Birth & Upbringing:

  • Juma Al Majid was born in 1930 (1359 Hijria), in the Al Shindagha area in Dubai, where he was raised amongst his family.
  • From an early age, he would accompany his father on his driving trips in the summer. These were arduous trips from which he learnt patience and perseverance.
  • He learned to read, and he received tutoring on religious sciences, the Koran and the Arabic language, at schools by Al Mutawa. From a young age he understood the value of books which were not readily available at that time.
  • He began his career in trade with his maternal uncle, going on to become a merchant in his own right, and with the blessing of God, he was met with great success.
  • From the early fifties he sought to open a number of private charity schools.
  • He opened two schools in Dubai: Gamal Abdul Nasser School for boys, and Amina Secondary School for girls, which received the blessings of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum and several other benefactors such as Humaid Al-Tayer, Abdullah Al Ghurair, and Nasser Rashid Lootah.
  • His efforts continued in this field and he established a number of primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges for higher education for boys and girls, and in a cooperative charity to bear the bulk of the financial costs supporting the continuation of these educational institutions.
  • As a natural result of his interest in education, and the development and expansion of education on various levels, he also established a public library to meet the needs of researchers, scholars and readers alike.
  • Due to his belief in the importance of Arab and Islamic manuscripts, and the need for the acquisition, renovation and preservation of these manuscripts, he established a specialized centre for this purpose.
  • He himself took several trips to a number of countries worldwide in an effort to collect these rare manuscripts. This has brought the center to the forefront as one of the most important centers in the Arab World for the preservation of manuscripts.
  • In 1990 he founded Beit Al Khair with a few of his benevolent peers, with the aim of providing financial and in-kind assistance to the needy and the poor.
  • Together with his peers, he contributed to the establishment of schools in a number of Arab and Islamic countries, as well as providing support for public education.
  • Positions and Responsibilities.
  • Held several important positions in the economic and cultural arena, both locally and abroad.
  • Founding member of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
  • President of the Dubai Economic Affairs Council.
  • Founder and Chairman of the Juma Al Majid Group of Companies.
  • Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the College of Islamic and Arabic Studies in Dubai.
  • Member of the Federal Supreme Council of the UAE.
  • Founding member of the Arab Thought Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon.
  • Ex-Member of the Advisory Committee of the Centre for Middle East Studies at Harvard University.
  • Awards and Certificates of Recognition.
  • Honored by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Justice for hosting Kuwaiti families in 1990, and his role in establishing the Emirati Kuwaiti Brotherhood Committee, 1990.
  • Recipient of the Sultan bin Ali Al Owais Award as the UAE cultural personality, 1992.
  • Recipient of the Dubai Quality Award “Businessman of the Year” presented by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 1994.
  • Recipient of the award for contributors to the eradicating of illiteracy and supporting adult education, from the Ministry of Education, 1995.
  • Certificate of Merit presented by the Association of Moroccan Historians honoring his efforts in serving culture and heritage, 1996.
  • Recipient of the King Faisal International Prize for serving Islam, 1999.
  • Recipient of the Al Bir Award presented by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the Women’s Union, 1998.
  • Recipient of Honorary Degree from the Scientific Board at the University of St. Petersburg honoring his role in preserving Islamic heritage, 1999.
  • Recipient of the International Personality Award for serving culture and heritage, presented by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, 2000.
  • Recipient of a certificate of appreciation from the Islamic Center in Aachen, Germany, 2000.
  • Recipient of two certificates of appreciation from the Palestinian Al Saleh Society and the Society for Charitable work in recognition of his efforts and his support of the Palestinian cause, 2000.
  • Honored by the Arab Cultural Society in Beirut for his efforts in protecting Arab and Islamic heritage, 2001.
  • Recipient of a certificate of appreciation from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information for his distinguished efforts in serving Islam, 2001.
  • Recipient of the Sharjah Award for volunteer work in 2003 by His Highness Sheikh Dr.  Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah.
  • Honored with the (Order of Jerusalem, in the first degree) by decision of Dr. Mahmoud Abbas, PLO Chairman and President of the Palestinian National Authority, 2005.
  • Recipient  of Certificate of Merit presented by President Hosni Mubarak, 2005.
  • Recipient of the Personality of the Year Award presented at the Al Qareen Cultural Festival in Kuwait, 2005
  • Recipient of the Trym Imran Cultural Foundation prize awarded to institutions, in recognition of the role of The Juma Al Majed Center for Culture and Heritage, 2007.

Juma Al Majid Heritage & Cultural Center P.O. Box: 55156 Tel. +971(4) 2625999 Fax: +971 (4) 2696950 info@almajidcenter.org