Welcome to the Al-Maktoum Foundation

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the website of Al-Maktoum Foundation, Scotland – UK

The Al-Maktoum Foundation has been established in Scotland on 18 March 2005 to contribute to the promotion of multiculturalism in Scotland, present better understanding of Islam and Muslims and provide practical support for multicultural initiatives in the communities through the Al-Maktoum Multicultural Centre in Dundee.

HH Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates Minister of Finance and Industry and Patron of the Foundation, is working to encourage greater dialogue across cultures and peoples, to enhance greater understanding and appreciation between communities in particular between the Arab and Muslim worlds and the West. He wants the relationship between Scotland and the UAE to work as a practical example for global, cross cultural understanding and cooperation. The creation of the Al-Maktoum Institute in Dundee was an example of HH Shaikh Hamdan’s vision in action as it demonstrates how relationships have been built between the UAE and Scotland over the past five years.

We are delighted, for example that the Al-Maktoum Tartan was re-discovered by Al-Maktoum Institute in 2002 and was officially used by Al-Maktoum Foundation in 2006. It was a wonderful discovery and we are delighted to have been able to bring this design back into production. The new tartan will now be the official colours of the Al-Maktoum Foundation in Scotland. The original Al-Maktoum Tartan was based upon the Cameron Tartan.  In 1977, the Al-Maktoum Tartan was designed by Pipe Major, Major Stallard for the late HH Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, for the use in Dubai’s Pipe Band.  This action from the late HH Shaikh Rashid made Al-Maktoum Tartan as one of the international symbols of Al-Maktoum.

Indeed, HH Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum is pleased with the development of the relationship between Dundee and Scotland, and Dubai, and the Emirates. There remains a lot of hard work to do, but we are greatly encouraged by the commitment of Scotland’s leaders – such as Minister Tom McCabe, Minister of Finance, Minister Margaret Curran, Minster of Parliamentary Business, and Dundee City Council Leader Mrs Jill Shimi – to the establishment of two way traffic between our two countries in trade and business links, cultural and academic exchange, and many other areas. To further explore how this two way traffic can be developed, we are working to identify a suitable date for HH Shaikh Hamdan to visit Scotland which may coincide with laying the foundation stone for Al-Maktoum Multicultural Centre in Dundee.

Can I emphasise that we are not only building a mosque or a facility available only to Muslims in the City, but we are building a Multicultural Centre which will be a facility for all the communities of the City and of Scotland, and to be a model for multiculturalism in Scotland. It will work to promote understanding and bring communities together.

I know that several Scottish prominent individuals were asking about the progress in the building of the Multicultural Centre in Dundee, and the citizens of Dundee are anxious to know when the building of the Centre will start. As we have been granted the Planning Permission from Dundee City Council, I am very pleased to announce today that the building of the Al-Maktoum Multicultural Centre will start very soon.

Mirza Al-Sayegh
Chairman of Al-Maktoum Foundation, Scotland - UK
Director of the Office of HH Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum

Tuesday 12.9.06

The new Al-Maktoum Multicultural Centre will be a monument to multiculturalism in Scotland and beyon... read more

Friday 8.9.06

A group of Dubai journalists will receive certificates from Dundee Council leader, Jill Shimi at a c... read more

Friday 7.7.06

A group of female students from the Gulf States on a visit to Scotland will take part in the nationa... read more

Wednesday 28.6.06

A “New Agenda” promoting multiculturalism was launched at the Scottish Parliament today during a vis... read more