The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed, is notorious
for his harsh treatment of ex-wives and his own daughters who dare to go against his will. But this story goes beyond the usual even
for the customs of this eastern monarch. Mohammed's ex-wife remembers his name with
horror and tears in her eyes, because he deprived her of absolutely everything... Their love story started off very beautifully
and it seemed like it would last a lifetime. So why did their love disappear? How did Sheikh Mohammed go from ardent passion
to obsessive desire to break his beloved's life? Subscribe to our channel. Let's get started! The future spouses met in the distant 1972. Mohammed was 23 years old, and Randa only
16. The man then held the post of defense minister,
and his father Rashid ruled in Dubai. Mohammed traveled extensively in the Middle
East and ended up in the capital of Lebanon, Beirut. Here fate brought him together with a young
Lebanese woman. It happened at a party, where Randa came to
dispel the sadness of being expelled from Catholic school. Their love was like a flash: the young people
instantly felt sympathy and realized that they were made for each other. Soon they formalized their marriage. Mohammed showered Randa with gifts, praised
his beloved in poems and took her on trips on private jets. Their life was one big holiday, consisting
of parties, champagne and life in London. After a few years they moved to Dubai and
here the girl realized that the extremely strict customs of the Arab world are not for
her. Mohammed became unusually domineering and
began to treat Randa as a master treats a disenfranchised concubine. There were regular quarrels between them. In 1977, the couple had a daughter, who was
named Manal. And here a mysterious event occurred, about
which Randa and Mohammed still prefer to keep silent. Perhaps he demanded that Randa renounce Christianity
and convert to Islam, as well as change her too European name to a Muslim one. The girl agreed to the second demand and received
the eastern name Haifa. But she flatly refused to betray Catholicism,
as she was a true believer. Mohammed's revenge was terrible. He demanded a divorce and chased Randa out
of the palace. All would have been nothing, but he committed
another act that would affect the entire subsequent life of the woman. The sheikh took away her five-month-old daughter
and strictly forbade the mother to see her child. Randa was taken to her homeland, Lebanon. She was deprived of any help from her husband
and found herself alone. She had no money, no education, no home of
her own and no life prospects. But most importantly, she was deprived of
her child. Randa devoted the next decades to seeing her
daughter at least occasionally. But Sheikh Mohammed wouldn't even allow her
to do that. Moreover, he periodically mocked the maternal
feelings of the former lover. In an interview with the British newspaper
The Sunday Times, the woman recounted the terrible details of the monarch's behavior
in the Emirate of Dubai. When Manal was 2 or 3 years old, Sheikh Mohammed
pretended to have mercy on the unfortunate Randa and sent her a picture of her daughter. There was a little girl sitting in her father's
arms in the picture. The Lebanese woman was so happy even for such
a small thing that she cried over the photo for days on end. She carried it around with her everywhere
as a relic and a symbol of hope that she would meet her child. Some time later, Randa received a mocking
letter from Mohammed. The letter informed her that in fact it was
not Manal in the picture, but a different girl. As for her daughter, Randa will never see
her again, no matter how much she wants to. Probably, in Mohammed's opinion, it was a
very funny joke. But his ex-beloved was on the verge of a nervous
breakdown. However, she didn't know yet that her ex-husband
was capable of a much more sophisticated revenge. In 2000, when Manal was 23, Mohammed told
Randa that he had forgiven her for past grievances. The ruler promised the woman that she would
be able to see her grown-up daughter. To do this, the Lebanese woman needs to come
to Dubai for a social event where Manal will be present. To get to the event, the woman must appear
in an evening dress. The woman's modest income did not allow her
to buy such clothes. But she borrowed money and fulfilled the condition. Randa didn't know what her grown up daughter
looked like, so she wandered aimlessly around the event hall. When she asked where Manal was, she was told
that if she was a real mother, her heart should find her child on its own. The woman wandered through the crowd for the
entire evening but never found her daughter. She was later told that Manal wasn't at the
event at all, and it was just another Mohammed joke. On her return to Beirut, the woman received
further unpleasant news. Mohammed declared her banned for life from
entering the Arab Emirates. This meant that she was unlikely to ever see
her daughter again. Nevertheless, Randa didn't give up. Five years later, she got a chance to see
her daughter at her wedding. Manal was 28 years old and it was decided
to marry her to Sheikh Mansour, the son of the ruler of Abu Dhabi Emirate. She was to be his second wife. The celebrations were held not in Dubai, but
in Abu Dhabi, where Randa could secretly penetrate. To do this, she enlisted the support of a
Saudi princess who had been invited to the wedding. The princess promised Randa that she would
accompany her to the ceremony so that she could at least see her daughter in her wedding
dress from afar. But a few days before the flight, Randa was
attacked by an unknown bandit right in the center of Beirut. Instead of a wedding, the Lebanese woman ended
up in a hospital bed, where she lay unconscious for a long time. When she came to her senses, the first thing
she saw was the hateful face of Mohammed Al Maktoum! The ex-husband didn't hesitate to travel to
Lebanon to ward off suspicion. He swore that he had nothing to do with the
brutal attack. At the same time, he didn't miss the opportunity
to hint that the woman shouldn't try to see Manal again without his knowledge. However, the Sheikh didn't give his consent
to the long-awaited meeting either. Evil tongues claim that the Saudi princess
initially betrayed Randa by informing Mohammed of the Lebanese woman's intentions. In a rage, the sheikh made a decision that
he later regretted and had to personally travel to Beirut to justify himself. There is, of course, no physical evidence
of this development. Nevertheless, the Dubai monarch had a motive
to punish the persistent mother. Unfortunately, this story has no happy ending,
at least not yet. Randa's fate was not easy. After the divorce, when Randa returned to
Lebanon, civil war broke out. One of the militia commanders forced Randa
to marry him. He was brutal to her and she constantly asked
for a divorce. They had two children together. After the civil war ended, Randa took revenge
on her husband by turning him over to the authorities for arrest. In return, she was allowed to leave with her
children for Italy. Randa is 67 years old and her daughter is
46. During this time, they have never met because
of Sheikh Mohammed's categorical ban. Thanks to the development of the Internet
and social media, the Lebanese woman knows exactly what her daughter looks like. However, no picture, of course, will not replace
the live communication with a native person. These days, Randa lives in Italy with her
two children from her second marriage. Her daughter Manal is married to an Arab aristocrat
and works in the civil service in the Emirates. She founded the Dubai Women's Organization,
which supports women's rights. Ironically, she advocates for women's freedom
in the country, but is not allowed to meet her own mother. Randa is still living the dream of seeing
her daughter in person. "All I want is to hold her in my arms again,"
she said sorrowfully in a newspaper interview. These statements by the first wife of the
Dubai ruler came at a time when Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, the escaped wife of Sheikh
Mohammed, sued in a British court and demanded sole custody of her children. Princess Haya was much luckier, being able
to escape and take the children with her. Unbelievably, even after almost half a century,
Mohammed forbids Randa from meeting her daughter. Perhaps such a position has a special meaning
for him, emphasizing the monarch's omnipotence. Do you think this story confirms the old truth
that love sometimes requires a prohibitive price to pay? Share it in the comments! Subscribe to the channel, give us a like and
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