Dubai: Late Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, who passed away in the wee hours of Friday, is being hailed as a great leader, who presided over a major shift in the kingdom.
Abdullah took charge of the country at turbulent times for the Arab and Muslim and people feel he did well to manage the affairs amicably.
“He was not just the King of Saudi Arabia, be he was the leader of the entire Arab and Islamic world. He played an important role in bringing together different countries and he was at the forefront of solve all the issue facing the region,” said Eisa Abdul Rahman Al Dossari, a former official of RTA.
Domestically, King Abdullah ushered in an era of progress, establishing universities and carry out major infrastructure developments.
“He was very concerned with the state of education in Saudi Arabia and in the last 10 years 20 universities were set up, more than doubling the number that existed before 2005,” added Al Dossari.
Despite his age King Abdullah was an active person and importantly he was connected with people and cared for their well being, says Hamid Reza Ahmadi, CEO of Babykish, and an Iranian.
“All Muslims saw him as the supervisor of their affairs and he did well in carrying out his duty in safeguarding people’s issues. We lost a great leader who managed to keep trouble at bay during hard times. We have lost a great leader and hopefully new King Salman will continue with the polices of his elder brother. And I personally hope the relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia will improve and there is greater peace in the region,” said Hamid Raza Ahmadi.
As a custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah ensured pilgrims receive the best service.
“King Abdullah saw himself as a servant of pilgrims and he was very concerned with their affairs. He carried out major infrastructure development in Makkah to ensure pilgrims are able to carry out all the religious rights in comfort,” said Yousuf Al Ali, CEO of Public Transport Agency.
