Tareq Al-Suwaidan
Encyclopedia
Dr. Tareq Mohammed Al-Suwaidan is a Kuwaiti entrepreneur, Islamic author, speaker and director of the arabsat TV channel Alresalah as well as a leader of the Kuwati Muslim Brotherhood . He is well-known in the Middle East
and in Muslim communities throughout the world for his management
/strategic planning
training, motivational speaking
and television
shows and appearances. According to Forbes
magazine (Arabic edition: Forbes Arabia), Al-Suwaidan ranks second in annual net income among Islamic speakers in the Muslim world with an estimated net profit of $1 million in 2007. Al-Suwaidan was trained in the classical Islamic sciences in his youth and lived and studied in the United States
, having received a B.S. in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State University and an M.Sc. and Ph.D.
in petroleum engineering
from the University of Tulsa
. He currently resides in Kuwait with his wife and six children.
, Abu Dhabi TV, Orbit, Dream, Iqra and Al-Resalah TV. An estimated 10 million viewers tune in daily to his show on MBC annually in Ramadan
Al-Suwaidan is the General Manager of Al-Resalah Satellite TV
, the brainchild of Saudi businessman Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal
.
Al-Suwaidan is a management, leadership and strategic planning consultant in the Middle East and is CEO of the Gulf Innovation Groups. He is frequently consulted by prominent regional governmental and private sector organizations. He is also the chairman of the AWARE (Advocates for Western-Arab Relations & Exchange) center in Kuwait.
, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian
leaders, calling for peace and understanding. He has supported women's rights within Islamic sharia
law and advocated for reforming traditional understanding of Islam. Al-Suwaidan has condemned the 9/11 terrorists saying "these people are very dangerous to themselves, to the Arab world, to the Islamic world itself, and to Islam itself."
Al-Suwaidan has called for the liberation of Palestine
and said Muslims would be willing to sacrifice their sons for the cause of the Al-Aqsa mosque
. In May 2007, Al-Suwaidan was listed by U.S. federal prosecutors, along with a group of U.S. Muslim Brotherhood members, as an unindicted co-conspirator
in the terrorism financing case against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development
which was convicted along with its leaders of financing Hamas
. Al-Suwaidan has not been charged in any associated prosecutions.
In 2006 he demanded that the European Union
, as well as the rest of the world, enact “a law that forbids the insult to religious figures and religious sacred opinions.”
He is also one of the founders of AGS (Advanced Generations School) in Saudi Arabia, a "Canadian school with an Islamic identity." Students study English under the Canadian Curriculum, and take Islamic and Arabic classes as well.
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and in Muslim communities throughout the world for his management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
/strategic planning
Strategic planning
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues...
training, motivational speaking
Motivational speaking
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows and appearances. According to Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine (Arabic edition: Forbes Arabia), Al-Suwaidan ranks second in annual net income among Islamic speakers in the Muslim world with an estimated net profit of $1 million in 2007. Al-Suwaidan was trained in the classical Islamic sciences in his youth and lived and studied in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, having received a B.S. in petroleum and natural gas engineering from Penn State University and an M.Sc. and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in petroleum engineering
Petroleum engineering
Petroleum engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the activities related to the production of hydrocarbons, which can be either crude oil or natural gas. Subsurface activities are deemed to fall within the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry, which are the activities of...
from the University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
. He currently resides in Kuwait with his wife and six children.
Media and management
Al-Suwaidan is a TV personality, with TV shows ranking among the highest in ratings on Middle East satellite TV channels such as MBCMiddle East Broadcasting Center
The Middle East Broadcasting Center Group is the first private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab World which was launched in London in 1991 and later moved to its headquarters in Dubai in 2002. MBC Group provides multiple channels of information, interaction and entertainment...
, Abu Dhabi TV, Orbit, Dream, Iqra and Al-Resalah TV. An estimated 10 million viewers tune in daily to his show on MBC annually in Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
Al-Suwaidan is the General Manager of Al-Resalah Satellite TV
Al-Resalah Satellite TV
Al-Resalah is an Arabic language satellite television channel "to present true Islam".It is funded by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, recorded in all over the United Arab Emirates to Morocco and Kuwait, and broadcast from Cairo...
, the brainchild of Saudi businessman Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal
Al-Waleed bin Talal
Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is a Saudi Arabian billionaire and member of the Saudi royal family. He is the nephew of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. An entrepreneur and international investor he has amassed a fortune through investments in real estate and the stock market.He is founder and CEO of...
.
Al-Suwaidan is a management, leadership and strategic planning consultant in the Middle East and is CEO of the Gulf Innovation Groups. He is frequently consulted by prominent regional governmental and private sector organizations. He is also the chairman of the AWARE (Advocates for Western-Arab Relations & Exchange) center in Kuwait.
Views and ideology
Al-Suwaidan is a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait and describes himself as a "moderate Islamist". Al-Suwaidan holds pro-democratic, free speech and freedom of religion viewpoints and is one of the signatories of A Common Word Between Us and YouA Common Word Between Us and You
A Common Word between Us and You is an open letter, dated 13 October 2007, from leaders of the Muslim faith to leaders of the Christian faith. It calls for peace between Muslims and Christians and tries to work for common ground and understanding among both faiths, in line with the Qur'anic...
, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
leaders, calling for peace and understanding. He has supported women's rights within Islamic sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
law and advocated for reforming traditional understanding of Islam. Al-Suwaidan has condemned the 9/11 terrorists saying "these people are very dangerous to themselves, to the Arab world, to the Islamic world itself, and to Islam itself."
Al-Suwaidan has called for the liberation of Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and said Muslims would be willing to sacrifice their sons for the cause of the Al-Aqsa mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque also known as al-Aqsa, is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam and is located in the Old City of Jerusalem...
. In May 2007, Al-Suwaidan was listed by U.S. federal prosecutors, along with a group of U.S. Muslim Brotherhood members, as an unindicted co-conspirator
Unindicted co-conspirator
An unindicted co-conspirator, or unindicted conspirator, is a person or entity that is alleged in an indictment to have engaged in conspiracy, but who is not charged in the same indictment...
in the terrorism financing case against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development
Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development
The Holy Land Foundation was the largest Islamic charity in the United States. Headquartered in Richardson, Texas, it was originally known as Occupied Land Fund....
which was convicted along with its leaders of financing Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
. Al-Suwaidan has not been charged in any associated prosecutions.
In 2006 he demanded that the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, as well as the rest of the world, enact “a law that forbids the insult to religious figures and religious sacred opinions.”
Educational initiatives
Al-Suwaidan founded the American Creativity Academy in Kuwait, a private institution that offers an American college-preparatory education within the context of Islamic values.He is also one of the founders of AGS (Advanced Generations School) in Saudi Arabia, a "Canadian school with an Islamic identity." Students study English under the Canadian Curriculum, and take Islamic and Arabic classes as well.