‘MY DAUGHTER, MY ANGEL’
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Friday met the Emirati girl whose video of her mimicking one of his speeches has gone viral. “I came to see you. You have captured people’s attention. Your dress is beautiful,” Shaikh Mohammed told the girl at her home in Sharjah. “With my daughter Muhra Al Shehi, an Emirati angel and the queen of children,” he tweeted later.
sharjah — Imagine opening the door, only to find the Dubai Ruler standing in front of you.
That’s what happened to Muhra Al Shehi’s family on Friday late afternoon.
Al Shehi, a six-year-old first grader at Sharjah Model School, was seen mimicking His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in a video that went viral.
Shaikh Mohammed then retweeted her video, asking about the girl’s identity and expressing his desire to meet her.
“I came to see you. I asked people and they told me about you!” Shaikh Mohammed was seen telling the shy little girl on a video of his visit, widely shared on social media.
The girl’s aunt Tasnim Al Fawalsi told Khaleej Times over the phone that the visit was a sudden one. “We opened the door and found him standing in front of us. He asked about Muhra and we brought her to him. He carried her and came into our house,” said Al Fawalsi.
“Muhra was shocked. She couldn’t even talk and sat shyly in his arms. He told her he asked people about her when he saw her video, and then asked her about what she said on the video before she repeated it to him,” noted Al Fawalsi. Al Shehi also recited a poem to Shaikh Mohammed.
Though the visit was just
I came to see you. I asked people and they told me about you.” Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid
10-minute long, it changed many things for the family.
“He came in and went out and we still didn’t grasp what had happened,” laughed Al Fawalsi.
“His visit was a comfort to our souls,” said Al Fawalsi.
The girl’s parents, her two siblings Abdullah, 5, and Asma, 3, along with her aunt and uncle were present during the visit.
“Though Muhra is already ambitious and is a top performer in her school and social activities, Shaikh Mohammed’s visit motivated her even further to keep achieving. Now she knows she’s supported by her government,” said Tasnim.
Al Shehi, in her squeaky voice and cute manner, told Khaleej Times over the phone that she wanted to be a dentist as she grew up. “I want to be number 1, like Shaikh Mohammed wants us to be. I want to make him and my fellow Emiratis proud.”
So what did the little girl think of Shaikh Mohammed’s visit. “It was beautiful. He was beautiful,” she said.
For her mother Mariam Al Shurafa, Shaikh Mohammed’s visit only meant that her efforts to raise her children hadn’t gone to waste. “Now I’m sure that giving selflessly to my kids and family and society in general will never go to waste. And that’s what I try to pass on to my children: to give selflessly.”
Al Shehi, a current member in a childhood centre and a member of Klna Hadreen volunteering team, has a promising future ahead.
I want to be number 1, like Shaikh Mohammed wants us to be.” Muhra Al Shehi