One day, when Kaoutar Harchi was a student at a private Catholic high school in her native France, a teacher gave her a book inscribed with a dedication: “To my little Arab girl who should know her history.”
Harchi, who was born in Strasbourg in 1987 to Moroccan immigrant parents, was instructed to read the book (“It’s the history of your people”) and give a presentation on it to her fellow students. During her talk, the teacher asked her to tell the class — a predominantly white group — about her origins, her culture and her religion, and to say a few words in her mother tongue.
Harchi describes this “unequal encounter” in her insightful and engrossing coming-of-age memoir, As We Exist. “I felt, for a brief moment, that I was the odd one out, an isolated, reduced body,” she reveals. “And I felt this: that I was being exposed, that I was being exorcised.”
This wasn’t the only time Harchi felt alienated while growing up in eastern France. Her book — her English language debut — recounts how a young woman became increasingly aware of her differences on her journey to adulthood, and how her outsider status informed her identity and paved the way to a career as a writer and sociologist.
“After the publication of three novels and a sociology book, I wanted to go back in time and discover the elements that had determined my social, intellectual and political trajectory,” Harchi tells The National.
As We Exist is also an affectionate portrait of Harchi’s parents, Mohamed and Hania. Harchi traces their family histories and their move to France, and shares happy memories of life with them in her childhood home.
But along with good times are accounts of their everyday struggles. Harchi says that her father was plagued by the impression that “we weren’t really in our place” and were “lacking that legitimacy that allowed a person to feel at home.”
Both her parents worked long hours cleaning office buildings. “They are from the postcolonial working class,” Harchi says. “They, like many others, were confronted with a French society that valued them as workers and not as people.”
Another hardship they faced was the constant threat of violence in their community, either from youths loitering in the street or brutal clampdowns by racist, heavy-handed police officers. When Ahmed, a young man from their neighbourhood, died in police custody, Harchi learnt a hard lesson. “I came to understand that some people have the right to live and others to die,” she says. “This kind of injustice, we never forget it.”
Harchi’s privileged Catholic school in Strasbourg shielded her from certain dangers. However, she and her friend Khadija frequently experienced bullying and racism at the hands of both classmates and teachers. At one point, Harchi’s mother, “a little conqueror in pursuit of my fears”, put a miniature Quran in her daughter’s pencil case to “protect” her.
“I loved school and hated school,” Harchi says. “I overcame these symbolic hardships because I thought that one day I would go to university and that would be a form of emancipation.”
Then during the last months of Harchi’s senior year, she came across a book in a public library. The Suffering of the Immigrant by Abdelmalek Sayad helped alleviate the torment she was subjected to at school and transformed her outlook.
“Sayad is an Algerian sociologist of immigration,” Harchi explains. “His work is fundamental for me, and for my whole generation. Indeed, through his books he managed to show the political construction of the ‘Muslim problem’. We were able to understand that we were not the problem, the problem was state racism.”
AS%20WE%20EXIST
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Kaoutar%20Harchi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Other%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20176%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Inspired and emboldened by Sayad’s book, Harchi went on to study social science at university in Paris. She applied herself and was especially interested in the sociology of immigration, school and family.
“Sociology was an eye-opener,” she says. “It helped me to forge a political awareness of the world. Through sociology I was able to understand social domination and the importance of resistance.”
Resistance came into play in 2004 when a French law was passed banning religious symbols from public schools. Harchi read news articles about the law with mounting anger, believing they “exuded the racism that always loomed like a shadow over colonised peoples in their own countries and immigrants in the former coloniser’s country”.
One night in Paris, a man accosted Harchi and her friends in the street and demanded that they remove their veils. When they didn’t comply, he hit one of them. Harchi realised that racism was rife, even in the supposedly more cosmopolitan capital city.
“Small problems in the provinces become big problems in Paris,” she says. “The multicultural character of Paris is a myth.”
Does she feel the situation is better today? Has French society become more tolerant of French North African immigrants?
“The historical foundations of French society are sexist and racist,” she says. “More specifically, the figure of the Muslim embodies the myth of the enemy within. I would say that nothing has improved. Everything has become worse. Muslim women who wear the veil are marginalised and suffer a lot of discrimination in the workplace.”
Those keen to see change should read Harchi’s book, a memoir about growing up and finding out, but also a chronicle of hope, resilience and defiance.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The years Ramadan fell in May
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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.
You might also like to read
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
RACECARD
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
GRAN%20TURISMO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Neill%20Blomkamp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Harbour%2C%20Orlando%20Bloom%2C%20Archie%20Madekwe%2C%20Darren%20Barnet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
AS%20WE%20EXIST
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Kaoutar%20Harchi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Other%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20176%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
