KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, February 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al-Nuaimi, supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, United Arab Emirates (UAE) was conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (Human Capital Development) by International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) for his contributions to the development of the Ummah and Muslim World. The award was conferred by IIUM Constitutional Head, His Royal Highness Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah of Pahang at the Cultural Activity Centre (CAC) IIUM on 14th February 2011.

IIUM Rector Prof. Dato' Sri Syed Arabi Idid said the selection was based on Sheikh Humaid's contribution to the society, welfare, culture and education of UAE and the Islamic world. He said the ruler's international contribution was the main factor in the selection as he had established "Human Appeal Organisation" which provides various types of humanitarian supports to the poor and the needy in UAE and helps many refugees in Africa, Asia and Europe.

In 2000, His Highness also established The Sheikh Humaid Charitable Organization dedicated to providing various means of support and assistance to orphaned, widowed, disabled, elderly and poor citizens of Ajman. This charitable organization also gave financial assistance to pilgrims in performing the Hajj, sponsored the construction and operation of hospitals in Bosnia, South Lebanon, Gaza, and Sudan as well as providing tuition fees and scholarships to students to continue and complete their higher education in Ajman and abroad.

Preston University-Ajman was established in 2001 through the Amiri Decree from His Highness Sheikh Humaid. Its Ajman campus offers undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in Business Administration, Information Technology, Islamic Studies and Fashion Design. It also offers post-graduate degrees in all of these programmes with the exception of Fashion Design. For the last seven years Preston University has been increasing its student in-take which now stands at 2000 students. The International College of Law, Business Administration and Technology in Ajman was also established through the effort of His Highness in providing quality higher education in Ajman.

His Highness is fully committed to the development of knowledge as well as the spread of Islamic and Arabian culture. In 1983, just two years after His Highness assumed the leadership of Ajman, he created the Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Prize for Knowledge and Culture in honour of his father. The Prize was established to nurture the spirit of competition in the field of knowledge and culture which would enrich cultural activities and life in Ajman.

His Highness was born in Ajman in 1933 and had his basic Islamic, Arabic language and mathematics education under the supervision of a group of carefully selected private scholars and teachers. He was first selected as Crown Prince in 1960 and then, on the 6th of September 1981, succeeded his late father and became the Ruler of Ajman.