As Ramadan comes to a close, Laila El Haddad, a Palestinian American from Gaza, is racing against time to prepare dishes native to her homeland.
She skilfully kneads the dough for Ka’ak El Eid, a cookie popular during festive occasions such as Eid Al Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of month-long fasting. It is traditionally made in large batches and then distributed to friends, family and neighbours.
Following the cherished custom, El Haddad, who now lives in Maryland with her husband and four children, plans to serve the Ka’ak and meals to her community.
But she has help with the difficult day of baking ahead of her: her daughter Bayaan, age seven, and young visitors from Gaza fill the dough with date paste and shape them into rings. El Haddad, who grew up in Saudi Arabia and spent summers in Gaza, says dates – especially red ones – are significant in her homeland. In fact, the name of the city of Deir Al Balah translates to “monastery of date palm”.
As the Israeli military continues its renewed assault on Gaza and the US clamps down on students who participated in campus pro-Palestine protests, Eid celebrations feel subdued for many in America’s Muslim community.
“On one hand, we're trying to go about our life and honour our rituals and our traditions like Eid and our sacred holidays. And on the other, we're preparing ourselves for what might come,” says El Haddad, 47.
“We're preparing ourselves for ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids. We're preparing ourselves for the possibility of being questioned by the FBI. We're preparing ourselves constantly for, you know, deportation,” she says. “We're preparing ourselves for the continuation of genocide, and how and what else we can possibly do to stop that and help our families. Everyone is terrified.”
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump’s administration has cited a seldom-invoked statute authorising the secretary of state to revoke visas of non-citizens who could be considered a threat to foreign policy interests, using this to target students and others who participated in the wave of anti-war protests on university campuses last year. More than half a dozen people are known to have been taken into custody or deported under this initiative.
Despite the anxieties and uncertainties, El Haddad is holding on to the traditions of Eid.
“I think this is a hard concept for a lot of people to understand. Why would you partake in something that is supposed to be joyous at a time that is so incredibly dark and painful? And it is precisely to combat that despair.”
El Haddad prepares the ingredients for Sumagiyya, one of the signature dishes of Gaza city. The tangy stew is prepared with beef or lamb, sumac, chard and chickpeas. The recipes are featured in the cookbook The Gaza Kitchen, which she co-authored with Maggie Schmitt.
“I think we have a sacred duty as Muslims, as human beings, you know, as a part of humanity, to be able to combat that despair with these acts of joy and resistance,” she adds.
El Haddad says the current state of fear among Muslim Americans is reminiscent of the time following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. At that time, she was in her early 20s and living in Boston on a student visa, and was among those detained.
“It was a very scary time for Muslims in general, especially Muslim Americans, but it was especially scary for those of us who were politically vulnerable, like Palestinians, and there was no one you could turn to. There were no advocacy organisations at the time.”
Preserving Gaza’s culinary heritage
Most of El Haddad’s family live in Gaza city, and have endured the harshest of conditions from the beginning of the war, dealing with starvation and displacement amid the bombardment. Since the war began 17 months ago, more than 50,000 people have been killed, including some of her relatives.
“Very early on in the war, in November 2023, I had an aunt and three adult cousins and my cousin's wife who were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza city. It was absolutely devastating,” she says.
Several of El Haddad’s family members who had been displaced to the south, returned to the north to the remains of their homes that were destroyed in Israeli air strikes.
She has a special relationship with her aunt, An’am Dalloul, who taught her many traditional recipes. She was a conduit to El Haddad’s grandmother, whom El Haddad had not met, and Ms Dalloul passed on the recipes and traditions that the family loved.
She recounts her two-hour-long interview with her aunt for her cookbook on Gazan cuisine, which ended with her aunt wanting to share with her how her grandmother made Sumagiyya. But it was a hot Ramadan day in August and close to sunset.
“I said, another time. And of course, another time never came,” El Haddad says. “Their entire building was destroyed and they were all killed, and my surviving cousin was described to me in excruciating detail how he had to dig out their remains from under the rubble, and how he couldn't even give them a proper burial because it was during a time of active Israeli strikes.”
So, this Eid, El Haddad is making Sumagiyya to honour her aunt and to keep that connection to a place that she feels is being erased. In these moments, her children create memories of the place that they have visited, but which, for them, is growing increasingly blurry in memory.
“Sumagiyya is something tangible and real and delicious, and I think I feel a connection to her as I'm cooking it, and to my grandmother as well,” El Haddad says.
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”.
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
HAJJAN
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Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Need to know
Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.
Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Benevento (Kick-off 11.45pm)
Saturday Crotone v Spezia (6pm), Torino v Udinese (9pm), Lazio v Verona (11.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Atalanta v Fiorentina (6pm), Napoli v Sampdoria (6pm), Bologna v Roma (6pm), Genoa v Juventus (9pm), AC Milan v Parma (11.45pm)
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESteven%20Knight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMark%20Ruffalo%2C%20Hugh%20Laurie%2C%20Aria%20Mia%20Loberti%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
De De Pyaar De
Produced: Luv Films, YRF Films
Directed: Akiv Ali
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakul Preet Singh, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jaaved Jaffrey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
- Two for Africa Group
- One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
- One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
- One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
