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Mohammed bin Rashid at the Avenues

Dubai Session has a bunch of photos of the UAE Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid walking around the Avenues. I have no idea what he was doing at Carrefour though. [Link]

109 replies on “Mohammed bin Rashid at the Avenues”

I saw him with his entourage. He appeared very common and very limited security personnel. The entire ordeal seemed so casual.

Can you imagine one of our own going to the mall.

One of our own already go to malls with limited/no security at all, and looks common without anything flashy.

Heck, He might even lie about his real name, met a lot abroad and in Kuwait.

An example is someone who looks EXACTLY like the beloved Sheikh Jaber Al Sabah May he rest in peace, and said and i quote: My name is Abdullah Al-Jina’ay, i told him: who are you kidding:P? You look like your father. He smiled and went jet skying with his close personal friend/security guard.

Our prince’s/Princess’s like to blend in, especially Sheikh Jabers children, they don’t like to show they are royalty, they deny it if you’re a stranger like the one i met in Sharm Al-Sheikh a couple of years back.

Heck, how many of our prince’s/princess’s like to show off compared to other royalty? A handful? Less?

They are as modest as people can get really.

lol who are you kidding? they block entire highways so his higness can be driven to wherever he needs to. what makes you think he’s going to cavort around a mall with us “commoners”?

They block roads when they’re on official pre-announced, publicly known trips.

I’ve also heard similar accounts of Al-subahs’ humbleness from people I trust.

I hear ya! My wife used to work in that mall connected to the Courtyard Marriott and they would close the store just so that certain people can can shop alone. And Sheikh Mohammed just walks around like he is nobody.

Anyone who dislikes Kuwait should leave it why stay in un cool place while you can be in heaven or somewhere else like your country? The Avenues is no ‘Baqala’ as far as i know its the biggest mall in GCC…

Don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life. Kuwait’s not perfect, no country is. But I’ll choose living in Kuwait or Saudi over Iran ANY day.

Maybe he heard there some kind of promotion & since we are all in recession,he wanted to save on grocery??!!! After all he has over 60 mouth to feed 🙂

Was in Dubai Mall Yesterday same or little bigger than Avenues and Avenues is getting an expansion soon but that’s not my point I’m really sick of people who mock Kuwait…

Why? is it because he doesn’t want people speaking ill of his country? Voicing discontent is one way to protest what he sees as wrong. Seeing something wrong and remaining silent or worse “leaving” is just wrong.

You probably meant this as a joke, but as someone who can relate to him, i found your comment very provoking.

awww, common Ali. Don’t be a sore looser. Back your statements with facts or don’t make them at all 🙂

The man is awesome, and is an example of how rulers should live. I can’t say I fully agree with some of his decisions though.

That’s really awesome! I’m really FOR a ruler mingling with the common man. As mentioned above, the kid in shorts is just going about his business looking for frozen nuggets while the PM of UAE is casually walking around.

And if I’m not mistaken, Sheikh Mohammed does this often.

Salute.

well the topic was shifted from the main point , to the largest mall?
the main point is that, how much care he is taking to look after small issues of people of his country. we dont say other country rulers are bad , but they could be more better than wat they are now , by doing same as the sheikh of dubai is doing. There is one more such pic i have seen where sheikh is standing in one of the metro running in dubai.

Yes very nice to see a self made ruler who later returns to his billion dollar house built with the common man’s money.

What common man money? The man spent all of his fortune building Dubai into a metropolis, he went from billionaire to being in-debt for the sake of his city.

The revenue has flown in and now he’s a pure billionaire from what he built, he never stole.

Where did he get that fortune in the first place??

Oil that belongs to the people. And he kept much of it for him self.

An absolute genius of a man. He’s the reason Dubai has become the commercial masterpiece it is today. Respect to this man’s vision and I only wish one Kuwaiti leader had 1% of his tact.

He’s created extraordinary wealth in a city that was a simple fishing port with no luxury of oil to feed off.

Salute to the greatest Arab leader Alive.

That was spineless comment.

If you’re going to publicly criticize a person, whom ever it may be, at least have the decency to reveal your identity.

Also, the lack of politeness is distasteful. When talking negatively about people (let alone leaders), the least you can do is to phrase it in a respectful way.

Besides, I think we, the people of kuwait (citizens, expats, aliens, badoon, …etc), are to blame for the current state of this country. We are quick to criticize others without doing our part. We are the building blocks of this society, yet we seem to refuse being a part of it. If everyone does his/her part, officials will have no choice but to change how they run things as well.

If you want to make things better, it starts with you.

agreed to your point, but onething if you can agree, to , kuwait is oil rich country, govt having surplus revenue each year.
Govt can do more with current situation for example kuwait needs metro, look at the traffic problem, each freeways are jammed till 10-11 am.
more amusement parks, more gardens, more greenery,
he people of kuwait citizens, expats, aliens, badoon, will all have to put in their share, to the development of kuwait, but there is need of new more and flexible infrastructure, also

He stated “Salute to the greatest Arab leader Alive” and Sheikh Mohammed bin AlRashid AlMaktoum IS the finest leader in the modern Arab world. He transformed his nation into a modern beautiful hub in the region where all Emiritis ride on the bisht tails of Sheikh Mohammed’s vision. He cares very deeply for his nation and for the youth where he visits schools and builds cultural centers FOR HIS NATION. You should feel honored that he even entered your country. But I would give a dinar for his thoughts as he drove into that Avenues Mall project where the entrance is at the bottom of a freeway off-ramp with a mere two lanes, *how this government has failed that project is terms of road development* and as he looked around at the trash and disorganization as compared to the Carrefour in Emirates Mall. He could solve all the problems of Kuwait in a year, at least draft a solid plan, it would be a piece of cake for him. Maybe your leaders should ask his advice! God be with you Sheikh Mohammed!

Sarah, please reread my comment again. I have nothing but respect for sheikh Mohammed. What he managed to do to his country is a testament to how great of a man he is.

What I am objecting to in my previous comment was this: “… I only wish one Kuwaiti leader had 1% of his tact”.

Even if I had somehow written something offensive about Sh. Mohammed, would that really make it okay to retaliate by doing the same?

spineless? seriously, grow up. have you ever been to Dubai? go have a look out your window and tell me what you see. Kuwait is a lovely little country and that’s how it will remain … little and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Randy, with all due respect, HOW did you arrive to this conclusion from my parent reply?

That person publicly criticized a person behind his back and without revealing his identity. That’s a good example of spinelessness.

What are YOU talking about?

HH Sheikh Sabah, Jaber and Sa’ad Shaped Kuwait to it’s glory when they were young.

Kuwait was the most advanced Arab country up until 2000 when H.H Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Jaber Al-Sabah may he rest in peace got sick, he and HH Sheikh Sa’ad and Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah got sick too, and this is where everything fell apart mainly due to the parliament ruled by money hungry bedouins ( No offense to bedouins ) and being our leaders were not in the health to fully monitor them, Kuwait fell apart.

The reason why Kuwait rised back in the days, it was ruled by Young Royalty, they had the energy to shape and fix everything and make it one of the best countries of the world. That’s the same reason why Dubai rised, Dubai is ruled by a Young Sheikh, and his young son, Prince Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum is the state’s prime minister, Prince Hamdan Al-Maktoum is loved by the youth of the UAE, they respect him, he loves them with all of his heart and he tries his best to attend youthful acts.

This is what Kuwait needs, a young and wise ruler to set things right, Strict yet kind and bring back Kuwait’s to what it used to be, a blooming country.

I love HH Sheikh Sabah with all of my heart, and i’m a loyal civilian and will die protecting this country if i had too. But Kuwaits need to be cleansed from these savage money-hungry jackasses that are stealing this countries wealth.

All this debate here over which mall is bigger. I don’t really care as long as the mall has whatever you need and serves its purpose.

I also see that people get angry when their country is mocked. Well they are just voicing their opinions and they are entitled to it. Kuwait did indeed have men of great vision. Particularly Abdullah (III) Al-Salim Al-Sabah. It just needs more people like him. 🙂

Is it true that he is one of the main reasons Dubai developed itself so rapidly? If so, then he must be one hell of a man.

I’m glad i live in the UAE,since he as PM of UAE is very active and lets the normal public peep into his life too(for eg twitter where everyday he posts are “sheikh mohammed journal” where he shows his likes and dislikes ,and also youtube videos. etc
His full dedication is to improving the quality of life of his people ,national and expat alike(i am expat so i can say) so thats the best thing about him.
I’ve seen him once too! was car-spotting in Dubai Mall when suddenly his G55 AMG Dubai “1” Turned up! https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/540633_4271304026563_809970672_n.jpg

Back at KU, one of my classmates was one of the grandchildren of the late Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah, and he was so down to earth and modest. In fact, you’ll see many Al-Sabah members among you in malls, gyms, and schools and they are so friendly. Even in funerals, you see HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah, and former PM Sheikh Naser Al-Sabah attend for condolences. God bless our leaders and Kuwait.

I’ve met Shaikh Jabers (may he RIP) youngest sons. They’re the most humble and down to earth men I have ever met. Mashallah.

Sh.Mohammed is a visionary and mashAllah he did build Dubai rapidly, buuuuut its a one man show! If one of the Royals in Kuwait did that you wouldn’t hear the end of it in Parliament where they speak freely etc. An emarati citizen just mocked something on twitter and he got prisoned! and i believe Mark you posted about it i think?
God Bless both Countries 🙂

I heard he applied for a visit visa . It was rejected thrice.. some dude then identified him by his beard. Then granted.

I love Sheikh Mo! I used to live in Kuwait and currently reside in Dubai. I’ve seen Sheikh Mo at random places a few times in the year I have been here! You would never see the top 3 in Kuwait walk around as he does. You could be stuck in traffic and find him in the car next to you… stuck in traffic as you are too.

so now the new thing is to stop mocking the country and start mocking our royal families? our royal families whether its alsabah, alsaud, alkhalifa, althani alnahyan and alsaeed will always be our pride and glory. NO other country have generous and humble leaders like ours. go back to your countries and compare then start talking about our royal families.

The reason Sheikh Mohammed is a brilliant man is because he does not view himself as a leader. He sees himself as a servant to his country and his people, that is the difference between him and other heads of states.

It’s a throwback to the time when King Abdalla and his Queen Rania were present at the opening of Starbucks first outlet in Amman.
Interesting how enthused are international royalty to come visit Carrefour at the Avenues followed by a pit stop at Dean & Deluca. Wonder if they stopped by pinkberry too.
If there’s one thing to be learned from the royal family in Kuwait for the rest of the world’s royalty is how to keep a low profile, unlike what you see happening in the Emirates, Qatar or in England.
Do we know if he spent the night at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach hotel?

“A leader should not be judged by his humility, modesty or approachability… he should rather be judged on the state of affairs in his state and the path that he is positioning the state for in the coming years”

Case / point / conclusion: Dubai is no time has dwarfed its neighbors in terms of efficiency, transparency and accountability.And these flow directly from the top.

Sadly, all of the attributes above are non-existent in today’s Kuwait.

My heart weeps when i see the state this country is in…inshallah the next generation of my Kuwaiti brothers will be more pragmatic, logical and patriotic..until then kuwait will continue to be in the snooze mode.

Education is the answer..but sadly the administrators of this country have turned a blind eye to it for a simple reason..”an empty mind will not question the status quo”…

There’s no doubting he is the finest entrepreneur there ever was. But as a leader I am less sure. With all due respect; you may not care two hoots about your own personal safety but he is indirectly putting at risk the lives of hundreds of other people doing their grocery shopping and minding their own business@ Carrefour and in the Avenues.In this day and age of global terrorism and the Arab spring this isn’t a terribly wise thing to do I suppose. You could say it is rather foolhardy to mingle as he did with almost anyone and everyone.
I once had a similar experience with celebrity when we were sat two tables away from Salman Rushdie at a French restaurant. We gave the peach melba a miss; grabbed our checks and hurried home. Who was to guarantee our safety sitting in the same room as he and his coterie were??
There’s one thing though- he has raised the bar up a notch for the eye candy passing through at the Avenues.Nothing to match or beat the eye candy to pre-invasion levels in Kuwait, it would seem but the authorities are trying real hard just the same:)

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