ERBIL // Dara had dreams of being a popular oud player in his native Syria.
The Kurd, who escaped Qameshli, a town about 720 kilometres away from Damascus and enrolled in a music school before the almost three-year uprising that sought to unseat the president Bashar Al Assad.
Today, he is serving nargila pipes to customers at a cafe in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdish region.
“This isn’t my plan, to work in a cafe,” said Dara. “I’m a foreigner here, but what can I do? I have to work,” he said. “My wish is to play my oud at one of the restaurants here.”
Dara is one of the thousands of Syrian Kurds who have paid to be smuggled out of their war-torn homeland and who now work in the services sector.
Erbil is experiencing a burgeoning of Lebanese restaurants that have introduced Levantine cuisine – shawarma, falafel, hummus. Many Kurds have taken up jobs as chefs and waiters, introducing a touch of Syrian flavour and hospitality. They have also sought work at many of the new cafes and hair salons, while others have bought cars and work as cab drivers night and day.
With the region’s economic growth expected to have reached 8 per cent last year, and bolstered by an estimated 45 billion barrels of oil reserves, Erbil is enjoying an economic boom.
The surge is trickling down to the hospitality sector – as many as 250 hotels opened last year. The growth has spearheaded numerous job opportunities in the sector.
For Syrian Kurds, their talent is scarce: with a strong fluency in Arabic, they are at an advantage over their Iraqi counterparts in catering to the growing number of Lebanese and Arabian Gulf businessmen and professionals who fly into or reside in the city.
Many Iraqi Kurds, and especially the young, are not fluent in Arabic. That is a result of the region’s Kurdisation policies, which date to the early 1990s when a US-enforced no-fly zone loosened the Arab dictator Saddam Hussein’s grip on the region.
“Iraqi Kurds are not interested in working in services. They are mostly interested in business and trade, oil and gas or real estate,” said Mohannad Madi, a Lebanese national who owns the popular Al Afandi restaurant in Erbil. “There’s no calibre or human capital investment for catering to hospitality. I don’t blame them because there’s no schools for tourism.”
The Syrian Kurds are attractive as cheap labour. But this is not their home, and their Iraqi hosts seem to have ambivalent feelings towards their Syrian guests.
As the uprising evolved into a full-scale war in Syria, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq launched refugee tents in the village of Domiz to host Kurds who came in droves seeking a safe haven.
They were given residency permits, so long as they remained in the camps. Those who leave the camps to find work are defying the rules by so doing.
In July of 2012, KRG’s president, Massoud Barzani, said Kurds fleeing Syria should return home to defend their homeland. Many are still being offered training by the Kurdish rebel forces, the Peshmerga, near the Iraqi village of Duhok.
And according to several Syrian Kurds interviewed, in June 2013 the Erbil government stopped renewing the refugees’ residency permits.
“They’ve stopped giving residency permits here,” says Lana, who works, illegally, as an interpreter at a Turkish company. “There’s people who have been living here and their permits have expired for two years but there’s no enforcement of the law.”
For Lana, like Dara, Iraq’s Kurdish region is a haven, but one with limits that have made their lives as working people difficult.
It is a partial freedom that did not come easily.
Lana paid a smuggler US$600 to escape Syria’s Qameshli for the Iraqi Domiz camp.
She then paid an additional $100 each at a combined value of $400 for her, her husband and two children, for a taxi to smuggle her out of the numerous checkpoints from Domiz to Erbil. By contrast, the price for an ordinary cab ride for the same journey costs 30,000 Iraqi dinar, a little under $30.
“Because of this,” Lana said, “we cannot leave the capital to Domiz for fear that we won’t be allowed to get back into Erbil. The guys at the checkpoints tell us: You want a permit? Go to the camps.”
halsayegh@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @Ind_Insights
TV (UAE time);
OSN Sports: from 10am
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
Friday, December 1:
9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Scores
Day 2
New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227
New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
MATCH INFO
Watford 2 (Sarr 50', Deeney 54' pen)
Manchester United 0
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Tesalam Aleik
Abdullah Al Ruwaished
(Rotana)
TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES
June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15 (First Test)
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24 (Second Test)
July 8: New Zealand v Lions (Third Test) - kick-off 11.30am (UAE)
Tips for avoiding trouble online
- Do not post incorrect information and beware of fake news
- Do not publish or repost racist or hate speech, yours or anyone else’s
- Do not incite violence and be careful how to phrase what you want to say
- Do not defame anyone. Have a difference of opinion with someone? Don’t attack them on social media
- Do not forget your children and monitor their online activities
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures: Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
RESULT
Brazil 2 Croatia 0
Brazil: Neymar (69'), Firmino (90' 3)
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine 2.4L four-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.4L/100km
Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
The biog
Name: Mohammed Imtiaz
From: Gujranwala, Pakistan
Arrived in the UAE: 1976
Favourite clothes to make: Suit
Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
MATCH INFO
Leeds United 0
Brighton 1 (Maupay 17')
Man of the match: Ben White (Brighton)
Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Dubai Creek Open in numbers
- The Dubai Creek Open is the 10th tournament on this year's Mena Tour
- It is the first of five events before the season-concluding Mena Tour Championship
- This week's field comprises 120 players, 21 of which are amateurs
- 15 previous Mena Tour winners are competing at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
