Mohamed Nasheed
A former political prisoner who became the Maldives' first democratically elected president, then became a global voice for climate justice.
Born 1967 (age 59)·President of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012·Birthday: May 17·Generation X
Biography
Mohamed Nasheed's story is one of relentless defiance. He began his career as a journalist, but his criticism of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's long autocratic rule led to repeated arrests and torture. He became a political prisoner, yet from jail helped found the Maldivian Democratic Party, the nation's first opposition party. After years of international pressure, he was released and, in a landmark 2008 election, toppled Gayoom, becoming the Maldives' first democratically elected president. His tenure was a whirlwind of reform and symbolism; he held a cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the threat of sea-level rise to his low-lying island nation. Ousted in what he called a coup in 2012, he was later convicted on terrorism charges widely seen as politically motivated. After years in exile and further imprisonment, he returned to serve as Speaker of Parliament, remaining a resilient and eloquent advocate for democracy and climate action on the world stage.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Mohamed was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mohamed Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Mohamed's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Elected as the first democratically elected president of the Maldives in 2008, ending 30 years of autocratic rule.
- Brought global attention to climate change by holding an underwater cabinet meeting to symbolize the threat of rising seas.
- Co-founded the Maldivian Democratic Party, the country's first organized political opposition.
Did You Know?
He was named one of Time magazine's 'Heroes of the Environment' in 2009.
He wrote a memoir, 'The Maldives: A Silent Crisis,' while imprisoned on a remote island.
He is a skilled scuba diver.
““If the world can't save the Maldives today, it might be too late to save London, New York or Hong Kong tomorrow.””
