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Dubai declares three day mourning over death of ruler's son

ReutersAP Published September 19, 2015
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ABU DHABI: Dubai announced a three day mourning period after the 33-year-old son of the Gulf emirate's ruler passed away, the official state news agency WAM said on Saturday.

Sheikh Rashid was the first son of Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al-Maktoum and his senior wife, Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma al-Maktoum.

The United Arab Emirates state news agency WAM said Saturday that he died of a heart attack.

Sheikh Rashid was the eldest son of Sheikh Mohammad. Rashid's brother Sheikh Hamdan is the Crown Prince of Dubai.

Sheikh Rashid was an avid sportsman and horse racing enthusiast.

PM Nawaz expresses grief

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed deep sorrow over the sad demise of Sheikh Rashid.

Nawaz prayed for eternal peace for the departed soul and commiserated with the people and the government of UAE in this hour of grief.

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SRIDHAR RAGHUNATHA RAO
Sep 19, 2015 01:41pm
Very sad to note at the death of such an young and smart looking prince. I trust he was aware of his problem and getting medically attended. I pray God to Bless that soul in His Kingdom.
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joe33
Sep 19, 2015 01:42pm
Heart attack? How old was he?
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Ishrat Nadeem
Sep 19, 2015 01:44pm
Inna lillahe wa inna ilahe rajeun. This is life and this is death.. unfortunately
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hyat
Sep 19, 2015 01:47pm
it seems like very private and secret death. no one knows its a battle of crown or something else. they do that all the times.
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A Knight's Tail
Sep 19, 2015 02:05pm
@joe33 34
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shah hasan
Sep 19, 2015 02:10pm
Really a sad news. RIP
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Tauqeer
Sep 19, 2015 02:14pm
Our sincere condolences with Sheikh Rashid's family. Death of a young kid
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gerry dcunha
Sep 19, 2015 02:17pm
so sad for the family to loose a young son. may his soul rest in peace
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salih
Sep 19, 2015 02:19pm
Inna lillahe wa inna ilahe rajeun...RIP Very sad ...he was very young.
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Taimur
Sep 19, 2015 02:19pm
What was the cause of the heart attack?
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Malik
Sep 19, 2015 02:22pm
@joe33 He was young
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Thought
Sep 19, 2015 02:37pm
Very very sad news and lesson for us that death can come anytime, we have to take breaks in our busy lives for prayers.
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Khalid
Sep 19, 2015 02:39pm
إِنَّا للهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ
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Qwells
Sep 19, 2015 02:40pm
Was he a national leader to get 3 days of national mourning?
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Iqbal Hadi Zaidi
Sep 19, 2015 02:54pm
Prince of Dubai despite being not only very young but richest as well yet he died for the very cogent reason that ever since his life span came to an end which proves in quite crystal clear terms that whosoever is born will eventually die irrespective of gender, nationality, age, time, day, date and or topographical situation.I wish the departed soul rests in peace and his parents have the strength to bear the loss.
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M.Saeed
Sep 19, 2015 03:08pm
Very unfortunate and sad news! But, the question is, why should a 33 years old youth who was also a sportsman, should die of heart attack? Perhaps, his parents must have taken so many things for granted.
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ubaid
Sep 19, 2015 03:16pm
@joe33 he was 34 years old.
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Hello
Sep 19, 2015 03:23pm
Overdosed?
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AMIR BANGASH
Sep 19, 2015 03:28pm
A very sad news and my heartfelt condolences to the family.
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Amer RAO
Sep 19, 2015 03:31pm
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un , really very sad news. RIP
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Asit Ghosh, Mumbai
Sep 19, 2015 03:35pm
Three day mourning for the death of a prince ?
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MULLAH NASRUDDIN
Sep 19, 2015 03:40pm
A lot of Money, Powerful Parents, Healthy life, Tension free living, tender age can't stop the one from Death.
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Tariq
Sep 19, 2015 03:59pm
V sad God bless his soul , Great loss to Shaikh Rashid, Rashid is a leader with vision.
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Tahir A
Sep 19, 2015 04:02pm
I am certainly not happy at his death but more worried about the innocent kids, women and men of Yemen who are dying with sophisticated bombs fired from United Arab Emirates air force. Is it a Karma for Dubai ruler?
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Safeer Kabir
Sep 19, 2015 04:07pm
May his soul rest in peace..
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weqjan
Sep 19, 2015 04:09pm
@joe33 You read the cause of his death but missed the very clearly written age, attention to detail please.
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weqjan
Sep 19, 2015 04:11pm
@Qwells The whole Sindh shuts down on death annibersary of Benazir Bhutto who is not even considered dead by locals, he was a Prince - son of King, they don't have a democratic system otherwise it would be another KPK
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Abul hassan Chaddu
Sep 19, 2015 04:15pm
A very beautifull picture and style on horse !!! A very huge and unforgetable loss for the family. God give ptaience to their family, particulary to his Mother if she Alive. Ina Lilah e Wa Ina Elehey Rajeoun !
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Sarah
Sep 19, 2015 04:17pm
@hyat For heaven's sake don't throw up another conspiracy declaring his death 'a battle of crown', and his death is not mysterious by any chance. He was living in London after he was stripped off from his official duties in the Dubai. Yes, he was undergoing rehabilitation in the UK in 2007 but he had recovered in a years' time. It was just unfortunate for him to have died from a heart attack so people like you could create hype and news further. Whatever problems he has had with his family and himself are his PRIVATE MATTERS, NOT YOURS PLEASE. The man is dead, spare him your controversy.
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Equal Justice
Sep 19, 2015 04:29pm
With all that wealth & power his father and family possessed did not help to resuscitate his heart. RIP!
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Razi
Sep 19, 2015 04:35pm
Innalillah i wainnalilla i rajaeoon. He was a young man, an athlete, in such great physical shape and a heart attack at this age? You can't help really, when time is up, it's up. May his soul rest in eternal peace and may Almighty give patience to the bereaved family and the people of UAE.
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S. A. M.
Sep 19, 2015 04:39pm
@Tahir A I am with you on that Tahir. we would never celebrate someone tragedy. but the war to strengthen the rule probably backfired in the form of loss of heir. time to rethink.
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Roy
Sep 19, 2015 04:45pm
He gave us the message that no money can run a heart. So we can keep our heart running with the best exercise it does.. Let it love others. RIP
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Zak
Sep 19, 2015 04:49pm
Our prayers for the prince, for Sheikh Maktoum and his family. A truly sorrowful day.
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NAM
Sep 19, 2015 04:55pm
May God comfort his family.
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Mustafa US
Sep 19, 2015 05:00pm
@M.Saeed death comes to everyone young and old. It is very wrong to assume that a 30+ men can never have a heart attack; diseases like diabetes, heart attack etc are not limited to the seniors only. We pray for him for we know not as to what he was or what he did.
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Naveed Sarwar
Sep 19, 2015 05:16pm
Every death is sad,
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Raja Farhat Abbas
Sep 19, 2015 05:18pm
Inna lillahe wa inna ilahe rajeoon , rest in peace dear Prince.
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venkat
Sep 19, 2015 05:31pm
33 year old, elder son but not the king. Sports man, athlete , died of heart attack. Something fishing
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A Laddo
Sep 19, 2015 05:39pm
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is usually the cause of sudden death in young sportsmen. It won't be unusual if he had no warning signs.
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Irfan Baloch
Sep 19, 2015 05:42pm
We can't care less
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Keen Reader
Sep 19, 2015 05:54pm
Heart attack at 34? Sounds fishy!
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Nasir
Sep 19, 2015 05:57pm
Some thing looks fishy here, 33 yrs old dying of heart attack ? he doesn't seem to be that obese as well from the pics posted.
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dawn
Sep 19, 2015 06:02pm
Sad. But did Dubai stop for a moment for the death of thousands of Muslims refugees or those being slaughtered in their homes including Palestine? Did PM Sharif express sorrow for them? I guess money/position in life is more important for some even in death.
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Arshad Jamil
Sep 19, 2015 06:12pm
My heart goes out to the young handsome man and I can only shed tears for him. So sad. So tragic. I wish prayers could bring him back to life.
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reality bites
Sep 19, 2015 06:25pm
Sad news for any parent to bear. But it would be beneficial for all to know the full story and reason for his dimise at this early age. Secracy, will not serve any purpose.
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Saeeds
Sep 19, 2015 06:35pm
Do we really care ?
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Altaf
Sep 19, 2015 06:36pm
A sad news, condolences to the family for the great loss of a handsome chap.
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Kim
Sep 19, 2015 06:41pm
Bless him and his family, so sorry one so young and cherished has passed. Congenital heart defects can mask themselves , he was obviously very athletic and some of these things can be missed.
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Ady
Sep 19, 2015 06:49pm
Very Sad to hear Rest in peace
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haidari
Sep 19, 2015 06:49pm
@Saeeds beinga human we do ofcourse....
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Arsalan
Sep 19, 2015 06:57pm
Something fishy may be he died by other reason or due to liberal view
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arjun
Sep 19, 2015 07:02pm
Overdose seems much more likely than heart attack for a 33 year old...
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Equal Justice
Sep 19, 2015 07:07pm
I hope he has donated all of his wealth during treatment. Dying rich is a Disgrace to departed soul.
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munsif
Sep 19, 2015 07:24pm
it is really a matter of great sorrow and grief , may his soul rest in piece. he was young man, and his sudden death has shocked me and the whole of pakistani nation.
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George
Sep 19, 2015 07:31pm
Sad news...heir apparent...33 years old...reason in official announcement hard to believe!
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Changez_Khan
Sep 19, 2015 08:02pm
Our sincerest condolences to his family, friends and country.
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citizen
Sep 19, 2015 08:03pm
@Sarah : Madame we are hearing various conspiracy theories almost every day..It is inevitable for us to link any happening in the world with conspiracy.
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Mustafa
Sep 19, 2015 08:14pm
@Qwells; 'Was he a national leader to get 3 days of national mourning?' They are not leaders but owners of their nations. Just like when a Wadera's son dies, the whole jagir has to mourn.
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A. Ali
Sep 19, 2015 09:08pm
May God rest his soul in peace ( Amen ). May God give enough strength to his family members to absorb this incident.
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Jatinderpal
Sep 19, 2015 09:13pm
loss of a life is always sad. but I just wanted to see what Pakistanis have to say and why they have to say something on this
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dawn
Sep 19, 2015 09:42pm
@Taimur - heart attack!
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A Pakistani
Sep 19, 2015 09:44pm
@Jatinderpal There are lots of trolls on our websites. In this instance of the death of the Prince none of these trolls are from the UAE or Pakistan. Their interest in Pakistani people's reaction is certainly not benevolent . Their objective is not just to read but to spread misunderstanding, disinformation, and division. And they are paid by their government or their agencies.
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Qutub
Sep 19, 2015 09:44pm
@Sarah: Very true and well said..
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Lala
Sep 19, 2015 10:03pm
@Jatinderpal ; So you are here to judge Pakistani readers views! Why do you care???
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khalid pervez qureshi.
Sep 19, 2015 10:15pm
it has been practically proved by rich people death that death could not be defeated by money, still there is cofussion " can happiness be purchased by money".
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Riaz M M
Sep 19, 2015 10:16pm
All the ignorants who are questioning the cause of death should know that the heart attack does occur in young as well as in older people,the heart disease has various underlying causes and also runs in the family and therefore death due to cardiac arrest cannot be brushed aside.What ever the underlying cause of death in this case ,it is a tragedy for the family concerned.
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crypto55
Sep 19, 2015 10:25pm
And what about a day of mourning for so many Syrian Muslims who lost their lives.
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Ayani
Sep 19, 2015 10:30pm
@hyat the 2nd eldest brother, Crown Prince Hamdan is Heir apparent since a long time, his brothers' departure doesn't affect his position. The demise of Sheikh Rashid MRM is truly saddening. Such a young, beautiful man, May الله Bless him With Eternal Peace. اَمين
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JustWasif
Sep 19, 2015 10:59pm
There must be other story ... but heart attack hmmm
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Indipendant
Sep 19, 2015 11:49pm
It is a sad news for Emiratis and pray that the Dubai royal family has the strength to bear this loss. Unfortunately comments made by some contributors are very childish - lacking knowledge of the structure of the Dubai emirate or the Prince. Just for information, Sheikh Rashid's younger brother (Sheikh Hamdan) was appointed as crown prince long back in 2008 and the Dubai Royal family is well loved among the residents (both locals and expats) of the city.
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Ari
Sep 20, 2015 12:48am
@Hello You are spot on I reckon
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dawn
Sep 20, 2015 01:56am
@Jatinderpal - but what's your views?
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Faslo
Sep 20, 2015 03:08am
Man I can care less of what's going on in Dubai never did like them
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Ashfaq Ahmed
Sep 20, 2015 04:09am
@Hello For God sake leave the dead alone
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Azam Khan
Sep 20, 2015 05:38am
@weqjan, senseless comment.
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abdul
Sep 20, 2015 06:09am
@ Riaz M M Heart attacks can happen in younger people but there is history behind it such as family history, poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking and many other factors, none of which fit the dead sheikh. He was a healthy individual with no family history of cardiac issues. this is why people question cause of death.
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illawarrior
Sep 20, 2015 10:25am
@joe33 the article clearly says he was 33
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Ghanwah cheema
Sep 21, 2015 11:01am
this is, what life actually is...............
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Observer1
Sep 22, 2015 12:15am
@Mustafa Brother correct your statement. Your owner is only your almighty God, Not another human being, these kingdoms are fake, if you see the way they rule you will not praise them this way. Why no prayers when a poor man dies or people get killed in ISIS attacks. so much fuss just because he is the Prince . He is going to same dirt where we will all go...Just remember that. thank you
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