Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

President Uz. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (مأمون عبد القيوم; މައުމޫން ޢަބްދުލް ޤައްޔޫމް; born 29 December 1937) is an Islamic Scholar and a Maldivian politician who served as President of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008.

At the age of 10, in 1947, he embarked for Egypt.

However, because of the troubles which led to the Arab-Israeli war of 1948–1949, his layover in Ceylon, scheduled to last several days, lasted for two and a half years during which he studied at the Buona Vista College, Galle, and Royal College, Colombo.

He eventually reached Egypt in March 1950, after the end of the conflict.

He attended Al-Azhar University.

He spent six months learning Arabic.

In 1965, he met Nasreena Ibrahim, a student who had just arrived in Cairo from the Maldives for her studies.

She was then 15 and he was 27.

He joined the Faculty and graduated in 1966.

He also obtained a secondary level certificate in the English Language at the American University in Cairo.

Four years later, they married in Cairo, on 14 July 1969.

A few weeks after his marriage, he joined Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria as a lecturer in Islamic Studies and moved there with Nasreena.

When his two-year contract with Ahmadu Bello University ended, he returned to the Maldives in 1971.

Three weeks later, he joined Aminiya School as a teacher of English, arithmetic and Islam.

In 1972, he was appointed as the manager of the government shipping department.

On 12 March 1973, he was placed under house-arrest for criticizing President Ibrahim Nasir's policies for having no human rights.

He was tried in court and sentenced to banishment for four years on 14 May 1973.

On 21 May, he was taken to Makunudhoo Island of Haa Dhaalu Atoll.

He was released on 13 October 1973, after serving only five months, as a result of an amnesty following Nasir's re-election for a second five-year term.

In 1974, he was appointed under-secretary in the Telecommunications Department.

He was thereafter promoted to director of the department.

During this period, he worked as a part-time teacher in some private schools, teaching Islam, Arabic and English.

On 28 July 1974, he was again arrested for criticizing Nasir's policies.

This time he was kept in solitary confinement in a prison in Malé nicknamed the 'China Garden', as Chinese fishermen were once detained there.

After serving as transport minister, he was nominated president by the People's Majlis and succeeded Ibrahim Nasir in 1978.

He was defeated in 2008 during the first Presidential Elections after democratic reforms in the Maldives.

In opposition, Maumoon continued to serve as leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party until January 2010, when he retired from active politics.

He however returned to active politics in September 2011 as leader of the newly formed Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), whose candidate Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, Maumoon's half-brother, was victorious in the 2013 presidential elections.

He is the 11th child of his family.

He spent most of his youth in Egypt.

He was part of a group of 15 students chosen at the initiative of Mohamed Amin Didi to get an education abroad.

He holds the nations highest award, "The Most Honourable Order of Distinguished Rule of Ghaazee", presented to him in 2013.

Maumoon was the longest-serving president in Asia.

In July 2016, due to disagreements between president Yameen and Maumoon, the party split into two factions.

Later in October, Maumoon withdrew his support for president Yameen and joined the Maldives United Opposition.

Maumoon was arrested on 5 February 2018, for conspiring to overthrow the government along with his son-in-law Mohamed Nadheem.

His son son, Faris Maumoon, was also arrested.

Maumoon was freed on bail in September 2018 and later acquitted.

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is the son of Abdul Gayoom Ibrahim (Maafaiygey Dhon Seedhi) and Khadheeja Moosa.

His father had 25 children from 8 wives.