On the eve of Ramadan, Nasal Dabousi stood on the roof of his carpet shop overlooking the vast marble courtyard of Kairouan’s Great Uqba Mosque, and worried aloud about new government Covid restrictions.
“They keep changing their minds about what is and isn’t allowed, so no one is making plans to come here,” he said. “That’s very, very bad.”
“Last year, the mosque was closed for three months, and the economy went to zero.”
Kairouan is the fourth-holiest city in Islam, and the heart of the faith in North Africa. Every year the Great Mosque, with its marble columns and imposing square minaret, draws about four million pilgrims and visitors, many of whom arrive during Ramadan. Those visitors are the heart of Kairouan’s economy.
In addition to spending on hotels and restaurants in the Unesco World Heritage medina, visitors indulge in Kairouan’s rich culture of craftsmanship, snapping up finely woven textiles and hand-knotted carpets from artisans and textile dealers.
“It’s common for visiting patrons to purchase a Kairouan carpet and donate it to the mosque,” said Moncef Houarbi, a local historian whose family has lived in Kairouan for centuries.
Habib Memni, a carpet dealer in Kairouan, said 2019 was a busy year for sales as tourism increased, but everything crashed last year when Tunisia went into a three-month lockdown that included Ramadan.
“With coronavirus, we are terrified we won’t have a future,” he said.
That months-long lockdown, and the global slowdown in tourism, sent Tunisia into an economic spiral. Tourism accounts for nearly $2 billion of the country’s GDP, about 8 per cent.
This year, despite a third wave of infections gripping Tunisia, the government has relaxed restrictions and allowed mosques to open from 5am to 10pm. Many in Kairouan hope that will bode well for the return of pilgrims and tourists alike.
Their return may ease economic worries in the city, but it has also put many residents, including Mr Memni, on edge.
“Even though I’ve been vaccinated, I am still worried about so many people visiting and getting sick,” he said.
Even though I've been vaccinated," he said, "I am still worried about so many people visiting and getting sick
Habib Memni, carpet seller
Tunisia is groaning under the strain of Covid-19, with the emergence of new variants and a generally lax attitude towards restrictions. In the past week, several hospitals in the country reached capacity, said Dr Nissaf Ben Alaya, the director general of the National Observatory for New and Emerging Diseases. She pleaded with Tunisians to wear a mask and respect social distancing, But at the same press conference, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi announced the nightly curfew would be moved back to 10pm from 7pm.
Many see the move as bowing to pressure to allow people to congregate for iftar.
Souhail Ataahil, a security guard at the Great Mosque, says the balance between letting the faithful worship and maintaining health restrictions is delicate.
“We are only supposed to allow half capacity, but when people travel from all over the country to pray at the mosque, you can’t just turn them away,” he said.
Inside the mosque, taped to the green and grey marble pillars are signs encouraging the faithful to “Respect God and care for our community” by following health measures such as wearing masks, bringing their own prayer mats and performing ablutions at home before arriving to pray.
As the call for the first dhuhr, or afternoon, prayer of Ramadan sounded, a handful of men trickled into the expansive prayer hall, and a few others mingled in the courtyard. Many of Kairouan’s faithful would be praying at home as they did last year, Mr Ataahil said.
But he is unsure what will happen during the last week of Ramadan, when thousands of pilgrims usually throng the courtyard of the mosque each night, lingering for hours.
“Covid has been universally bad for business, and the tough economic situation makes it difficult for people to travel, but, inshallah all will be well in Kairouan this Ramadan.”
Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
MEYDAN%20RACECARD
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RESULTS
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB) Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA) Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA) Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Messi, Pat Dobbs, Timo Keersmaekers
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA) Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
World%20Food%20Day%20
%3Cp%3ECelebrated%20on%20October%2016%2C%20to%20coincide%20with%20the%20founding%20date%20of%20the%20United%20Nations%20Food%20and%20Agriculture%20Organisation%2C%20World%20Food%20Day%20aims%20to%20tackle%20issues%20such%20as%20hunger%2C%20food%20security%2C%20food%20waste%20and%20the%20environmental%20impact%20of%20food%20production.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
AUSTRALIA%20SQUAD
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
THE%C2%A0SPECS
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
STAY%2C%20DAUGHTER
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Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Racecard
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