Former Sudanese president voted Islamic Personality of the Year

Dubai: The former Sudanese president, Field Marshal Abdul Rahman Siwar Al Dahab, has been selected as the Islamic Personality of the year.

Dr Saeed Harib, Deputy Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award, made the announcement on Sunday. He said the Islamic Personality of the year is one of the most important elements of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award.

Field Marshal Siwar Al Dahab was born in 1935 in Sudan. He graduated from military college in 1955 and joined the Sudan Armed Forces, where he rose to the position of General. He also served as Minister of Defense, as Military Commander and later as President.

He became the Military Affairs Advisor to the Qatar Ruler, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Hamad Al Thani, and acted as the Commander of Police and Military in Doha.

Now retired, Siwar Al Dahab dedicates his time to charity work and is the Chairman of the Islamic Dawa Organisation in Sudan, which has built over 2,000 mosques, more than 200 schools, a number of hospitals and orphanages, as well as irrigation schemes, clinics and centres for child care, in Africa.

Considered a powerful personality in the Islamic world, he’s also an active membership of a number of Islamic organisations around the world.