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Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa

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Styles of
Sheikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa
Reference styleHer Excellency
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Alternative styleSheikha

Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa is a Bahraini politician and former government minister.

Biography

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Sheika Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa was appointed Minister of Information in Bahrain in 2009; she was the first woman to become the Information Minister in Bahrain.[1] She is the Chairperson of the Board of the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage and the former President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities.[2] [3] She served as the Minister of Culture of Bahrain. In 2014 in the Forbes Middle East list of most powerful Arab women she was listed as number six.[4] She visited the February 2014 and proposed plans to renovate it.[5] As the culture minister she has worked to encourage artists in Bahrain.[6] Her daughter, Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, became Bahrain's Director General of Culture and Arts.[7]

In the World Monuments Fund’s 50th Anniversary on 21 October 2015 in New York City, Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa was awarded the Watch Award for her role in preserving the monuments and culture of Bahrain.[8] In 2017 she was made the Special Ambassador of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).[9]

In 2020, Sheika Mai was nominated by the Government of Bahrain as Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization.[10] In January 2021, incumbent Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili won the election at the 113th session of the Executive Council.[11]

In 2023, Sheika Mai was dismissed from her position as the President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities.[12] According to the Middle East Eye and Doha News, she refused to shake hands with the Israeli ambassador to Bahrain. Following this event, which happened in the United States ambassador Steve C. Bondy’s residence, the King ordered her removal from office.[13]

Publications

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  • Al Khalifa, Mai Mohammed (1996). محمد بن خليفة، ٣١٨١-٠٩٨١ م [Mohammed bin Khalifa, 1981-1983 AD] (in Arabic). Michigan: University of Michigan. ISBN 9782910355548.
  • Al Khalifa, Mai Mohammed (1999). مائة عام من التعليم النظامي في البحرين/ السنوات الأولى للتأسيس [One Hundred Years Of Formal Education In Bahrain/The Early Years Of Establishment] (in Arabic). Michigan: University of Michigan.
  • Al Khalifa, Mai Mohammed (2019). The Qarmatians, From Concept to State. Pennsauken, NJ: BookBaby. ISBN 978-1543981179.

Further reading

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References

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  1. ^ Toumi, Habib (5 March 2016). "Bahrain ruler sacks information minister". Gulf News. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa". whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  3. ^ www.culture.gov.bh
  4. ^ "200 Most Powerful Arab Women - 2014: Government". Forbes Middle East. Forbes Middle East. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Culture Minister visits Jewish Synagogue". bna.bh. Bahrain News Agency. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  6. ^ "Bahrain's culture minister works to encourage Arab artists". Al-Monitor. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Bahraini Artist Hala Al Khalifa Talks About All Things Art in Her Interview With France 24". Local Bahrain. 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  8. ^ "Her Majesty Queen Sofía and Her Excellency Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa Of Bahrain Honored at Annual World Monuments Fund Hadrian Gala on October 21, 2015". World Monuments Fund. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  9. ^ "UNWTO appoints Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa as Ambassador of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development". media.unwto.org. World Tourism Organization UNWTO. Archived from the original on 2017-11-17. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  10. ^ "H.E. Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa Nominated As Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization". abouther.com. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  11. ^ "Secretary-General Pololikashvili Nominated to Lead UNWTO for Four More Years". UNWTO. 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  12. ^ Salari, Fatemeh (2022-07-24). "'Heroic' Bahraini minister sacked for refusing to shake hands with Israeli envoy". Doha News | Qatar. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  13. ^ "Bahrain: Culture minister sacked for refusing to shake hands with Israeli envoy". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2023-02-18.