Posted here on 26 December, 2013.
KING FAISAL BIN ABDUL AZIZ WAS AS GREAT AS NELSON MANDELA: [although their personal histories are extremely different:
Assalaam Alaikum, If we are talking about great people at the same level as Nelson Mandela, you may consider adding King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia (b.1906 – d.1975), who ruled from 1964 to 1975.
Among his
most outstanding achievements we note the following:
1) He is credited with laying the foundations for the modernization of Saudi Arabia
2) He ended slavery in Saudi Arabia
3) He established the Islamic University (of Madina) [Graduates of this institution continue to serve Muslim communities and others in a variety of contexts across the globe]
4) He was a major driving force in establishing the Muslim World League (Rabita)
5) He played a crucial leadership role in the creation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (Now Organization of Islamic Cooperation )
6) He is credited by some scholars for being among the first statesmen to understand the value of ‘shuttle diplomacy’
7) He reached out to Africa, including visiting and providing financial assistance to Uganda (1972) as it faced severe international economic sanctions (He also encouraged other oil-rich Arab countries to help Uganda)
8)He modernized the Saudi education system
9) He introduced modern education for the girl child in Saudi Arabia
10) He laid the foundation for Saudi international development aid which continues today despite the challenge of reported cases of mismanagement in some recipient communities.
[It is noted that between
1975 and 1976 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) ranked number 2 on the
list of global donors, second only to the United States of America
(USA). In 2010, the KSA was ranked number ONE on the list of OECD/DAC
donors, beating the USA by $3.48bn.USD ].
I think within ourselves as individuals, we can each create a bit of
King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, etc., by honestly
changing the way we carry ourselves, the way we treat and think of
others, especially those within our individual spheres of influence
(i.e., those over whom we may have power and influence of some sort).
We
need to adopt constructive causes however small they may be, remain
sincerely committed to them, follow through and be consistent in our
positive conduct. Our positive contribution to the welfare of humankind
should not be about scoring worldly points, but rather about making a
meaningful difference in the lives of others around us. This, I think,
requires us not to let the ego get the better of us.
Wassalaam Alaikum,
Yunus Lubega.
UMBS Member in Saudi Arabia.
Yunus Lubega.
UMBS Member in Saudi Arabia.
