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Member Number: 133
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud is the King of Saudi Arabia. (Arabic: عبد الله بن عبد العزيز آل سعود) He succeeded to the throne on August 1, 2005, following the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. As crown prince, he had previously acted as de facto regent and thus ruler of Saudi Arabia since 1995 when King Fahd was incapacitated by a major stroke. He was formally enthroned on August 3, 2005, but he inherited the title of King immediately after the death of his half-brother. One of his sons, Prince Mutaib, serves as a deputy commander in the Saudi National Guard.
Abdullah also serves as Prime Minister and Commander of the Saudi National Guard. He is Chairman of the Supreme Economic Council, President of the High Council for Petroleum and Minerals, President of the King Abdulaziz Centre for National Dialogue, Chairman of the Council of Civil Service and Head of the Military Service Council. Abdullah is the fifth son (out of 37 sons) of King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, to ascend to the throne.
King Abdullah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz Al Saud was born in Riyadh to Ibn Saud's eighth wife, Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim of the Abde section of the Shammar tribe. She had earlier been married to the 10th Rashidi Emir, Saud, who was killed in 1920.
He was given the position of Commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard in August 1962, the position of Second Deputy Prime Minister in March 1975 and the position of First Deputy Prime Minister in June 1982. Abdullah has had over thirty wives during his lifetime, among them Tardi Al-Jorba, Hessa Al Shaalan, Aida, Anud, Malika, and al-Jauhara. He has at least fifteen sons and twenty daughters.
Religion
King Abdullah is a devout Muslim and follows the Salafi understanding of Islam which is a strict interpretation of the religion based on the teachings of the first three generations of Muslims, and is said to have meetings with leaders of Saudi Arabia's religious establishment on a weekly basis to garner advice and guidance.
War on Terrorism
Since May 12, 2003, Saudi Arabia has faced several serious terrorist attacks, targeting primarily Western expatriates and also Saudi security forces. The attacks have included car and truck bombings as well as raids by gunmen against civilians.
Several groups have been linked to the attacks, including the Saudi branches of Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah, with the common motivation being resentment of the perceived pro-Western stance of the King and royal family, and their encouragement of Westerners residing in Saudi Arabia. The militants believe that the Prophet Muhammad commanded that non-Muslims should be expelled from the Arabian peninsula. The militants are especially outraged at the presence of the U.S. military in Saudi Arabia, which they see as sanctioned by the royal family.
The response of King Abdullah's administration to the insurgency has been a series of crackdowns including raids by security forces, arrests, and public beheadings. King Abdullah has vowed to fight terrorist ideologies within the country.
On the second anniversary of the September 11 attack on the United States, the then-prince wrote a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush, which ended with:
"God Almighty, in His wisdom, tests the faithful by allowing such calamities to happen. But He, in His mercy, also provides us with the will and determination, generated by faith, to enable us to transform such tragedies into great achievements, and crises that seem debilitating are transformed into opportunities for the advancement of humanity. I only hope that, with your cooperation and leadership, a new world will emerge out of the rubble of the World Trade Center: a world that is blessed by the virtues of freedom, peace, prosperity and harmony."
Philanthropy
Abdullah paid for the surgery of a pair of Polish conjoined twins which took place at the King Abd al-Aziz Medical City in Riyadh on January 03, 2005. He had heard about the twins from a doctor who found the information about the twins on the Internet. 14-month-old Daria and Olga Ko?acz were successfully separated after the surgery which took 15 hours.
Abdullah has established two libraries, one in Riyadh (the King Abdulaziz Library) and another in Casablanca, Morocco.
Relationship with the United States
In October 1976, as Abdullah was being groomed for greater responsibility in Riyadh, he was sent to the United States to meet with then-President Gerald Ford. He again traveled to the United States in October 1987, meeting then-Vice President George H. W. Bush. In September of 1998, Abdullah made a state visit to the United States to meet in Washington, DC with then-President Bill Clinton. He returned again in September of 2000 to attend millennium celebrations at the United Nations in New York, New York.
Abdullah has always had a close relationship with President George W. Bush. On April 27th, 2005 when Abdullah came to the United States for a visit, he and Bush held hands,(holding hands is considered a sign of close friendship in Saudi Arabia).
King Abdullah is scheduled for a State Visit to the United Kingdom from 30 October - 1 November 2007, he shall be staying at Buckingham Palace; with The Queen and Prince Philip.
Links
- Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia - Bio of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
- King Abdullah at the Notable Names Database
- Equestrian Club of Riyadh
- {http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7035991.stm Saudi king details succession law]
- List of national leaders
- King Abdullah Economic City
- Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh
Quotes
* "The real blame should be directed at us, the leaders of the Arab nation". King Abdullah criticizes his fellow Middle East leaders for not resolving the Arab conflict.
* "Fanaticism and extremism cannot grow on an earth whose soil is embedded in the spirit of tolerance, moderation, and balance. Good governance can eliminate injustice, destitution and poverty."
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