Juma al Majid (born in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, United Arab Emirates around 1930) is an Emirati businessman, political adviser, and philanthropist. In 2016, Al Majid was ranked among the richest Arabs in the world.

Early life and career

Juma Majid was born in Al Shandagah, Dubai in 1930. He was a pearl diver's son. When Juma Al Majid turned 15, his uncle, Ahmad Majid Al Ghurair, asked him to assist him at his shop in

Deira Deira ( ; Old Welsh/Cumbric: ''Deywr'' or ''Deifr''; ang, Derenrice or ) was an area of Post-Roman Britain, and a later Anglian kingdom. Etymology The name of the kingdom is of Brythonic origin, and is derived from the Proto-Celtic *''daru' ...

, and eventually opened a second small shop for him. He began by selling fabric and switched to air conditioners. By the 1970s, his company had grown to be the second largest distributor of

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

products, selling up to 700,000 air conditioners per year. Al Majid met

Mohammad Al Gaz Mohammad Abdallah Al Gaz (c. 1930–2016) ( ar, محمد عبدالله القاز الفلاسي), was a financier, developer, diplomat, central banker and philanthropist in the early years of the United Arab Emirates. Al Gaz became a member of ...

in 1952. After the UAE Federation was created in 1971, Al Gaz and Al Majid opened a Pepsi factory in Dubai. He also expanded his firm into carpentry and interior design. Since then, the firm has expanded into transportation and logistics, building, food, and advertising. He also founded Al Majid Investing, an international investment company. Al Majid later acquired franchise rights for additional international brands in engineering, autos, office furniture, communication, and tyres from businesses such as Samsung, Hyundai, and Hitachi. Khalid Juma Al Majid is his heir.

Philanthropy

At the start of the 1950s, he collaborated with his colleagues Humaid Al Tayer, Abdullah Al Ghurair, and Nasir Rashed Loutah in establishing the first charitable society in Dubai, with the consent of Sheikh Rashed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. They established Jamal Abdul Nasser Secondary School for boys and Amna Secondary Schools for girls. In 1983, Juma Al Majid founded the National Charity Schools to assist poor expatriate children in gaining a free education. In 1987, Al Majid founded the Islamic and Arabic Studies College in Dubai. This college, which accepts students from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, is accredited by Al-Azhar University, Dar Al Uloom College, and the UAE Ministry of Higher Education. Al Majid founded the Beit Al Khair Society in 1990. He established a public library in 1991, which later evolved into a cultural organisation known as the Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage, which holds a collection of Arab and Islamic manuscripts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Majid, Juma al 1930 births Living people People from Dubai Emirati businesspeople