DUBAI // Sheikh Zayed, the founding President of the UAE, was described as a "towering Arab personality" during an award ceremony to honour him as Islamic Personality of the Year in 1999.
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p>The recognition, under the Dubai International Holy Quran Award, is regarded as one of the most coveted in the region. Sheikh Zayed was chosen to be the third recipient of the award by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
He credited Sheikh Zayed for playing a crucial role in shaping events in the region. "He is an Islamic leader … who has taken Islam as his point of departure in all matters relating to contemporary issues that call for awareness and insight," Sheikh Mohammed said during the ceremony.
Sheikh Zayed is affectionately referred to as founder of the nation. He built mosques around the world, donated hundreds of millions of dirhams to charitable causes and ordered the translation and distribution of the Quran for free.
He also helped to finance the building of schools, homes and hospitals across the Islamic world and set up the Zayed Philanthropic Foundation Establishment.
"It is because of this that the Islamic role of His Highness Sheikh Zayed cannot be encapsulated in a few words," said Sheikh Mohammed.
This year's winner of the Islamic Personality of the Year prize is Sheikh Khalifa, the current President of the UAE.
* Maey El Shoush