Despite periodic crackdowns on the militants across East Africa, including the capture of 200 members in Somalia in 2012, pockets of extremism continue to flourish thanks to economic and political instability. Reuters
Despite periodic crackdowns on the militants across East Africa, including the capture of 200 members in Somalia in 2012, pockets of extremism continue to flourish thanks to economic and political instability. Reuters
Despite periodic crackdowns on the militants across East Africa, including the capture of 200 members in Somalia in 2012, pockets of extremism continue to flourish thanks to economic and political instability. Reuters
Despite periodic crackdowns on the militants across East Africa, including the capture of 200 members in Somalia in 2012, pockets of extremism continue to flourish thanks to economic and political ins

Defeat tyranny by offering a better alternative


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When security forces in Eritrea last week opened fire on schoolchildren protesting the closure of their Islamic school, reportedly killing 28 people and injuring 100 others, they did nothing but feed and legitimise Al Shabab's jihadi grievance narrative. In fact, such actions provide fertile ground for Al Shabab to recruit and bring Muslims around to their cause.

Protests had begun a day earlier following the arrest of the honorary president of the Islamic school for defying the government’s directive to halt religious education in Islamic schools and ban girls from wearing headscarves.

Students and the local community saw this as an attempt by the government to deny them their fundamental basic freedom to worship in peace and to dictate behaviour to a school that has been allowed to exist peacefully for more than half a century.

What ensued last week can only be described as a massacre of schoolchildren. And yet, the global battle against extremism is fundamentally a battle of ideas. Within that battle of ideas, all who oppose Islamism must not stoop to the level of extremists to advance their cause.

In fact, the task for those who wish to take on, dismantle and disrupt Al Shabab's ideas is made significantly harder if Muslims in Eritrea are won over with a grievance narrative that is validated by those who should uphold sound values.

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Indeed, acts of violence play into the hands of Al Shabab and unless urgently addressed, might spiral into more violence and provide fertile ground for Al Shabab to recruit more young Muslims.

Like other jihadi groups, Al Shabab has three key messages. They portray themselves as defenders of the Islamic Ummah, or community, which, according to them, has suffered excruciating pain and misery at the hands of godless authorities. The group finds creative ways to glamorise its cause as a righteous struggle against the tyranny of their enemies.

They claim that violence is not only a way of revenge but also a way of “teaching the enemy a lesson” in line with the supposed legacy of first-generation Muslims.

This is underpinned by the argument that Muslims aren’t free to practise their faith in east Africa and that they essentially have to choose between their faith and living in secular states.

Like many jihadi groups across the world, they espouse a black-and-white, literalist view of the world, one that dictates that you are either "with us or against us".

They use this world view to justify their call for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate that would enforce Islamic law on its citizens.

This is precisely why those of us who wish to challenge these ideas must be empowered, not set back by actions that feed into their narrative.

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Security forces should be upholding the rule of law, not resorting to the same violence they so readily denounce.

In short, we cannot defeat tyranny with tyranny. If Al Shabab and other such groups espouse a narrative characterised by tyranny, our response must be characterised by freedom.

If this battle if framed any other way, it will do nothing but legitimise the action of extremists and feed into their argument that non-believers wish to see an end to Islam. This appeal will, in turn, be heard by Muslims who are vulnerable to radicalisation attempts.

Take life inside ISIL's failed caliphate, where "new age" tyrannical rule stifles ideas, expression and creativity. All those who oppose their narrative cannot – and should not – respond in kind, should they?

In order to demolish groups like Al Shabab, we have to not only counter their ideas but also offer an alternative, superior way of life. We cannot allow our alternative to Islamism to be characterised by tyranny.

Bulama Bukarti  is an analyst at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Six large-scale objects on show
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  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
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Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films

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1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
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Company info

Company name: Entrupy 

Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist

Based: New York, New York

Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.  

Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius. 

Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place. 

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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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
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet