IN MEMORY OF
MOHAMMAD ALGAZ
Mohammed AlGaz (1930-2016) was one of the first businessmen and politicians in Dubai and The United Arab Emirates, who generously contributed to the construction of modern Dubai under the leadership of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. But behind his notable success story is the story of many men and women around the world today: one of crippling poverty. Hailing from humble upbringings. Later, when AlGaz became one of the country’s prominent self-made Emiratis, he continued to carry that feeling of humble life with him. This fueled a sense of responsibility and dedication to making sure he could help as many people as he could. He knew what it meant to be crippled by poverty, and he wanted to afford others in similar circumstances with the opportunity to know what it was like to be relieved of such adversity. He envisioned a world where no one had to live through the circumstances that he grew up in, and worked to realize that vision.
1930 - 2016
By the early sixties, he played a major role in the social and economic history of the United Arab Emirates by founding The Arabic Charitable Organization, which was the first of its kind in the country. Through this organization, AlGaz provided many families in need with endowments that served as a fixed income. He also allocated monthly grants that enabled many people to receive quality healthcare, and enabled others to receive an education or send their kids to school. These projects soon expanded to reach the impoverished populations of countries in Asia and Africa because AlGaz believed in a moral commitment to a global community, and charity that transcends geographic borders.
Indeed, when the need arose, he became a transnational voice, and advocate for those in need. In the mid-sixties, he worked to persuade the Government of Kuwait to send a medical mission to the UAE to treat patients in critical conditions, and he earmarked houses and buildings to allow this mission to carry out its work. In 1989, he also became one of the founders of "Beit Al Khair", a civil non-profit organization that aims to provide aid to families in need around the world. It also spearheads charitable projects and programs that serve the poor, and the socially underprivileged, including widows, divorcees, and orphans.
Furthermore, in 2001 AlGaz dedicated one-third of his wealth, and estates in the United Arab Emirates as a charitable trust fund to serve the communities in need of charity. In addition to this, he often rushed to donate to charitable initiatives, and support humanitarian relief campaigns that were directed by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, and his brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, may Allah protect them both. AlGaz was a man whose door was always open to those in need, and who devoted a lot of his time and effort to resolving the problems of all those who came to him in search of a helping hand
Finally, AlGaz was also an intellectual, and an aficionado of the arts, who contributed to the cultural, social, and intellectual spheres of his country by building private schools, which ran on the donations he collected. These include Amena Bent Wahab School, AlSha’b School, and Gamal Abdel Nasser School, which reflected his passion for knowledge. He believed that any information, craft, or innovation that could not benefit the community was useless. Even in his final years, as he suffered from the diseases of old age, his burning love for history and culture remained ablaze. He continued to be an avid reader who never stopped fueling his friends, his companions, and himself with knowledge. Today, we dedicate this foundation to the memory of this man, who worked to empower the underprivileged through better education, proper healthcare, and the promise of a better life.