Fake Quote Attributed to Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum
The Claim
"My father was on a camel, I'm in a Mercedes, my son is on a Land Rover, & my grandson is gonna be from Land Rover, but my great-grandson will be back on a camel", Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said in a BCC interview.
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Emerging story
A quote by the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, from a BBC interview is circulating online. Users claimed when the BBC questioned him about the future of Dubai during the interview, he answered,
“My father was on a camel, I'm in a Mercedes, my son is on a Land Rover, & my grandson is gonna be from Land Rover, but my great-grandson will be back on a camel."
Users claim he revealed that the UAE’s development and wealth are diminishing.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar team's investigation found the claims to be false. The still image is of a BBC interview in January 2014, as seen here on the BBC’s official Youtube page. Nowhere in the interview are those words in the claim said. Furthermore, this exact quote was attributed to the Ruler’s late father, Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
This article, from April 2001 as dated by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. The quote is very similar, states "My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel," implying that there will come a day when the “dessert will reclaim his people.” The article adds that Maktoum ensured such proverbs wouldn't be prophecies in Dubai. Although it is unknown if Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum said those words, the near-identical nature of the quote heavily discredits that it could be attributed to his son Mohammed. Therefore, given the context of the claim, the Misbar team rates it as fake.
