Emaar Properties chairman and recent owner of of Yoox Net-A-Porter, Mohamed Alabbar, is the latest Dubai businesses mogul to speak out about Donald Trump.
In a recent interview with Erin Burnett’s on CNN’s OutFront show, Mohamed Alabbar dubbed Trump’s ban on Muslims as “ridiculous”.
Which of Trump’s many wild comments was he referring to? This one: “Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.”
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Alabbar, who is one of the region’s most successful businessmen – he is also the founder of Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs – added that he believes Trump’s political tirades could have an effect on his business career, stating the presidential candidate’s comments “did not really resonate well in the Middle East”.
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“I don’t know if he’s saying this for political reasons, but that is so untrue,” added Alabbar, who believes the relationship between the US and the Middle East has always been a beneficial one, with no “hatred”.
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“The way America provides services [that help us in the Middle East], like Google, Apple, Facebook, and if you look at the leadership in the region or those who run businesses here, many were educated in America, they have loyalty to America, they love America, and the people on the street [do] too,” said Alabbar, who also admitted he does believe Trump to “a wise man, a smart man” in spite of his comments.
Here’s some of Alabbar’s interview with Burnett
According to the CNN report, Alabbar has decided not to do a deal with Trump, who is allegedly in talks with multiple people in the region, “a place where Trump actively wants to go,” according to a Trump hotel spokesperson.
Yet, Alabbar told the news channel that it will be very hard for Trump to do business in the Middle East now. And with regards to banning Muslims from America, he believes the Middle Eastern travellers will simply go else where. “I mean, I don’t think this is going to happen because it’s just so ridiculous. But if that really happens of course I will be a very unhappy person,” he said. “But the world has so many other countries we can go to – the world is full of so many gorgeous places.
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“I don’t know what [Trump’s] comments serve – maybe some political agenda for some segment of society – but at the end of the day I really think America has great institutions and the results are going to be fine. I don’t think we are going to get to this situation.”
If Alabbar calling Trump’s bluff wasn’t bad enough, the Arab mogul also likened the American politician to a Disney character, stating: “In the Middle East when you say Donald, that age group associates it with Disney World.” Ouch!
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Well, one thing we can be fairly certain of is that Trump’s hotel brand won’t be on of the lifestyle real estate to find a home in what will be the new world’s tallest building – The Tower, a project under Alabbar’s Emaar Properties group. Once complete it will stand 100m taller than Burj Khalifa.
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Images: Getty (main image Mohamed Alabbar)
