public posts which were mostly security-related. Early life Al Nahyan was born in 1935. He was the ...

, grandson of Mohammad bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, great-grandson of

Khalifa bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Khalifa bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan ({{langx, ar, ٱلشَّيْخ خَلِیْفَة بِن زَایِد بِن خَلِیْفَة آل نَهْيَان, Ash-Shaykh Khalīfah bin Zāyid bin Khalīfah Āl Nahyān) was the eldest son of Abu Dhab ...

, and great-great-grandson of

Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan (; 1835 – 18 May 1909), also known as Zayed the Great or Zayed the First was the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi from 1855 to his death in 1909. He was the grandfather and namesake of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Z ...

Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan Hamdan bin Mubarak al Nahyan (; born 1959) is a member of the Al Nahyan family in the United Arab Emirates. He became the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in March, 2013, a post that his brother, Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan ...

, Minister of Public Works, is his brother.

Career

Sheikh Nahyan was also the chancellor of two of the UAE's three government-sponsored institutions of higher learning:

United Arab Emirates University United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) () is a public research university located in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Founded in 1976 by the country's first President, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, it is the oldest university in the United ...

, established in 1976, and the

Higher Colleges of Technology The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) () is a public institute of technology with 16 campuses and facilities throughout the United Arab Emirates. Founded in 1988 by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan, it is the largest applied higher educa ...

, established in 1988; and president of the third,

Zayed University Zayed University (ZU; ) is a public university in the United Arab Emirates. It has campuses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. History Zayed University was founded in 1998 to provide technical education for women. The school is named after Sheikh Zayed ...

, established in 1998 until removed from these positions in April 2013. Prior to 12 March 2013, he headed the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. He is also the

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

CERT (Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training) The CERT (Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training) Group of Companies began as the commercial arm of the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates, and has grown to be the largest private education provider in the M ...

, the commercial arm of the

, established in 1996. For several years, Sheikh Nahyan has been the sponsor of the Emirates Natural History Group with chapters in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

and

Al Ain Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is Oman–United Arab Emirates border, bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al A ...

. One of the two awards presented annually by the Abu Dhabi chapter is the Sh. Mubarak Award, named for Sheikh Nahyan's father. He is chairman of Sandooq al Watan, a social initiative. Since 2021, Sheikh Nahyan holds the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

Doctor of Social Science The Doctor of Social Science (DSocSci, SScD, Dr. rer. soc. or DSS) degree is the highest degree offered by some universities in the field of social sciences, for which other universities confer a Ph.D. Like the PhD, it is recognized as a terminal ...

s by the

University of Balamand The University of Balamand (UOB; ) is a private institution, secular in its policies and approach to education. It welcomes faculty, students, and staff from all faiths and national or ethnic origins. The university is located in the northern di ...

Investments

Nahyan was Chairman of

Warid Telecom International Warid Telecom International () was an Emirati telecommunications company that was active in Bangladesh, Georgia, Congo, Pakistan, and Uganda before its divestment. Pakistan In 2004, Warid Telecom International LLC, purchased a license for oper ...

(a regional telecoms group based out of

with operations in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

Congo Brazzaville The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

, and

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

). He is also chairman of the

Abu Dhabi Group Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan (; born 1951) is an Emirati royal and politician, who currently serves as the minister of tolerance of the United Arab Emirates. Al Nahyan previously served as the minister of culture and the minister of higher ...

Union National Bank Union National Bank (UNB) was a bank based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 1982 until it merged with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank in 2019. The bank had its shares listed in the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) under the symbol UNB. It ...

, and

United Bank Limited United Bank Limited (often abbreviated as UBL) is a Pakistani bank headquartered at I.I. Chundrigar Road in Karachi. It is a subsidiary of British multinational conglomerate, Bestway Group. Founded by Agha Hasan Abedi in 1959, UBL saw its firs ...

Pakistan

Nahyan has taken a keen interest in

Pakistan–United Arab Emirates relations Pakistan–United Arab Emirates relations refer to bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. These relations date back to 1971. Both countries' populations are majorly Muslim and both are members of ...

. He is one of two Emirati royals, that own estate with a personal game reserve near the mouth of the

Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the dis ...

River in

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

Province used for falconeering and hunting; the other royal being the late

Sheikh Zayed Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati royal, politician, philanthropist and the founder of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Al Ain Region, Eastern Region from 1946 un ...

. Nahyan's

Abu Dhabi United Group The Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG; ) is a United Arab Emirates (UAE) based private equity company. It is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family and Vice President of the UA ...

is a large investor in

. It owns

Bank Alfalah Bank Alfalah Limited ( ), formerly known as Habib Credit and Exchange Bank, is a Pakistani commercial bank headquartered in Karachi. It is a subsidiary of an Emirati conglomerate, Abu Dhabi United Group. It is one of the largest private banks ...

Warid Telecom Warid Telecom International () was an Emirati telecommunications company that was active in Bangladesh, Georgia, Congo, Pakistan, and Uganda before its divestment. Pakistan In 2004, Warid Telecom International LLC, purchased a license for oper ...

, Wateen Telecom, Taavun and many more in Pakistan. He is also Founder Chairman of

. Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan is also recipient of Pakistan's highest civilian award, the

Hilal-e-Pakistan Hilal-e-Pakistan () is the second-highest Civil decorations of Pakistan, civil award (in the hierarchy of "Hilale") of the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The award seeks to recognize those people who have made "meritorious contribution ...

, which was conferred upon him by the President of Pakistan in 2005.

Georgia

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, Nahyan invested in Kor Standard Bank (now Terabank) and

Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi ( ka, სასტუმრო „ბილტმორ თბილისი“) is a luxury hotel in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, operated by the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels. The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi is the fir ...

Controversy

On 17 October 2020, a curator of Hay’s Literary Festival, Caitlin McNamara, accused Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan of sexually assaulting her on 14 February 2020, 11 days before the launch of festival. According to McNamara, Al Nahyan invited her to an official dinner to discuss the Hay festival. However, according to McNamara Al Nahyan called her at a remote villa on a private island and sexually assaulted her. Al Nahyan has denied the sex assault allegations. In April 2021, a British woman (Ms. McNamara, 32) claimed that she was sexually assaulted by accused Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan. She claimed that she allegedly suffered at the hands of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan on 14 February 2020 at a private residence in Abu Dhabi. The

Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal adv ...

said it could not bring charges because the alleged offence happened abroad.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nahyan, Nahyan Mubarak Al 1951 births Living people People from Abu Dhabi Emirati businesspeople Nahyan Mubarak Culture ministers of the United Arab Emirates Higher education ministers of the United Arab Emirates Tolerance and Coexistence ministers of the United Arab Emirates Academic staff of Zayed University Recipients of Hilal-i-Pakistan Heads of universities in the United Arab Emirates