I love the quote about the poem of outrage he released today. Apparently, he thinks he’s a great poet, but no one else does.
From the Daily Beast article:
"Asked if the poem sounded as bad in Arabic as it did in translation, a source told The Daily Beast: “It’s actually worse.”
I hope he just divorces her (easy to do there), probably already done by him, and leaves her alone. I think the son is most in danger of being taken back because of his value in the father’s society. I didn’t realize they only had two children.
She’s actually his third wife. And her own father was married four times I believe, but not to more than one woman at a time. Queen Noor, the American, was King Hussein’s fourth wife. Haya is half-sister to the current King Abdullah II.
Most marriages in the middle eastern countries are arranged marriages. I work with several women who still hold citizenship over there and while they were working and schooling here; marriages were arranged back in the homeland. They flew home for a month, married a random man, then came back.
I can’t personally fathom doing that or living like that. But we need to remember that this is entirely different culture. And one following beliefs that are thousands of years old. Whether or not modern minds believe that certain practices are right vs wrong is irrelevant.
People living in first world countries like the USA, Canada, England, etc are very spoiled. Spoiled when it comes to our values and laws and family structures. The middle east is a different world. Marriages are not always done in love. Princess Haya came from royalty herself and her marriage was likely partially arranged to the Sheikh for money and power reasons. Que the new article which quotes that Jordan was to recieve significant capital investments via the marriage
That doesn’t give the Sheikh the right to abuse his wife but Latifa tried to flee because of the control that she lived under, not necessarily abuse.
The Sheikh is one of the most powerful men and richest men in the world. I find it ironic Haya is now seeking asylum in London; where her husband was just winning races and conversing with the queen just a week ago.
The Sheikh hires many women in his equine operations. His top assistant trainer is a female and he has female stallion managers (something that isn’t the norm worldwide), etc. I believe, in his stables, he is a fair employer and treats his employees and his horses very well. If he didn’t, people wouldn’t be lining up to work for Godolphin or sticking around for decades working for him. As noted above, anywhere he travels he ensures that he takes care of those helping his family on those endeavors.
But as far as his family values, family interactions, religious beliefs, political power that relate to his marriages, etc; it’s just an entirely different world and its hard, even for me to wrap my head around
But if anyone thinks that this news of Haya leaving is going to have any negative affect on the Sheikh, they can guess again. HIs trainers won’t leave him, his relations with the Queen and other powerful figures won’t waver, his staff on his properties won’t leave him. There is too much money involved, too much power and political risk to openly voice an opinion of him. If you are within the middle east; youre life could be at risk if you did so.
Yes, we all know that people love his money and he’s a good tipper.
I don’t consider people that live in first world countries that have laws concerning human rights to be “spoiled”.
I am well aware of what this man and his family does in the UAE and their history, and it’s not the pretty face of Godolphin or Darley.
You needn’t explain your version of “middle eastern” culture to me. I’m not an uneducated bumpkin either. 
Fine for you to believe that he is a ‘fair’ employer and treats his employees and his horses very well but I think that hasn’t always been proven to be the case.
As for people lining up to work for Godolphin, is it that they are lining up to work for the Sheik because he’s a fair employer or because having Godolphin or Darley on one’s resume is a nice thing to have and would potentially open doors that might not ordinarily be open?
Would you work for Godolphin or Darley if you were in the racing or TB breeding business?
Ditto to all the above. My respect for “culture” ends at the point where said culture dictates denial of basic human rights to an entire demographic. Though to be fair to Islam, many Q’uranic scholars state that subjugation of women is not endorsed in the Q’uran; seems it’s often misinterpreted for the convenience of those wielding the power. Hmmmm…that’s never happened before with any other religion…
Also, snaffle, she’s in Germany, not London.
I do hope Haya stays safe and that once things have settled down and she’s resumed a more or less “normal” life, she can blow the lid off the goings-on behind the palace walls. Nothing like a little international pressure to prompt change. She may not want to, of course, as she may rightfully worry that the women still under Mo’s control will be made to suffer for her actions. Her prerogative.
For all of his work with and donations to international human rights campaigns, Mo seems never to have grasped the concept of charity beginning in one’s own home.
She’s in Germany and seeking approval to live in London. Read the articles. Hiding in Germany is only temporary.
Consider these rulers like a version of the Mob. Some say the queens family is similar only we wouldn’t want to place that type of assumptions on the posh british elite, now would we.
I don’t personally like the Sheikh. He comes across as interesting as an ant with zero personality. HIs wives and children are just a means of carrying on his pedigree and estates; make no mistake of that.
Probably a little of both and why the whole evil cycle continues on. The Sheikh will have no backlash from any of this that will significantly affect him or his lifestyle. And people can claim that investment will decline in dubai, perhaps it will; but in the grand scheme of things 1% decline to him is like pennies in a bucket.
I think that the Sheikh runs top class operations around the globe and his employees enjoy working for Godolphin/Darley. I’d probably choose to work for them over many other smaller operations. And he does care about the aftercare of his horses which is a plus.
And yes, Americans and other similar countries are spoiled in regards to all that we enjoy in these areas: whether that be human rights laws and practices, governments and leadership, family relations, etc. Go spend some time in the down and dirty middle east or Venezuela or a town in Mexico and then tell me how spoiled you were to live in a country where you didn’t have to think about any of what you experienced there, both as a human and a woman. Yes, you are spoiled, we are spoiled.
People are not “lining up” to work for Godolphin. And just like many other outfits, you get hired if you are still breathing and show up for work most days. It’s a typical racing job, long hours, not so great pay, maybe staff housing so you can live with the people you work with, whether you like them or not. It’s still horse shit and flies and hard manual labor. You still smell just as bad at the end of the day.
Most outfits are short on labor, if anything, which is why so many illegals work/worked in racing. It’s not a great job for most people. Doors don’t get “opened” by having Godolphin on your resume. No one checks your references. You can go up to the stable gate and tell the gate guard you are an experienced groom/hotwalker looking for work and the fastest race of the day will be trainers sending people up to the gate to get you and bring you back to the barn to work for them.
I am not sure that you mean spoiled. That suggests that the rights that you and I enjoy are rights that should not be given. Don’t you mean to suggest that these rights, for which many people in the US and “similar countries” gave their lives, both willingly and unwillingly, are not yet in the countries that you mention and are worth working towards?
Yes, she certainly knew (and was open about) her husband’s other relationships. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1103014/Princess-Haya-Jordan-A-modern-Arabian-tale.html
yes, we are spoiled. Very few Americans realize how wonderful they have it. Rich people are called spoiled and that doesn’t mean poor people shouldn’t have nice pockets either.
I am not saying they are not worth working for. But the middle east is one steeped in Male dominance. Giving women rights = losing control of those they have deemed property. That is both a political and religious influence into that. Haya is a beautiful woman and she comes from a very wealthy Jordan family of Royalty. Her parents married her off to the Sheikh both from a political standpoint and a family standpoint. Marrying her off to one of the richest men in the world who rules one of the richest parts of the world = lucrative business and political deals for her home country and her family
Like it or not, it’s just the way things are. The Queen wouldn’t permit her sons and grandsons to marry an ugly peasant. Same concept.
I think you are assuming too much. Do you know that Haya had no choice regarding who she married?
Jordan is a very different place than the UAE. You are lumping the “middle east” together as if every country is identical, and they are far from it.
not exactly. Darley and Godplhins North American operations are very small. I’m moreso referencing their operations in Europe which employes a large amount of native Europeans as stableboys who operate both as grooms and exercise riders for a select group of horses assigned to them within the barn. The Sheik’s operations in Europe make his activities in other countries look like specks on a map. Many of his employees have been long term employees in his stables there. Perhaps a bit different in north America where illegal labor runs rampant on US track backsides and labor is hard to find.
there marriage was never announced. nor did they ever really date. Even the news outlets, when they were married, pressured that it was arranged. Due to the close relationship of both of their countries, their wealth, and their working relationship. this is not uncommon for countries like this
Now the Sheikh is fighting her in the high court in the UK. This will be very, very interesting to see if they return her to him. Given the royal family of the UK finds Sheikh Mohammed to be a man of respect.
You aren’t making much sense here. There is a video of them online (or there was) of them announcing their marriage.
Why on earth do you think the Queen thinks Al Maktoum is a “man of respect”?
They have TB racing in common as well as the racing economy in The U.K. and that’s it.
I’d love to see the quote of anyone in the British royal family saying that he is “a man of respect”. What does that even mean? . Can you provide the link?.
In an earlier reply, snaffle seemed to imply, at least to me, that people were lining up to work for the Sheik. shrug…
You know this stuff isn’t hard to look up, right? Your posts would be received better if you used real facts rather than just making things up.
See post 37. Snaffle has no real life experience with racing.
I am referencing their operations all over. Which European operation are you specifically referencing? Their Newmarket yard is crap to work for. The owners money does not trickle down to the help.
