Abdulrazaq Ali Al Turki is like a force of nature whose presence simply blows you away! His joie de vivre shines forth in everything he does – whether running his business, delivering a motivational speech, dishing out trivia, or offering words of wisdom on how to succeed in life.

“Do you know how Muharraq and Manama got their names?” he asks, with the ease and charm of a seasoned raconteur, as he welcomes an Arabian Knight team from Bahrain at his office in Al Khobar and offers cappuccino and rosemary tea with a flourish.

“Muharraq,” he enlightens us, “is the Arabic word for ‘burnt’. It got its name after a fire in the area; while Manama, which means ‘sleeping place’, was so named because that’s where the international trade caravans gathered and rested at night.”

As the managing director of Namma Cargo Services, Al Turki is tasked with marketing one of Saudi Arabia’s leading logistics service providers, which operates out of the city of Al Khobar across the kingdom in partnership with global giant DHL.

Al Turki is also the Chief Executive Officer of Nesma Security, which, along with Namma Cargo Services, is part of the Nesma Group, a private Saudi holding company with a portfolio of firms across various sectors.

But aside from his business, Al Turki is also a leading social activist who champions the rights of people with special needs in addition to being a distinguished motivational speaker.

That he has achieved both business and societal success is remarkable enough; that he’s done it without actually seeing the world around him – ever – is truly inspirational.

No surprise then, that he is a leading advocate for people with disabilities. And his message is simple: Don’t pity the disabled; rather, give them the respect they deserve, for given the chance they can compete in the world and stand on their own two feet, just as he has so successfully done.

This is his inspirational tale.

Al Turki, whose father and grandfather were traders between Iraq and Kuwait, was born in Dhahran in 1950 and was barely one-and-a-half years old when a benign brain tumour led to him losing his sight.

“However, I was blessed with loving parents who instilled in me the virtues of hope, ambition and trust,” says Al Turki, who is the youngest of four brothers and two sisters, one of whom passed on last year. “They taught me to trust in Allah and have faith in my abilities from a very young age.”

An inquisitive child by nature, Al Turki bombarded his parents and siblings with a relentless barrage of questions about almost everything under the sun. “I even wanted to know what colours were – what’s blue, what’s black, what’s purple, what’s red? These were very difficult questions, but they somehow came up with the answers,” he says, adding his parents also taught him to write the alphabets and numerals in English and Arabic.

“I had a very happy childhood, playing hide-and-seek and other games with children, riding the bicycle…,” he adds.

As there were no schools for the blind in the Eastern Province at the time, his father left no stone unturned to ensure that Al Turki was privately schooled at home from the age of six right to the high school level, though he never sat for any exams.

“My father was my hero,” he says.

But the road to further education would prove harder than he thought, as his parents had been unaware that Al Turki would need primary and middle school exam certificates to sit for his high school exams.

On approaching the Ministry of Education for dispensation, Al Turki was told he should first attend the Al Noor Institute. However, as the institute only offered first and second grades, he appealed once more to be given a chance to sit for the exams, but it fell on deaf ears.

“It was like running into a brick wall,” he recalls.

Though terribly frustrated, the young Al Turki refused to throw in the towel. “I heard a voice crying ‘No, No, No’ in my mind and so I went back to first grade to pursue my dreams. I had to sacrifice all those years and start all over again,” he says ruefully, “but it was worth it.”

Once Al Turki passed high school, there was no looking back.

He went to the Linguarama school for business English in London, then to Clifton Spinney in Nottingham, where he was taught how to type, make handicrafts and improve his mobility skills. “I even learned how to cook,” he says, fondly recalling how his worried mother would call him from across the miles warning him not to get too close to the stove! “She was the best mother in the whole world to me.”

After spending a year in the UK, Al Turki crossed the Atlantic to the “beautiful state of Oregon” in the US in 1981 where he took an English course in the city of Corvallis before enrolling for more English classes at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Then came the task of enrolling for a degree. At the time, every university in the US made it mandatory for overseas students – and even American students from other states – to produce a TOEFL certificate. The Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL is a standard test of English language proficiency and a certificate which Al Turki did not possess.

Undeterred, Al Turki applied to four universities, “all of whom wanted to know my TOEFL score, which I had not done”.

“However, Allah helped me,” he continues. “Plus, I had letters of recommendation from my English teachers, and I would call them (the universities) every day to follow up. Eventually, all four accepted me.”

Al Turki opted to continue at the University of Oregon, successfully graduating with honours in International Studies and Sociology in 1986.

He then earned a master’s degree in special education from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1988 and after a two-year break in Saudi Arabia returned to the US to earn a master’s degree in international affairs, which also included studies on peace and conflict in the Middle East, at the American University in Washington DC, in 1992.

While in the US, Al Turki did not limit his life to the classroom, as he sought to develop his skills as a leader and thinker. He became the President of the Muslim Students Association for the Northwest Coast, which included the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho, and between 1990 and 1992 worked as a political analyst at Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington DC, where he impressed everyone with his typing skills and attention to detail.

On Al Turki’s return to Saudi Arabia, he had jobs lined up from Saudi Aramco, the Ministry of Planning and Proctor and Gamble, but he instead opted to join Namma Cargo Services, in which he was a partner with his brothers, entering at a junior position before working his way up to the top as managing director.

Al Turki also made the time to get more involved as an advocate for the disabled, and between 1992 and 1996 played a key role in raising the public profile of the Eastern Province Rehabilitation Society for Disabled Persons in his capacity as Chairman of the Information Committee and Director of Public Relations.

“We took part in the World Environment Day and helped clean up the beaches and corniches around Al Khobar and Dammam while educating beachgoers about keeping their beaches clean. We also took to the streets for Traffic Day, handing out information about the importance of following traffic rules,” he says.

Other events which saw the society turn out in force included International Health Day, Saudi Arabia’s National Day, the International Day of the Deaf, World Health Day, the International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) and the International White Cane Day.

During his tenure, the society also held a pioneering “market for charity” in the kingdom.

Over the course of his career, Al Turki’s work for the blind and disabled has been featured extensively in newspapers, magazines and on television throughout the Gulf, while he has also written scores of articles highlighting the challenges that disabled people face in daily life, in addition to publishing educational booklets on the handicapped targeted at the man on the street.

One such article was prompted by a Saudi bank’s insistence that a blind customer would need a full-sighted co-signatory to open an account “to ensure his money would be safe”.

Al Turki’s riposte, in which he chided the bank and pointed out that “the blind are not from another planet”, was published by the Al Madina newspaper, forcing the embarrassed bank to back down and scrap the discriminatory rule.

Al Turki is a familiar face at major regional events and he’s attended the Arab Organisation for Disabled People’s conferences in Lebanon, Egypt and Bahrain, the Gulf Disability Society’s conference in Bahrain, and the first Arab Regional Conference on Rehabilitation in Kuwait, in addition to dozens of lectures that sought to raise awareness about the handicapped.

Most recently, Al Turki was a key speaker at an international conference on the empowerment of SMEs (small and medium enterprises) held in Bahrain in February this year, where he held forth on “how to be a successful businessman”. He was also present at the Abilitiesme conference on special needs, which was held in the UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi in March, where he presented his case for employing people with disabilities.

Al Turki is also active in several associations across the region. Within Saudi Arabia, he is a member of the Special Education Board for the Eastern Province, the Handicapped Sports Club in Al Hassa, and on the committee for the annual charity run held by Dhahran Ahliyya Schools, among others. He is also a member of the Arab Association for the Handicapped which is based in Beirut, Lebanon, the Gulf Association for the Handicapped in Bahrain and the Arab Regional Conference on Rehabilitation. “I wear many hats,” he says.

Al Turki points out that over the centuries, the world has witnessed inspirational tales about disabled men and women whose extraordinary and heroic lives secured them a place in history.

Reeling off one example after another, he starts with Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktoom, one of the companions of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon Him), who was born blind but went on to become the governor of Madinah.

Then there was American educator Helen Keller, he says, who overcame the adversity of being blind and deaf to become one of the 20th century’s leading humanitarians, and German composer Ludwig Von Beethoven who wrote some of his best compositions after turning deaf.

Another disabled Arab of repute, he continues, is Egypt’s Minister of Education Taha Hussein, who was blind from childhood but rose to become one of the country’s most influential 20th century writers and intellectuals.

And in Saudi Arabia today, Al Turki highlights young entrepreneur and inventor Muhannad Abu Dayya who is poised to make history by becoming the first blind person to graduate in industrial engineering at the King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals.

But Al Turki is keen to point out that there is a world of disabled people who are willing and able to stand up and be counted. The disabled, he argues, should never be pigeonholed in their careers as they can do just about anything, given the chance. “You need to trust them, train them and give them the right tools for the job,” he states.

To this end, Al Turki wants the disabled in the Gulf to come out of the shadows and aspire for greatness in all walks of life. He wants corporates to step up with proper training initiatives and integrate them into the workforce, and the region’s media to help educate the public and “change their perceptions about the handicapped”.

Above all, the handicapped don’t want to be pitied but given respect, says Al Turki. “If I go out with my wife, people stop and stare at us, yet in America you get the respect you deserve.”

He recalls the time a stranger expressed sympathy for his blindness while they were together in a hotel elevator, and how he had to take the German aside and assure him that he was privileged to be blessed by God, loved by family and friends, successful in whatever he turned his hand to, and “the happiest man on Earth”.

He also has words of praise for Bahrain, which, he says, is taking a leading role in helping the disabled, with cottage industries manned by the handicapped producing cards, boxes, gift wrapping paper, and even furniture.

At work, Al Turki says he treats all his employees – who number 800 across the kingdom – “like one big family” and that his management style is modelled along the lines of Japanese corporations.

“Every month, we all sit down together for lunch at my office,” he says. “It shows that we care.” He is also delighted to report that several of his staff have turned down more lucrative offers because they “feel more secure and fulfilled at Namma Cargo”.

Al Turki’s accomplishments have also earned him his fair share of accolades over the years.

As a student in the US, he was given the University of Oregon’s Golden Key national honour society award in recognition of scholastic achievement, a global citizenship award from the American University, and the Pi Gamma Mu national honour society’s award for social sciences.

Additionally, he has been listed in the Outstanding People of the 20th Century, Who’s Who in the World, and the Who’s Who of Professionals, US.

He has also been honoured by the United Nations (UN), which gave him a cup in recognition of his success as a businessman and also for his social service towards the handicapped and disabled.

A veteran Toastmaster, Al Turki’s oratory skills have also earned him several Toastmasters’ awards, including the Presidential Citation Award at the Toastmasters International Convention in Florida, US, in 2012.

Meanwhile, his work in Saudi Arabia has won a certificate of appreciation from the King Abdul-Aziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba).

Al Turki has been happily married for 27 years, and his wife holds a degree in psychology from the Ain Shams University in Egypt, in addition to a doctorate from the UK. They are blessed with 12-year-old twins Ali and Noora, in whom Al Turki is instilling a deep set of values.

“I teach them to be humble; that everyone is equal – rich or poor, black or white – and to aim for success in whatever they do. Also, they must never forget they are brother and sister, as family values are important.”

He also warns his children about the dangers of becoming too obsessed with the virtual world – as many teenagers do – and urges them to strike a good balance in life. “There’s a time for everything – for the family, for studies and for the internet,” he says. “I also tell them that money cannot buy happiness, health or success.”

Away from work, Al Turki likes a good book, while his choice travel destinations are London, “a lively city which bustles even at 3 am”, America, which has a “wonderful environment”, Switzerland, whose natural beauty is like “a work of art”, Holland, New Zealand and Australia.

And before he sleeps each night, Al Turki clears his mind of the day’s stresses and strains and takes no grudges, worries or woes to bed. “I say my prayers and hope that tomorrow will be a better day.”

Now in his 60s, Al Turki has achieved much in his life. As a successful businessman, philanthropist and social activist who overcame his disability through sheer will power and faith in God, he is a true role model and inspiration to all.

But he says his work is not yet done. “The day when the handicapped are treated as equals in society – when they are employed on merit rather than out of charity and given the respect they deserve – is when my dreams will be achieved,” our Knight of Inspiration says. “We have to love and learn from each other and be one family. Life is short and we must all live it to the fullest.”