Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi

Born: 6 July 1939 (age 82 years), Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Full name: Sultan bin Muhammad bin Saqr Al-Qassimi
Children: Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, MORE
Parents: Sheikh Mohammed Bin Saqr Bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Sheikha Maryam Bint Ghanem Bin Salem Al Shamsi
Awards: Legion of Honour, King Faisal International Prize in Service to Islam
Education: Durham University (1999), Cairo University (1971), University of Exeter

Biography

After completing his elementary and secondary education between Sharjah, Kuwait City and Dubai, Al-Qasimi went on to study a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering at Cairo University, graduating in 1971. He completed a PhD with distinction in History at Exeter University in 1985, and another in the Political Geography of the Gulf at Durham University in 1999.

Al-Qasimi is an Indophile, has made numerous visits to India in his private capacity and even speaks the Malayalam language, albeit haltingly. His abiding interest and affinity for India has been attributed to the fact that as a child, he was raised by a Malayali nanny from Kerala and picked up the Malayalam language from her.

Sheikh Sultan succeeded his brother, Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, as Emir after his assassination on 25 January 1972.[5] He was previously the minister of education for the Emirates.

In addition to those offices, he holds several educational posts. He became president of both the American University of Sharjah and the University of Sharjah in 1997 and was named a visiting professor at Exeter University, his alma mater, in 1998. He became a professor of modern history of the Gulf at the University of Sharjah in 1999. In 2008 he also became a visiting professor at Cairo University.

His eldest son from his first marriage, Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi (1974–1999), was the crown prince of the emirate and died after a heroin overdose at the Emir's residence in Wych Cross Place, near Forest Row, East Grinstead, on 3 April 1999 at the age of 24 years.[6][7] A state mourning period in Sharjah of seven days was observed and flags flew at half-mast. With reports of increasing drug abuse problems in the emirate, in May 2018 the emir announced the directive to establish the "Irada" drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation centre in Sharjah.[8][9][10]

His younger son Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi (1980–2019), owner of British clothing chain Qasimi, died in London aged 39. His death was, according to the coroner, 'drug related' as 'toxicology tests revealed Khalid had high levels of GHB and “recreational” amounts of cocaine in his system'.[11][12][13]