It’s the first day in our new office, and I’ve come to work equipped with a canvas tote bag. In it, is a black cotton abaya and black headscarf with a pom-pom trim. Shortly after noon, a reminder flashes on my iPhone. It’s a notification from my Muslim Pro app, letting me know that it’s time for the Zuhr prayer. I wait until around 1:30 before heading down, assuming that the crowd of punctual regulars will have thinned by now. I walk up to the wooden door of the female prayer room, open it just a crack, and peer in. I can see at least six women; their bodies bent in the various poses of prayer. I also spot a shelf overflowing with prayer mats, headscarves and Qurans. I let the door close, and slowly tiptoe backwards, heading back upstairs to my office. I tell myself I’ll just pray when I get back home in Dubai later in the evening, even though it will be considered late.
I have mixed feelings about prayer rooms, and unfortunately, they're not very positive. They stem from a few bad experiences, mostly from my university days in London. While studying Islamic law, I found myself in the company of peers who could easily be labelled as activists. Many came with deeply-rooted, preconceived notions of religion and strong viewpoints about rituals and rules. While I had been raised to believe in the importance of praying five times a day, I understood prayer as a personal act between myself and God – not as a subject for others to lecture me about.
Criticism, however, is what I was bombarded with at the university prayer room. Wearing trousers and a long-sleeved top, with my head covered in a large scarf that I carried around in my handbag, I was often out of place in a room filled with abayas and loose, elasticated skirts that girls would pull over their jeans, just for praying. Some would whisper to one another and admonish my usage of nail polish, tutting, “tsk tsk,” and pointing at my glossy pink nails. To hide my nail polish, I took to making sure that I wore extra-long sleeves and socks whenever entering the prayer room – but soon found the majority of my socks, which are printed with Hello Kitty, monkey and mermaid icons, were also deemed unsuitable for prayer. The same went for my clothing – if it was printed with any image of people, animals or characters with faces, it was likely I'd get told off. And if, say, a few strands of hair were accidentally poking out from underneath my scarf, another woman would sometimes throw a thick shawl over my shoulders, while I was in the middle of praying, so that my hair would all be covered. It didn’t help that during a short time, my hair was dyed purple.
The environment has slightly improved, since the invention of “halal,” or water-permeable nail polish, which allegedly allows water to touch the nails through the nail polish, when the wearer washes her hands or performs the obligatory ablution, before praying. Now, especially in the UAE, where halal nail polishes by brands like Inglot have gained popularity, women aren’t so quick to condemn painted nails in mosques or prayer rooms. But even in Dubai’s local mosques, it’s easy to feel out of place or inadequate when surrounded by more conservative inhabitants of the women’s section, who have no qualms about preaching their more stringent views.
Having a typically non-confrontational personality, I can never find the words to defend myself during these instances. Opinions can come across as too strong, and interpretations too strict, for my liking, even if these women only intend to be helpful, seeing that in itself to be a religious duty. My mother's advice is always just to ignore them – she often faces similar judgments from other "sisters" in the mosques. But the whole ordeal has become bothersome to the extent that if a prayer room is occupied, I sacrifice being on time for a peaceful but belated prayer in the calm and comfort of my own home. Fridays are sometimes an exception - I'll happily accompany my husband to the neighbourhood Jumeirah Lakes Towers mosque for the Zuhr prayer.. The small women's prayer room there is almost always overflowing with a diverse mixture of women of all ages and ethnicities. While most wear abayas, some wear traditional South Asian shalwar kameezes and others wear maxi-skirts, or long shirts over their jeans. Some cover their heads with tight, elasticated hijabs, and others with large sheet-like scarves. Still, to ward off any potential telling-off, I make sure that my fringe is held back by a tight headband under my headscarf, and my feet are covered in solid, un-patterned socks.
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Bullet%20Train
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Match info
Costa Rica 0
Serbia 1
Kolarov (56')
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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Manchester City transfers:
OUTS
Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Willy Caballero and Jesus Navas (all released)
INS
Ederson (Benfica) £34.7m, Bernardo Silva (Monaco) £43m
ON THEIR WAY OUT?
Joe Hart, Eliaquim Mangala, Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony, Fabian Delph, Nolito and Kelechi Iheanacho
ON THEIR WAY IN?
Dani Alves (Juventus), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
