Muad Mohamed Zaki

Muad Mohamad Zaki (born 7 April 1982) is a Maldivian politician, democracy advocate, business consultant and motivational speaker.

Career

Muad was one of the people who were behind the '' Sandhaanu'' political magazine that criticized Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's government.

Muad was one of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party members on the streets of Maldives among the hundreds that were brutally cracked down upon by the National Security Service (NSS) during an anti-government demonstration in the Maldives. The demonstration was later known as Black Friday for the people of Maldives. He was detained and suffered multiple injuries and blood loss from the incident. Later, the European Union sent in a fact finding mission to assess the steps to be taken.

Muad began his political activism through his studies on socialism while in the United Kingdom. He was one of the first members of the Maldivian Democratic Party when it was first formed. He also played a big role in communications between the British parliamentarians and European Union to lobby support for the Maldivian opposition party while the party's leader and his relative Mohamed Nasheed was based in Sri Lanka.

His profession and expertise are derived from a number of different fields. He is educated in international relations and security in the United Kingdom, a certified e-commerce consultant, and has over 12 years of experience in the international shipping and trading industry based in Malaysia, as well as over five years' experience in the international tourism sector. He is also known as an economist and strategic analyst on world affairs. His experience and knowledge has helped him gain popularity.

At the end of 2011, he left the Maldivian Democratic Party due to disagreements with what he saw as increased authoritarian policies by President Mohamed Nasheed and few of his close advisors. In early 2012, Muad went on to join the coalition opposition movement in the Maldives against President Nasheed.

Muad is also an international coordinator for an NGO called Maldives Unity Association (MUA) which works to assist in the development of local communities.

During the 2013 presidential elections, Muad had endorsed two candidates, one from the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the other from Jumhooree Party (JP); where both parties openly supported a government ruled by a coalition that represented all sides of Maldives society. The presidential election went in favor of Abdulla Yameen from the Progressive Party of Maldives.

Muad is the first politician and businessman from the Maldives to officially meet the representatives from the Muslim Brotherhood and former member of first-time democratically elected Parliament in Egypt. His message of non-violent solutions to world conflicts under transparent democratic principles supported by international law, was well received by those figures. On the Middle East crisis, he is also a strong advocate for a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis live peacefully side by side.

In the 2018 presidential elections, he had stayed neutral from supporting President Yameen, or his opponent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. However, from his public statements, it seemed to indicate more support towards the winner of the elections, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Today, Muad Mohamad Zaki is a freelance and independent political consultant who has close relations with all major political parties and politicians in the country. He provides political consultations to government officials and political parties with regard to diplomacy, human rights, counter-terrorism, international relations, and campaign media strategy.

Personal life

Muad is the son of Mohamad Zaki, and is part of the "Nazaki Family", where his father and grandfather held influential societal statuses in the Maldives.

At 21 years old. he pursued further studies in International Relations & Security.

In the 1990s, Zaki migrated to Malaysia with his family during his father's self exile.

References

External links

Asian Human Rights Commission Report on Muad Mohamed Zaki

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaki, Muad Mohamed
1982 births
Living people
Maldivian Democratic Party politicians
Maldivian expatriates in the United Kingdom
21st-century Maldivian politicians
Anti-Zionists