MELBOURNE // A delegation from the UAE Government was on hand in Melbourne for the opening of Australia’s first Islamic museum on Friday.
The evening marked the end of a four-year journey to build the museum by founders Moustafa and Maysaa Fahour, an Australian couple living in Dubai.
The A$10 million (Dh32.8m) Islamic Museum of Australia in the suburb of Thornbury was declared open by Australian treasurer Joe Hockey.
Also in attendance was Bader Al Hilali from the office of Ali Al Hashimi, the religious and judicial adviser at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs.
“The support that we have tonight is phenomenal,” said Mr Fahour. “I heard a comment today where someone said that we as Australian Muslims feel proud that we contributed to this country.
“And to hear people from other faiths say the museum was amazing is, for me, the ultimate goal.”
The Fahours began the project in 2010 as a way to counter some of the negative stereotypes directed at Australian Muslims.
They then took the unconventional step of managing the project from more than 11,600 kilometres away after they relocated to Dubai in 2012, when Mr Fahour accepted a job offer from the construction company Leighton Holdings.
The move proved fortuitous, with the couple tapping into the UAE’s thriving creative industry to aid the museum’s completion.
They signed up Etihad Airways and Leighton Holdings as principle partners, and Dubai design company North 55 was enlisted to design the museum branding.
The Jumeirah Beach Residence shop Gallery One was chosen to supply the in-house gift store.
The museum’s audio-visual guides for each of its five permanent galleries, mostly displaying the contributions of Muslims in Australia, was recorded in Dubai Studio City’s JR Studio.
One gallery focusing on the tenets of the faith featured the call to prayer recited by music legend Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, who also lives in Dubai.
Sharjah was represented, too. The museum’s architect, Desypher Architecture Planning Urban Design, has its Middle East office in the emirate.
UAE elements could be found in the exhibits. Included in a gallery of the world’s greatest mosques is an illuminated panel with a large image of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
The imposing image triggered fond memories from the Australian treasurer.
“I spent a week in the UAE last year and it was fantastic,” Mr Hockey recalled. “I visited the Grand Mosque and it was immensely incredible. It’s really something that needs to be seen.”
Hailing the museum as “magnificent”, Mr Hockey praised the UAE businesses involved in the project, calling them an example of the country’s flourishing creative industry.
“Australia and the UAE have a very deep relationship with many ties, including the cultural,” he said.
“We are definitely brothers and partners.
“This project shows that the UAE is not just some place you go to on the way to Europe. It is a creative hub and a destination in its own right.”
Mr Al Hilali echoed the treasurer’s sentiments, saying the museum was an example of one of the country’s many cultural contributions.
“To see the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque up in that gallery next to such amazing sites as the Grand Mosque in Mecca and those in India, Iran and Morocco is a very gratifying and proud moment for all of us,” he said.
“I wish the people behind this museum every success. With Australian Muslims only forming 5 per cent of the population, I hope this initiative will educate many people about the faith, its history and contributions, and the UAE is always happy to support such initiatives.”
Samira El Khafir, last year’s MasterChef Australia finalist, launched her first cafe Modern Middle Eastern inside the museum.
For the opening ceremony Ms El Khafir cooked up a storm with a menu featuring innovative takes on regional staples including couscous and chicken tagines.
She said creating a menu for such distinguished guests was similar to her experience shooting a MasterChef episode at Dubai’s Atlantis, The Palm hotel last year.
“We were cooking to a lot of VIPs that day, so this brought up memories,” Ms El Khafir said.
“But tonight was much harder. There are no cameras around. This is real life.”
sasaeed@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
ORDER OF PLAY ON SHOW COURTS
Centre Court - 4pm (UAE)
Gael Monfils (15) v Kyle Edmund
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Magdalena Rybarikova
Dusan Lajovic v Roger Federer (3)
Court 1 - 4pm
Adam Pavlasek v Novak Djokovic (2)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Gilles Simon
Angelique Kerber (1) v Kirsten Flipkens
Court 2 - 2.30pm
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Marcos Baghdatis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Christina McHale
Milos Raonic (6) v Mikhail Youzhny
Tsvetana Pironkova v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
Race card:
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m.
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m.
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m.
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m.
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
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
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
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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
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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
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
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Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
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Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Our family matters legal consultant
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
