When I went to do some beat-the-rush, early Eid shopping, I ended up empty-handed.
"Maybe I should just wear boys' clothes," my eldest girl sighed in frustration. Was she reading my mind? I confessed that when she was a toddler, I had no choice but to buy her jeans and T-shirts from the boys' section of the store. Walking around with a baby-sized Bratz doll in a pushchair was not my idea of cute.
As I looked for the dust on the windowsill in this Orwellian fashion nightmare, I couldn't help but think that somewhere in the upper rooms of kiddie couture there was a group of clothiers conspiring to convince me that 8-year-olds and 10-year-olds are ready to enter the scantily clad adult worlds of Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears and Keyshia Cole.
Booty-choker jeans, micro-mini skirts, camisoles and shorts that resemble unmentionables crushed my little tweens' hopes of getting something dazzling to dress up in for Eid. They seemed sad, but what kind of decent mother would dress her daughters in clothes that some would consider lingerie?
I looked at some other little girls at the mall, whose mothers didn't seem to mind that their daughters were dressed inappropriately. Some seem to think of it as a trend. To my relief there was one parent who in exasperation said: "There's nothing for us here." Perhaps the "us" was us mothers who had our senses about us.
I want my girls to dress in something that doesn't make them look like what my father used to call a "jezebel". To him, a farm boy from South Carolina, this meant a girl with questionable values. For my three sisters and me, his fashion sense was mind-boggling: no hoop earrings, lip gloss or hot pants, which could get us sent upstairs until further notice. Daddy obviously knew the lurking dangers out on the streets that we weren't aware of. If he were around today and had to shop for clothes for us, he'd have locked us upstairs forever.
M Gigi Durham wrote The Lolita Effect, which examines the trend of fashion and media portraying little girls as objects of desire. This is dangerous and misleading, sending mixed messages to our daughters. They're told they have to stay in a child's place, but they aspire to look like adults. Of course, it's up to the parents to take control and let them know this is not acceptable. That's what my mother did.
Hot-glued on my memory forever is the Shakespearean-inspired, grey-white-and-yellow plaid blouse with billowy sleeves that had tapered, purple, crocheted wrists. I was my mother's signature model who introduced her eclectic genius to the world. I wore her clothes without complaint because sewing was her love. When she showed off her latest line to the neighbours, she got a lot of nods and smiles and remarks such as "That's really cool".
Searching for my own inspiration, I've found a love for Indian cottons and African prints; with these and a store-bought pattern book, look out! I'm cutting a new haute couture line. My girls, who love long skirts, brightly coloured hijabs and Fulla-inspired styles, will play muse as I craft my own line especially for them.
Last weekend, I created a pattern for an Eid skirt, and that's how I'll be doing it from now on. No doubt, I'll spare them the Shakespearean chic. Instead, we'll be creating a Muslim-inspired moda together, one that little Muslimahs can love and feel great in.
As for those shops at the mall, sorry, guys, denim Bermudas are just not our shtick.
Maryam Ismail is a sociologist and teacher who divides her time between the US and the UAE.
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
The years Ramadan fell in May
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Brief scoreline:
Crystal Palace 2
Milivojevic 76' (pen), Van Aanholt 88'
Huddersfield Town 0
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More on Quran memorisation:
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.
25%20Days%20to%20Aden
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Michael%20Knights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2026%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE%20SPECS
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India team for Sri Lanka series
Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Results
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,000m, Winner: Hazeem Al Raed, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: Ghazwan Al Khalediah, Hugo Lebouc, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Dinar Al Khalediah, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Faith And Fortune, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Only Smoke, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: AF Ramz, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: AF Mass, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
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Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
