Adel Batterjee

Adel Abdul Jaleel Batterjee was born on March 11, 1946, to a prominent merchant family in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia. After completing his primary and secondary education in 1963, Adel A. Batterjee pursued mathematics at the University of Kansas at Lawrence, Kansas U. S. A., graduating in 1967 with a bachelor's degree. After working for over two years as a graduate assistant at King Fahd University for Petroleum & Minerals, he joined The Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) as a computer systems analyst where he spent approximately four years. He then started his own business in computer analysis and programming in Riyadh. Twelve years later, he moved to his hometown, Jeddah and diversified his business interests, expanding into the hotel business. These efforts were economically successful.
Dr. Batterjee shared his family's interest in education and started a school for girls in the early 1980s. Approximately, in 2000 he started a school for boys, Dar al Thikr, which he ran after selling his computer business. The school is now quite large, serving 2500 students in two separate sections, one for boys and the other for girls. Since his listing, Dr. Batterjee pursued and in 2009 obtained a Ph.D. in educational psychology. He now works as a consultant and trainer in education. He is married and has four daughters. On 14 January 2013, the Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee decided to remove the name of Adel Batterjee from the Al-Qaida Sanctions List after concluding its consideration of a delisting request submitted through the Ombudsperson established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1904 (2009), and after considering the Comprehensive Report of the Ombudsperson on this delisting request.^[1]

View on Islam

Dr. Batterjee inclines toward "moderate" Islam and believes that social responsibility, by which one's beliefs are reflected in one's actions, is the most important component of the religion. This view is translated into a vision based on four pillars: education as a mean for improving socio-economic output, private wealth as a mean for bringing socio-economic balance in societies, philanthropy as a concept of Islamic social responsibility, and Jihad as a defense mechanism for religion and self-preservation.

Education as a Mean for Improving Socio-Economic Output

Dr. Adel Batterjee started his professional life as a graduate assistant at King Fahad University for Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran Saudi Arabia. After almost three years in that position, he moved to Aramco, the national oil company as a systems analyst where he remained for four years. Having gained enough technical experience in systems analysis and programming, Dr. Batterjee moved to Riyadh where he established his private business in computer systems, serving both government and private entities. Although his business flourished and his company, Cap Saudi Arabia became one of the leading companies in the field in the country, his passion for education remained close to his heart. This passion prompted Dr. Batterjee to establish two private schools in Jeddah, his hometown, one for boys and the other for girls target middle to upper class sectors of the society and provide programs to nourish giftedness.

Having realized the need for targeting the gifted and talented students, Dr. Batterjee pursued and received a Ph.D. in Education Psychology. In his thesis, Dr. Batterjee developed a model to discover and nourish giftedness. Pursuant to his Ph.D., he worked on and published numerous papers on intelligence, education, and giftedness. Samples of his research are published on his website: www.ticking-mind.com and on researchgate.net. Influenced by the philosophies of both Plato and Al Ghazali, Dr. Batterjee believes that education is the key factor to the development of societies. Better education generally improves the socio-economic output of societies (for further reading on this, refer to Dr. Batterjee’s paper on IQ and Education: Intelligence and Education: The Saudi Case). This can be recognized in various forms such as success in life, social complexity, technological innovation, attitudes and values, the nature of political system employed, the extent of the rule of law, health and environmental awareness and economic development.
Furthermore, Dr. Batterjee believes that members of the intellectual elite of societies (99th percentile of IQ distribution) are major contributor to societies intellectual output, high earnings, educational attainment, socioeconomic status, and job proficiency (for further reading on this, refer to Dr. Batterjee’s paper on The Relationship Between SES and Giftedness in Saudi Arabia).

Recognition of Dr. Batterjee as a major Contributor to Intelligence and Giftedness Research

Dr. Batterjee is recognized as a major contributor to intelligence and giftedness research in the Middle East in general and Saudi Arabia in particular. His research is published in recognized international and regional scientific journals such as Mankind Quarterly, Intelligence, Gifted Education International, Gifted and Talented International, Saudi Association for Education and Psychology (Gesten), Arab Psynet Journal, The Education Journal of Kuwait University, and others.^[2]
Dr. Batterjee is also a member of the Advisory Board of Mankind Quarterly along with worldwide-recognized scientists such as Professor Richard Lynn, and Professor Gerhard Meisenberg ^[3]
Several world-recognized researchers have commended Dr. Batterjee for his outstanding work in intelligence and giftedness research.

Dar Al Thikr Schools and Waad Academy

From theory to practice, Dr. Batterjee put his knowledge and experience gained from research in intelligence and giftedness to practice by establishing schools geared towards serving middle to upper class segments of the Saudi society. Dar Al Thikr Schools were established in 2000 and now provide quality education for over 3000 students. Waad Academy opened its doors in September 2015 with a current population of 800 students. It is designed to cater for up to 6000 boys and girls from KG to grade 12.

Mentoring the Elite

Dr. Batterjee based his mentoring of the elite program on a concept introduced in his Ph.D. thesis. The aim of this program is to facilitate methodological differentiation for selected highly intelligent and creative youth, each according to his individual abilities and needs, through strategic planning of his future. The program also aims at developing twenty-first-century skills, improving socio-economic status, and providing quality education for the selected youths to empower them to inflict positive change in their societies. Youth are normally screened at an early age using recognized tools such as intelligence and personality tests and could be in the program until they are productive members of their societies and beyond. In cases where selected individuals face socio-economic challenges, a scholarship program provides financial and other needed support. Overall, mentoring the elite program provides scholastic, psychological, and socio-economical support to youth who could be leaders of positive change.

Private Wealth as a Mean for Bringing Socio-Economic Balance in Societies

The Batterjee family is a well-recognized merchant family in the business community in Saudi Arabia. Originated in Hijaz, the family built their wealth and reputation through wholesale and distribution of pharmaceuticals. Over the years, they monopolized the representation of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world and controlled the distribution in the Kingdom through a chain of retail pharmacies and drug stores. Although the price of pharmaceuticals was under government control, the volume and guaranteed margins made the Batterjee family gain wealth and fame.
The family recalls Dr. Adel Batterjee besides being wealthy and powerful was also sympathetic to the needs of the underprivileged. Both my father and grandfather continuously helped families to improve their living conditions. inherited those qualities said Dr. Batterjee.

Doroob Endowment

Early in his business carrier, Dr. Adel Batterjee committed his organization to establish an endowment to help bridge the gap between the haves and have not as part of his social responsibility. As of this date, the capital worth of Doroob Endowment (the name he gave to this organization) is over 40 million Dollars. The returns from Doroob Endowment are spent in accordance with an annual business plan, it has several subcategories including a global scholarship program, and Emotional intelligence training and awareness.^[4]

Philanthropy as a Concept of Islamic Social Responsibility

Dr. Batterjee transcribed his philosophy about social responsibility as if he would run a business venture. It is not enough for a Muslim to give money and walk away and considers his responsibility towards other Muslims fulfilled. Dr. Batterjee believes that it is a Muslim duty to investigate the needs of fellow Muslims, finds adequate and sustainable solutions to satisfy those needs, and be personally involved in implementing these solutions. This concept on social responsibility from an Islamic perspective was first put to the test when the war in Afghanistan broke out in the late nineteen seventies. At that time, Dr. Batterjee was living in Riyadh where the main offices of his flourishing computer business were located. The first entity that he established to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan refugees was Lajnat Al-Birr Al Islamiyah (LBI). Other relief agencies such as Benevolence International Foundation, and endowments followed.

LBI in Afghanistan

In the late 1970s, Dr. Batterjee was first made aware of battlefield pictures of the Afghan war with the former Soviet Union, and these pictures appealed to his sense of social responsibility. At first, Dr. Batterjee simply donated funds to people and organizations working in the refugee camps. However, in late 1979 or early1980 Dr. Batterjee traveled to Peshawar where, although he stayed for fewer than 36 hours, he saw enough to realize that he needed to be involved personally in humanitarian assistance to refugees there. Specifically, he witnessed, among other things, the suffering of orphans and the elderly, young men completely burned by napalm, and people with amputated or frozen limbs walking about in the snow. Dr. Batterjee believed that the existing efforts were woefully insufficient to meet the refugees' needs. Consequently, with the assistance of some friends and business associates, Dr. Batterjee established LBI, which soon evolved from a personal mission into a more formal, businesslike entity. He applied his acquired business acumen to establish structures, business plans, budgets, etc., emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in order to demonstrate that LBI was a cause worth supporting and to attract donors who wanted to be able to monitor where their funds were going.
The Government of Saudi Arabia enthusiastically supported Dr. Batterjee’s work on behalf of LBI. This position came from the support Saudi Arabia gave to the just resistance of the Afghanistan mujahedeen to the Soviet invasion of their country. He was advised to find an official "umbrella" to work under in Saudi Arabia, as at the time, there was no process for the registration of charities and it was not possible simply to establish an organization by giving it a name and renting space. Thus, in 1980 or 1981 LBI was established as a branch office of the World Association of Muslim Youth ("WAMY") in Saudi Arabia. WAMY was deemed suitable because it was well known for being responsible and because it reported to the Government of Saudi Arabia; indeed, at that time the Saudi Minister of Education was the official in charge of WAMY (today it is the Minister of Islamic Affairs).
A 15-person Board of Trustees made up of persons affiliated with WAMY and Dr. Batterjee, who served as the general manager and executive director of the organization, governed LBI. The Board was responsible for the operational aspects of the organization, and on an annual basis would discuss, modify, and approve a business plan and budget, which documents would then be filed with WAMY. Funds collected in Saudi Arabia were transmitted to the LBI office in Peshawar, where they were distributed. In accordance with Dr. Batterjee’s philosophy on how support is given to Muslims in need, LBI avoided giving out cash payments except for support payments to guardians of orphans, and instead concentrated on the delivery of assistance in a variety of forms such as establishing and operating schools, orphanages, clinics, and hospitals. Goods such as blankets, boots, and food supplies were supplied to the refugees, and every budget item and expenditure was recorded. Money was deposited in bank accounts, and an official auditor audited those accounts annually.
LBI's work included rendering humanitarian assistance to the mujahedeen. Such support was at the time legal; indeed, one of the purposes of LBI as reflected in its founding documentation was to support the mujahedeen in their "just cause." Support of mujahedeen in Afghanistan was at that time not only consistent with United States and other countries policy in Afghanistan, such was actively encouraged by the Saudi Arabia, the United States, and other countries such as Britain and France. LBI's support of the mujahedeen was often carried out pursuant to agreements with organizations such as the World Food Program and the World Health Organization; indeed, at that time UN organizations worked among both the refugees and the mujahedeen.
It is important to note that LBI's support for the mujahideen in Afghanistan was limited to humanitarian support, i.e., only food, clothing, and medicines were provided to the fighters. LBI, for both technical and financial reasons, did not provide or supply arms to the mujahedeen, for such would have been contrary to LBI's bylaws. To control expenditures in Afghanistan, only budgeted projects specified in LBI's business plan were funded by the Peshawar office, and the Peshawar office manager would receive only the amounts allocated in the budget specified in the business plan. The Peshawar office manager would report to the Jeddah office when such expenditures were made, and an accountant would verify those records.
Dr. Batterjee personally ran LBI, traveling back and forth between Peshawar and Saudi Arabia. LBI was operated in this manner from the mid-1980s to 1989, when the forces of the former Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan. At that time, because of instability arising from infighting among the victorious mujahedeen, Dr. Batterjee left Afghanistan and LBI ceased operations in Afghanistan completely. He did this because he believes that such infighting was unacceptable in Islam. Consequently, on August 2, 1990 Dr. Batterjee left Afghanistan and did not returned to either Pakistan or Afghanistan.
With the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the consequent termination of the struggle against the occupation, and then the fall of the communist regime in Kabul, the critical justification for the formation of LBI vanished. Consequently, LBI became much less active, and Dr. Batterjee did very little in his capacity as head of LBI. For its part, the LBI board desired a change of leadership, and thus in January 1993 Dr. Batterjee resigned as Executive Director and as a member of the Supervisory Council. The late Dr. Hassan Bahafthallah took over Dr. Batterjee's position.

Establishment of Benevolence International Foundation ("BIF")

When Dr. Batterjee returned from Pakistan and Afghanistan, he was interested in establishing an organization that could carry out the same type of work that LBI had done in Afghanistan but on a more international basis. At that time, however, Dr. Batterjee realized that LBI would not have been allowed to collect donations in Saudi Arabia for operations outside of the country, and thus Dr. Batterjee began to investigate other countries where he could establish an international affiliate. After investigating several countries, including Britain and Canada, he settled on the United States. Because he had connections in Chicago, he was put in contact with a law office and arrange for the registration of a charity in Illinois. BIF was registered with the Illinois Secretary of State's office in March 1992, and the Internal Revenue Service issued BIF an employee identification number on May 15, 1992. BIF submitted an application for tax-exempt status, and that application was granted in March 1993. BIF became operational as a tax-exempt entity by soliciting tax-exempt donations in May 1993.
When BIF was created Dr. Batterjee had no particular country or conflict in mind; he simply wanted to set up a charity which could then be used to address such needs as they arose. Shortly after its formation, however, Bosnia became the obvious choice for BIF's initial activities.
Dr. Batterjee soon realized that he would not be able to operate the charity from Saudi Arabia and that therefore someone else would have to run the organization. By a letter dated February 1, 1993, Dr. Batterjee informed BIF that he would not be willing to collect donations for BIF in Saudi Arabia or to represent BIF in the media or speak on its behalf. Mr. Enaam Arnaut, a confidant of Dr. Batterjee from Peshawar, who had recently moved to the United States, took control of the organization early in 1993. New officials and directors were appointed and such changes to BIF's structure were reflected in official filings with the Illinois Secretary of State early in 1994. Once this transfer was made, Mr. Arnaut was exclusively responsible for the day-to-day operations of BIF.

References

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Adel_Batterjee https://www.un.org/press/en/2013/sc10884.doc.htm