Omar Saif Ghobash

Omar Saif Ghobash (Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, 1971) is the United Arab Emirates ambassador to Russia. He studied Law at Balliol College, Oxford and, subsequently, Applied Mathematics at the University of London. In addition to his work as a diplomat, he sponsors several cultural initiatives, for example the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, and he is a founding trustee of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. His first book, Letters to a Young Muslim (now published in Spanish by Seix Barral, 2017, as Carta a un joven musulmán), reflects on Islam today through a series of letters addressed to his son. As he tells his own life story, he gradually offers advice and makes suggestions so that his son will learn to help to construct a world of peace and interreligious dialogue. Omar Ghobash serves on the advisory body of The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King’s College, London, and is a board member of the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi.