Omar Saif Ghobash ( ar, عمر سيف غباش; born 4 June 1971) is the Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy in the UAE and an author. He was appointed ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to France on 24 November 2017, having previously served as UAE ambassador to Russia from 2009 to 2017. Ghobash authored the book, ''Letters to a Young Muslim'', which was written as a series of letters to his eldest son about what it means to be Muslim in the 21st century.

Education

Ghobash attended Rugby School, a boarding

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

for boys in

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

, Warwickshire. Ghobash read Law at Balliol College at the University of Oxford and graduated in 1992. Between 2003 and 2007, he studied

BSc. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in Pure and Applied Mathematics, in an external programme at the University of London.

Life and career

Ghobash sponsors the

Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation The Banipal Prize, whose full name is the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, is an annual prize awarded to a translator (or translators) for the published English translation of a full-length literary work in the Arab ...

, in memory of his father, Saif Ghobash, the UAE's first minister of state for foreign affairs, who was assassinated at Abu Dhabi International Airport in 1977. Likewise, he is a founding trustee of the

International Prize for Arabic Fiction The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) ( ar, الجائزة العالمية للرواية العربية) is the most prestigious and important literary prize in the Arab world. Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic ...

which runs with the support of the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

Foundation. He founded one of the region's first contemporary art galleries, The Third Line, which is based in Dubai as well as The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture which supports and identifies the production, research, and distribution channels of contemporary Arab art and culture. Ghobash is on the advisory body of

The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) is a non-profit, non-governmental think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning ...

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

and the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi. Prior to his appointment as ambassador, the UAE did not have a diplomatic mission in Moscow for many years. More recently, however, the UAE has invested roughly US$6 billion in Russian infrastructure. Ghobash believes Russian participation in fighting extremism is integral to creating stability in the Middle East. A delegation from

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

led by the UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has bolstered its presence at The Kremlin in 2015 to coproduce solutions to counter terrorism and conflicts in the Middle East. He is considered by many to be a

thought leader A thought leader has been described as an individual or firm recognized as an authority in a specific field and also as business jargon. Meanings Go-to expert From the perspective of a thought leader as the 'go-to expert', being a thought leader ...

on moderate Islam and the future of the Arab world, often calling for change through technological innovation and education in Arab countries. Regarding extremism in young Muslims, he said, “The key challenge for us is to stop treating our youth with distance, because there are recruiters out there making sure to grab those youth from us.” After receiving funding from the government of

, Ghobash was involved in 2008 in discussions with John Sexton on the opening of a campus of New York University in

in 2010. Ghobash is an avid hiker, once spending five years climbing the mountains of Nepal and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. He speaks Arabic, English, Russian,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, Italian and Spanish.

Bibliography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saif Ghobash, Omar 1971 births Living people Ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates to Russia Alumni of the University of London Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Emirati diplomats Emirati businesspeople Ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates to France Emirati expatriates in the United Kingdom