Muhammad bin Fahd

Mohammad bin Fahd
Former Governor of Eastern Province
In office 1985—2013
Born Riyadh
Spouse Jawahir bint Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Full name
Mohammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
House House of Saud
Father King Fahd
Mother Jawza bint Abdallah bin Abdul Rahman Al Abdul Rahman

Prince Mohammad bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (Arabic: الأمير محمد بن فهد بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود‎). He is one of the most prominent figures of the second generation of the Saudi Arabian Royal Family.[1] Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz was born in Riyadh and received his general education in the Capital Model Institute that has been established by the late King Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal Al Saud in the year 1360/1941 AC to teach his children Quran, Islamic theology, Arabic language and literature and mathematics. Elite scholars were assigned to teach the royal children and many prominent princes graduated from this institute and were entrusted with distinguished public positions and leadership roles. Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz was born in Riyadh and received his general education in the Capital Model Institute that has been established by the late King Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal Al Saud in the year 1360/1941 AC to teach his children Quran, Islamic theology, Arabic language and literature and mathematics. Elite scholars were assigned to teach the royal children and many prominent princes graduated from this institute and were entrusted with distinguished public positions and leadership roles. Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd continued his university education in the University of California- Santa Barbara where he was awarded a Bachelor in Economics and Political Sciences. After his graduation, he worked in the private sector but was gradually introduced to multiple public assignments. He married HRH Princess Jawaher Bint Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz and they had six children: Prince Turki (1979), Prince Khaled (1984), Prince Abdul Aziz (1991), Princess Nouf (1975), Princess Noura (1981) and Princess Mashael (1988).[1][2][3] Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd developed great interest in various social and humanitarian causes. He launched multiple initiatives and programs that continue to serve various sectors of the community and participate in humanitarian development inside and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Among these initiatives are listed: the Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Youth Development, which received the UN Award for Best Practices to Improve Living Environment in 2002 in the emirate of Dubai, as well as the Sharjah Prize for Volunteer Work in 2007. Prince Mohammad established a Foundation to embrace all his programs and initiatives under one administrative umbrella. His Highness also launched the idea of a private university with international standards in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and offered the university all the needed support, guidance and supervision to make it a successful venture. The people of the Eastern Province named it Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University in recognition of His Royal Highness’ dedication and support.[1] On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of governance of the Eastern Province, the people of the Eastern Province dedicated a book entitled: Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz: 25 Years of History of the Eastern Province.[4] The book presented the vision of the Prince for their province, incorporating his public duties with his innovative approach to second the governmental planning for growth and development.

Childhood and Early Years

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd is the second of the sons of the late King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. He was born in Riyadh and lived there with his father the late King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz and his mother the late Princess Al Anood Bint Abdul Aziz Bin Musaed Al Saud.

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd received his school education in the School of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, a school that is an extension to the School of the Founding King the late King Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud. This fine education equipped him with remarkable skills that prepared him for the high level responsibilities that awaited him.[1]

His Father: The Late King Fahd

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Late King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman Al Faisal Al Saud was born in Riyadh in 1921 and received his primary education from notable scholars with direct involvement from his father Kind Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud. From his early age, King Fahd became known for his thirst for knowledge and strong sense of responsibility. The late King Fahd accessed the throne in 1982 and was always inspired by the leadership of the Founding King Abdul Aziz and his philosophy in building the state and the society. The Kingdom witnessed remarkable economic and social achievements during the reign of the late King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz, which reflected positively on the living standards and conditions of the Saudi people. His reign was also marked by the proclamation of the Saudi Constitution and the Shura System as well as the organization of the various Provinces and their Governorates. Those systems were all built based on the Islamic Law (Shariaa) reflecting the identity of the Saudi state, the Saudi society and its customs. His political wisdom placed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the frontline of the Arabic and Islamic world. The Saudi policy became known for its efficiency, realistic and problem solving approach towards all important Arabic and Islamic issues.[5]

His Family

His Wife

Princess Jawaher Bint Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud [6]

His Sons

Education and Positions

Prince Mohammad Bin Abdul Aziz received his elementary and secondary education at the Capital Model Institute, and enrolled in the University of California Santa Barbara where he was awarded a Bachelor in Economics and Political Sciences. His education in the United States was a very valuable experience that provided him with international exposure and familiarity with best practices in economics and policies from a western point of view, which enriched his practices both in the private and the public sectors. After his graduation from the university, Prince Mohammad worked in the private sector but was soon recruited for various governmental roles. He was appointed as Assistant Deputy Minister of Interior and remained in this position until he became Governor of the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1985.

Awards

Prince Muhammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received an honorary doctorate of Public Service degree from UCF: The University of Central Florida in the United States of America awarded the PMU founder and the Chairman of it’s of Board of Trustees HRH Prince Mohammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz an honorary doctorate degree. A formal letter from the President of UCF states that the honorary degree is awarded to HRH in recognition of his considerable contributions for advancement of education and development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and internationally. It further states that the charitable work of HRH and his record of achievement have made a positive and lasting mark, and also it fostered international understanding and cooperation. The PMU community is proud that the founders of our University has been recognized for his remarkable contributions to education and development by a reputable international university and awarded this honorary doctorate degree.[8][9]

Activities during His Service as Governor of the Eastern Province

The involvement of Prince Mohammad in the private sector and then his long years of service in the governmental functions blended into a unique experience that ensured all public and private efforts are streamed to serve one common objective that is to serve the citizens of the Eastern Province. Therefore, Prince Mohammad defined a clear vision to his governing style since his appointment to the Governorate of the Eastern Province in 1985. That vision is mostly two-dimensional: in the first dimension, his role as Governor ensures the implementation of the State’s plans and developmental projects for the Province; and in the second dimension the Prince strived to create sufficient motivation to the whole community at its various levels and with its various players to ensure sustainable development of the Province.

This vision had three main pillars:

The achievements of Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz during his service as Governor of the Eastern Province covered the various developmental aspects for the region including:

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Foundation for Humanitarian Development

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdulaziz takes interest in Social Affairs, therefore he launched a number of initiatives that address an array of humanitarian problems and help in overcoming them. Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd did not focus only on limited aspects of the human development; he rather ensured that his actions covered a vast array in the humanitarian development field. He addressed the humanitarian development through his support for science and innovation and through his care for people with special needs and for the needy members of society. Therefore, he developed programs that helped various social groups to lead normal and comfortable lives while benefiting from all the basic life necessities. This is in addition to a variety of other initiatives and programs that targeted employment, entrepreneurship, training and education. Hence, it was necessary to establish a comprehensive institution that embraces all of those initiatives and programs and aims at providing humanitarian services to the community: Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Foundation for Humanitarian Development was established.[10] The Foundation aims at finding innovative solutions to humanitarian problems. Its programs intend to identify the nature of these problems while determining convenient solutions and ways of their application within the targeted communities. The Foundation supports humanitarian development inside and outside the Kingdom.

The Foundation has a number of programs and initiatives in different fields. These are:

Youth Development

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd launched an initiative that reflects his interest in youth issues and that is Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd for Youth Development.[11] The Prince was keen that the Program is responsive to the needs of youth from both sexes, and in line with international trends. The Program became a resort for youth that they turn to satisfy their needs, and face their problems and sufferings. The Program, through the support of Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd, was able to train and employ thousands of young people, and also development of their talents and support of their innovations by establishing a number clubs and incubators. The Program was awarded the DUBAI/UN International Award FOR BEST PRACTICES TO IMPROVE THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT in the year 2002 and the Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work in 2007.[12]

Affordable Housing

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd launched his project Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Project for Affordable Housing by donating the land on which the houses are built. The Project aims at creating residential communities to house the needy and improve their living conditions.[13]

Research and Studies

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Research and Strategic Studies: Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd has a special vision for international cooperation and joint understanding of problems and conducting joint research and studies to identify challenges and available opportunities. Based on the strong support of HRH to international cooperation, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Research and Strategic Studies was established at the University of Central Florida in the United States of America. The Program tackles wide scopes which are considered vital and include: cultural and academic exchange, strategic research and studies of mutual interest. The program is operated by Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University and the University of Central Florida and it was officially launched in 2012.[14]

Endowed Chairs

Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd support Endowed Chairs in universities to undertake studies that lead to taking effective decisions to overcome problems and improving performance, these are:

Women Development

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd launched a number of initiatives to empower the woman and help her achieve her goals while serving her family and society. Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Foundation for Humanitarian Development has numerous achievements in the field of women development, including but not limited to:

Which succeeded in funding a large number of small projects initiated by women.[21]

Which qualifies young women for employment in jobs that enable them to face the demands of life.[22]

Which aims at providing psychological and moral support for working women, training them for suitable jobs according to the needs of the workplace and develop them professionally and intellectually.[23]

The Program aims at training and equipping young females with computer skills and English language to qualify them for jobs related to information technology in the workplace.

It presents different types of services related to training and developing girls and qualifying them to meet the demands of life.

Care for People with Special Needs

In his endeavor to support disabled individuals, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd observed the disadvantage conditions of the visually impaired despite their remarkable potential and, in many cases, their high mental abilities. As a result HRH launched the initiative to establish an institution of higher education to this category of the disabled, and the institution was named "Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz College for the Visually Impaired". The College aims at providing an ideal environment to help the people with visual disabilities overcome their difficulties and integrate in the society to realize their ambitions in life.[24]

The Committee aims at rehabilitating and employing individuals who need help and support to face the demands of life. The Committee works on rehabilitating people suffering from problems such as addiction and a following up with them to facilitate their integration in the society.[25]

Youth Released from Rehabilitation Centers and Youth Treated from Addiction. Every year a number of prisoners and youth are released from prisons and rehabilitation centers and also a number of youth leave hospital after overcoming their addiction. These young people usually find themselves unable to integrate with the community and start a new positive and productive life. Therefore "Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Fund for Humanitarian Development" took note of this sector of the community and provided it with help to integrate into the community and enable it to utilize individual abilities in realizing ambitions. The Incubator was established to overcome the various challenges and it also ensured that all possible help is provided. This includes training and employment and also providing support in starting small projects for those who had entrepreneurial drive. The fund helps them get financial support and provides them with administrative and technical support so that their small projects strive and grow and become successfully implemented and sustainable.[26][27]

The Club supports the integration of the visually impaired in the community and their participation in effectively serving the country.[28]

Humanitarian Projects

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Fund for Humanitarian Development established SHIFAA Fund Kingdom wide, based on its mission in the different fields of humanitarian development.[29] The Fund aims at treating the ill persons who are facing problems in finding suitable funding for treatment. It also provides medical equipment for the patients and those with special needs. An annual budget is made available for the Fund.

Homes of the poor are annually identified and provided with proper maintenance and tailored improvement so as to provide its residents with comfortable and decent environment to live.[30]

The Project adopts poor families and provides support to all its members to realize various ambitions and lead decent lives.[31]

Prizes

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd launched a number of prizes to support innovation and excellence in different filed. These are:

The Prize aims at encouraging acts of charity as well as supporting research studies related to it in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[32][33]

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Foundation for Humanitarian Development adopted a prize in collaboration with the Arab Organization for Administrative Development that is associated with the Arab League.[34] The prize aims at availing opportunities for Charity and Humanitarian Societies in the Arab World to achieve best performance and implement the culture of distinction. The institutions and societies are required to observe the various criteria of excellence defined by the Prize to qualify for it. The Prize also endeavors to upgrade the level of charity work and the charitable institutions in Arab World. It encourages the institutions to achieve distinction in institutional performance and adopt best innovative practices for the improvement of humanitarian services, through fair competition. It also provides recognition to qualifying institutions based on criteria that derive from scientific assessment.

The Prize aims at offering better service from government organizations in the Eastern Province through encouraging effective and creative leadership. The type of leadership that that relies on preplanning, develops its resources and improves its processes and procedures and use information technology to reach excellent performance.[35]

The Prize aims at encouraging students to excel in scientific fields at all levels. The prize also aims at motivating students to take part in fair competitions and spread the spirit of positive competitiveness among educational institutions.[36]

The Award seeks to promote the role of da’wah and mosques in disseminating virtues and positive values, to support efforts of preventing erroneous ideas and behaviors in society, and to promote social interaction with da’wah and mosques.[37]

The Prize aims at encouraging private sector institutions to employ and even create job opportunities for people with special needs.[38]

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz launched the idea of a world class university, drawing up its vision of being a top tier academic institution offering distinguished education and using the latest technologies. He initiated the first steps towards its establishment when he donated the land in Half Moon Bay, City of Al Khobar, in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also donated the funds for the establishment of the largest College in the University that is the College of Engineering. HRH wanted the University to be a Saudi university with international standards that responds to the contemporary educational needs and provide education that satisfies the requirements of local students to become global graduates. Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd supported the establishment of the University since it was an idea and until it became a reality. He gave all the support needed and directives until the teaching started in the year 2006. HRH still follows up the progress of the University and gives his instructions from his position as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University.[39]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 http://www.alyaum.com/article/2733819
  2. ↑ http://www.princemohammad.org/en/Biography.aspx
  3. ↑ http://www.mohammadbinfahd.com/
  4. ↑ Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz: 25 Years of History of the Eastern Province © 2011 Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd, KSA
  5. ↑ http://kfip.org/ar/custodian-of-the-two-holy-mosques-king-fahd-bin-abd-al-aziz/
  6. ↑ http://www.aleqt.com/2009/05/10/article_226840.html
  7. ↑ http://www.alriyadh.com/2013/03/06/article815298.html
  8. ↑ http://www.pmu.edu.sa/News/2016/fa0d5ab7-791d-43e7-9077-fa57892dcc84/index.html
  9. ↑ http://www.alsharq.net.sa/2016/04/21/1510306
  10. ↑ http://www.pmfhd.org
  11. ↑ http://www.pmpyd.org.sa
  12. ↑ http://www.dubaiaward.dm.gov.ae/wps/portal/DIABP
  13. ↑ http://www.pmfhd.org/EN/Affordable-Housing.aspx
  14. ↑ http://www.cos.ucf.edu/pmbfprogram/
  15. ↑ http://www.kingfahdbinabdulaziz.com/main/m201.htm
  16. ↑ http://www.alriyadh.com/819029
  17. ↑ https://www.imamu.edu.sa/researches/Pages/default.aspx
  18. ↑ http://www.pmfhd.org/EN/Chair-For-Supporting-Youth-Initiatives.aspx
  19. ↑ http://www.alriyadh.com/570843
  20. ↑ http://www.pmfhd.org/EN/Chair-For-Urban-And-Regional-Studies.aspx
  21. ↑ http://www.psfw.org/
  22. ↑ http://www.pmfhd.org/EN/Mashael-AlKhair-Center.aspx
  23. ↑ http://www.pmfhd.org/EN/Princess-Nouf.aspx
  24. ↑ http://www.pmfhd.org/EN/Visually-Impaired.aspx
  25. ↑ http://www.pmfhd.org/EN/Committee-For-Social-Rehabilitation.aspx
  26. ↑ http://www.shms.com.sa/html/story.php?id=125720
  27. ↑ http://www.pgd.gov.sa/mediacenter/pressfile/Pages/21-8.aspx
  28. ↑ http://www.mini-news.net/?p=45033
  29. ↑ http://www.alyaum.com/article/4024493
  30. ↑ http://www.spa.gov.sa/1231540
  31. ↑ http://www.alriyadh.com/1113049
  32. ↑ http://www.alyaum.com/article/1257931
  33. ↑ http://www.pmfhd.org/EN/Award-For-Services-To-Charity.aspx
  34. ↑ http://www.alsharq.net.sa/2015/06/06/1355217
  35. ↑ http://www.alyaum.com/article/1026943
  36. ↑ http://www.alsharq.net.sa/2012/03/27/186590
  37. ↑ http://www.alriyadh.com/743738
  38. ↑ http://www.alyaum.com/article/2629288
  39. ↑ http://www.pmu.edu.sa/
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