When Mustafi Al-Garawi decided to have his jersey display his name in Arabic script, the Iraqi-American athlete says he did not expect such an intense reaction.
The name on the back of his Western Michigan University jersey – Ajoum – is his family's name, while Al-Garawi denotes his clan. WMU's athletics department said that Al-Garawi is believed to be the first college athlete to have Arabic script on a jersey.
Photos of the defensive tackle's jersey have gone viral on social media, with thousands of comments and millions of likes. Most of the engagement on social media from around the world was positive, but there were negative, xenophobic comments.
When The National first approached Al-Garawi for an interview several months ago, he declined.
"I prefer not to have too much media," he said at the time. "I’m just a Muslim man blessed to play football and earn my education. I'm not really into the spotlight."
So the amount of attention he received during WMU's first game in August had to have been uncomfortable.
Several months later, Al-Garawi agreed to explain the decision that prompted the outpouring of support and some vitriol.
He was born in South Dakota and grew up in Tennessee, but both of his parents come from near Najaf in Iraq. Al-Garawi said his father eventually decided to flee the country during Saddam Hussein's reign.
Growing up in the US, he recalled initially being reticent to talk about his family's history and culture. Yet his ability to excel in sports such as football and wrestling, he said, helped him gain considerable confidence.
"As I got older, I became more proud," Al-Garawi told The National.
"I'm definitely proud of being from Iraq. And if anything, I want to encourage younger people to be proud of where they're from."
He has visited Iraq – which he calls "the cradle of civilisation" – several times to visit family, and plans to go again. He said his relatives in Iraq first saw the jersey on Facebook.
"My dad shared it on there and they all thought it was really cool," Al-Garawi said.
He said that although he believes he is the first player in US college football to have Arabic script on his jersey, the inspiration came from the University of Notre Dame.
He watched a Notre Dame game on TV during the 2024 season and saw one of their players, Charles Du, originally from Beijing, who had his name written in Mandarin.
"That's when I thought, 'maybe I should do the same with Arabic'," he said, adding that WMU's equipment manager, Luke Garrett, made it a priority to find a seamstress near the university to do the work.
Although the Arabic script is the most noticeable thing about his jersey, Al-Garawi said that his choice of number, zero, also has significance.
"It's all about my roots and zero was invented in Iraq," he explained.
The truth of that statement is debatable – many scholars give India credit for inventing the mathematical concept of zero. Others say it originated in ancient Mesopotamia and still others insist the Mayans developed it.
Al-Garawi said he was amazed by the amount of debate around his jersey number. He added, however, that zero was not his first choice.
"I wanted number 11 but my guy Dame got it first," he recalled, referring to his friend, WMU defensive end Nadame Tucker.
Ultimately, he said that zero works for him on several levels. "I look at myself as nothing and Allah being everything ... I just focus on playing well and doing my best."
Playing in his senior year for WMU, Al-Garawi said he wants to play football for as long as he can, and ideally would like to have the opportunity to play at the next level, while working towards becoming a dentist.
"I want to open up my own private practice and give back to my community, both here and in Iraq," he said.
His main focus at the moment is to help WMU win more games to become eligible for the bowl, and continue to inspire others.
Despite the occasional critics on social media over his choice of jersey script, Al-Garawi remains unrelenting in his pursuit to be himself.
"Be proud of who you are, your heritage, your bloodline, and wear your history on your sleeve," he said when asked about his message to those who might feel unheard.
"It really doesn't matter what people think of you as long as people that you love think of you in a good light."
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
EA Sports FC 24
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The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Results
2pm: Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m; Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m; Winner: Thegreatcollection, Adrie de Vries, Doug Watson.
4pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Oktalgano, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m; Winner: Madame Ellingtina, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Mystery Land, Fabrice Veron, Helal Al Alawi.
5.30pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m; Winner: Shanaghai City, Jesus Rosales, Rashed Bouresly.
RESULTS
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Rajeh, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi (trainer)
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes – Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Get Back Goldie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Sovereign Prince, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Hot Rod Charlie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Withering, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
9.30pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Creative Flair, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
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UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
