Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Saud

Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Saud
Born12 January 1943
Mecca
Died21 August 2011(2011-08-21) (aged 68)
Burial
Spouse
  • Nouf bint Khalid (divorced)
  • Noura bint Bandar
Issue
List
  • Prince Turki
    Princess Noura
    Prince Khalid
    Prince Fahd
    Prince Talal
    Prince Saud
    Prince Sultan
    Princess Haifa
Names
Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal
HouseAl Saud
FatherAbdullah bin Faisal
MotherAl Jawhara bint Khalid bin Mohammed
Alma materUniversity of Fribourg

Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Saud (Arabic: محمد بن عبد الله آل سعود; 12 January 1943 – 21 August 2011) was a Saudi royal who served as the chairman of Al Faisaliah Group and Al Ahly football club. He was a grandson of King Faisal and a son of Abdullah bin Faisal.

Early life and education

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Prince Mohammed was born in Mecca on 12 January 1943.[1][2] He was the second child of Abdullah bin Faisal and Al Jawhara bint Khalid bin Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman.[3][4] His maternal grandfather, Khalid, was a nephew of King Abdulaziz. Prince Mohammed had six full brothers, including Khalid.[5]

Prince Mohammed completed his primary and secondary education in Taif.[1] He attended a high school in Lausanne, and received a bachelor's degree in commerce and trade from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland in 1967.[1]

Career

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Prince Abdullah bin Faisal, Prince Mohammed's father

Prince Mohammed held various government positions at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency in Jeddah and at the Ministry of Education.[3] First, he worked as an advisor in the monetary agency.[2] In 1970 he was appointed director of overseas education at the ministry.[2] He was the assistant deputy minister of education.[6] He resigned from the office in 1983.[7]

Then Prince Mohammed served as the director of Al Faisaliah Group[8] founded by his father, in 1970.[9] In January 2004 Prince Mohammed introduced Saudi businesswoman Lubna Olayan to the US President Bill Clinton at the Jeddah Economic Forum.[10]

In addition, Prince Mohammed was the chairman of the board of directors of Al Takamul International Company for Commercial Investment, Qassim Cement Company and the National Takamul Foundation for Agriculture.[1] He was the cofounder of the Arab Thought Foundation and a member of the board of trustees of King Faisal Foundation.[11]

Prince Mohammed was also one of the presidents of Al Ahly football club.[12]

Literary works and views

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Like his father Prince Mohammed was a poet.[11] He published several poetry books.[1]

Prince Mohammed openly criticised the Saudi education system arguing that it produced terrorists in a television interview on Al Arabiya.[13]

Personal life and death

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Mohammed bin Abdullah married twice.[3] One of his spouses was Nouf bint Khalid, a daughter of King Khalid, and they divorced.[11] Then, he married Noura bint Bandar, a daughter of Bandar bin Mohammed and Al Bandari bint Abdulaziz.[11] Children of Prince Mohammed include Turki, Noura, Khalid, Fahd, Talal, Saud, Sultan and Haifa.[3] In 2017 Turki bin Mohammed became the president of Al Ahly football club.[12][14] His son, Saud, is a businessman and a member of the board of trustees of Arab Thought Foundation.[15] He is married to Basma bint Abdullah, a daughter of King Abdullah who ruled Saudi Arabia from 2005 to 2015.[16]

Prince Mohammed died at the age of 68 in the United States on 21 August 2011.[1] His body was brought to Jeddah, and funeral prayers were performed at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on 24 August[17] before he was buried in Al Adl cemetery, Mecca, where his parents had also been laid down.[4][18]

Legacy

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Prince Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium was named after him in October 2011.[19][20] His family established a charitable foundation, Foundation of Emir Mohammed Al Abdullah Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "النادي الأهلي ينعي الأمير محمد العبدالله الفيصل". Goal (in Arabic). 21 August 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Gary Samuel Samore (1984). Royal Family Politics in Saudi Arabia (1953-1982) (PhD thesis). Harvard University. pp. 254, 273. ProQuest 303295482.
  3. ^ a b c d "وفاة الرياضي والشاعر الأمير محمد العبد الله الفيصل". Asharq Al-Awsat (in Arabic). 22 August 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b Khaled Daghriri (25 August 2011). "بين قبري الأب والأم.. محمد العبد الله تحت الثرى". Aleqt (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  5. ^ "الامير الشاعر "عبد الله الفيصل رحمه الله في سطور"". Garb News (in Arabic). 22 April 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  6. ^ Joseph A. Kéchichian (2001). Succession In Saudi Arabia. New York: Springer. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-312-29962-0.
  7. ^ "إضاءات: الأمير محمد العبد الله الفيصل". Al Arabiya (in Arabic). 27 January 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  8. ^ "محمد بن خالد يروي مشواره من ((هارفارد)) إلى ((الفيصلية)): لم أتخذ قرارا فرديا في حياتي". Aleqt (in Arabic). 1 May 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  9. ^ Anthony Shoult (2006). Doing Business with Saudi Arabia. London: GMB Publishing Ltd. p. 481. ISBN 978-1-905050-67-3.
  10. ^ Andrzej Kapiszewski (2006). "Saudi Arabia: Steps toward democratization or reconfiguration of authoritarianism?". Journal of Asian and African Studies. 41 (5/6): 472. doi:10.1177/0021909606067407. S2CID 144162867.
  11. ^ a b c d "زي النهاردة.. وفاة الأمير محمد عبد الله الفيصل 21 أغسطس 2011". Al Masry Al Youm (in Arabic). 21 August 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  12. ^ a b "من-هو-الأمير-تركي-بن-محمد-العبدالله-الف". Al Marsd (in Arabic). 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  13. ^ May Yamani (January–March 2009). "From fragility to stability: a survival strategy for the Saudi monarchy". Contemporary Arab Affairs. 2 (1): 91. doi:10.1080/17550910802576114. JSTOR 48599662.
  14. ^ Tarek Talaat (10 April 2018). "Egypt's El Said goes on loan to Finland in World Cup bid". BBC. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Board of Trustees". Arab Thought Foundation. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  16. ^ "لملك عبدالله في سطور". Sama News (in Arabic). Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Performs Funeral Prayer for Prince Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Faisal". Saudi Press Agency. 24 August 2011. ProQuest 885669341. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  18. ^ "في وفاة الأمير الشاعر". Elaph (in Arabic). 10 May 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Al-Fayha intensify negotiations with giants Al-Ahli for star man Samuel Owusu". Ground. September 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  20. ^ "لأهلي يدشن ملعب الأمير محمد العبدالله الفيصل في بادرة وفاء المزيد على دنيا الوطن". Al Watan Voice (in Arabic). 7 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  21. ^ "President Bouteflika Receives Emir Mohammed Al Abdullah Al Faisal Foundation's Chairman". AllAfrica. Washington DC. 15 December 2015. ProQuest 1749278224. Retrieved 16 October 2020.