Obama's grandmother to perform Haj

DUBAI: US President Barack Obama's grandmother has accepted an invitation from United Arab Emirates (UAE) property tycoon Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim to perform Haj this year, according to a report.

"I found out that she had not been to the Haj and that she very much wants to go.”

"As my own mother is no longer with us, our family has a spare place. So I invited her and she has accepted," the Hydra Properties chief executive officer was quoted as saying by Arabian Business.

"I'm very much looking forward to it," said Dr Al Fahim, who the business news provider reported, met Mama Sarah during a trip to Kenya last week.

Having been appointed a goodwill ambassador in support of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, he was touring Kenya to launch an anti-malnutrition campaign in the region.

"It's something I'm going to be doing a lot more of," he said, acknowledging that he was very fortunate with his own career and business.

"And I feel it's time to give something back and try and do something for those less fortunate," Dr Al Fahim said in the report.

He also said plans were afoot to establish a soccer training camp for underprivileged children in Africa.

Educated in New York, Dr Al Fahim has been described as the new-age Arab businessman but one who is still firmly rooted to the ethos of his home country.

Besides the UAE, Hydra Properties is involved in projects in Mexico, Libya and Pakistan, according to the company's website. link...