Fouad Abdulhameed Ahmad Alkhateeb (1925 - October 28, 1995), was a

Saudi Arabian Saudis ( ar, سعوديون, Suʿūdiyyūn) are people identified with the country of Saudi Arabia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. The Saudis are composed mainly of Arabs and primarily speak a regional dialect ...

ambassador, humanitarian, author, and businessman. In his capacity as a diplomat, he represented his homeland in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, the

Federal Republic of Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

, the

Republic of Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, the

People's Republic of 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, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

, and finally as Saudi ambassador to

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Diplomatic career

Alkhateeb began his diplomatic career as an assistant to his father, Sheikh Abdulhameed Alkhateeb, who was at the time the first

ambassador to the

Islamic Republic of Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. He was subsequently appointed as the Saudi Chargé d'affaires to the

Republic of Iraq A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the

University of Baghdad The University of Baghdad (UOB) ( ar, جامعة بغداد ''Jāmi'at Baghdād'') is the largest university in Iraq, tenth largest in the Arab world, and the largest university in the Arab world outside Egypt. Nomenclature Both University ...

. Soon after, Alkhateeb was appointed to the position of Counselor within the Saudi Kingdom's embassy in

The United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

; this appointment spurred his diplomatic career to new heights and he received a succession of other appointments (

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, and

Bangladesh

Alkhateeb was the first Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the then-newly independent

in 1975, a country fresh from gaining independence from

four yearly earlier (The

was formerly known as

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

) Through his ambassadorship position in

, Alkhateeb left a lasting impression on the young nation's economic, religious, and humanitarian affairs. In 1981, he founded the Ibn Sina Trust and the Ibn Sina Medical Group in Bangladesh, which has grown to become one of the largest medical groups in Bangladesh today, operating multiple

hospitals A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...

companies,

medical equipment A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...

manufacturers, medical colleges, and

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

within

.HE Fouad Abdul Hamid Al Khatib
.Ibn Sina Hospital Fouad Al Khatib Unit
Fouad Alkhateeb, contributed to the establishment of the first Islamic bank in Bangladesh in 1983, the

Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd. (IBBL) ( bn, ইসলামী ব্যাংক বাংলাদেশ লিমিটেড) is an Islamic banking company based in Bangladesh. It became incorporated on 13 March 1983 as a public limited company u ...

, which attracted other Saudi and Arab investors from the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

area to contribute to its establishment.Asharq Al-Awsat News Paper
. This bank remains today one of the largest banks in Bangladesh, with over 250 branches, 10,000 employees, and has to successfully funded over 5 million projects throughout Bangladesh since its inception.IBBL Introduction
. Additionally, the bank currently holds a large portfolio of Special Projects which aim to serve the country's impoverished and struggling families, which include erecting hospitals, schools, universities, and cultural centers across the country.

Malaysia

Alkhateeb's final post as a Saudi Ambassador was in

; soon after, he decided to bring his foreign diplomatic career to a close and return to his family in Saudi Arabia. Upon his return, he was appointed as the Assistant Secretary-General of the

Organization of Islamic Conference An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

(OIC) which was renamed in 2011 to the

Organization of Islamic Cooperation An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

.Shiekh Fouad Abdul Hameed Alkhateeb
. He then went on to become Secretary General of the General Council for Islamic Banks and Financial Institutions (CIBAFI) (which was then the International Union of Islamic Banks).

Death

On October 28, 1995, Fouad Alkhateeb died in the Saudi city of

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

; he was laid to rest in the city of his birth,

Makkah Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow va ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alkhateeb, Fouad Abdulhameed Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to Nigeria Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to Turkey Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to Nepal Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia to Malaysia 1925 births 1995 deaths University of Baghdad alumni People of Minangkabau descent Saudi Arabian people of Indonesian descent