I will never forget my last week at Tufts University, in 1994. I felt like a king on the cusp of abdicating his throne. I had made a name for myself as a writer at the university’s daily newspaper, which may not seem like much now but back then it was everything. I wanted people to read what I had to say. No. I needed them to. If they were lost in my ideas then maybe I wouldn’t be alone.
After returning to Kuwait, where I feverishly wrote in the local daily newspapers as I had done at school, I finally got a breakthrough that put me on the literary map: the creation of my first character universe, which received an award from Unesco and subsequently led to a three-book deal. The first two did well. But the third got banned, and I quit writing at age 27. I had, in the aftermath, perfected being an angry young man. My stubbornness led to being at loggerheads with the Ministry of Information of a country in the region, and I wouldn’t step down. I again found myself wondering if I would ever write again. If I would ever be read again. Rather than negotiating, and editing my work, I broke my pen in protest.
But as any writer can tell you, you don’t choose words, words choose you. And they decide when to come and when to go and your role is to be awake and aware long enough to chase them and entice them between your pages. Five years after breaking my pen, I was inspired to create a second character universe, THE 99.
I spent 10 years taking THE 99 from an idea in the back of a London cab to a comic book series, and eventually a global television series and a crossover with the Justice League of America. Then followed a theme park, numerous international awards and accolades and thousands of articles speaking to what I had created. I was being read again, including by many thousands of children all over the world.
That euphoric period was not to last. When, in 2011, much of the Arab world was rocked by a series of uprisings my writing went from being celebrated to being attacked. To quote a character from the Justice League canon: “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” I began receiving death threats, was subjected to police questioning and ultimately went on trial for blasphemy, a lawsuit that I eventually beat.
The irony is that my work was being celebrated in thousands of articles globally for showing the positive values of Islam and yet at home I was accused of insulting the religion. The contradiction led me to receiving the Islamic Economy Award for Media in the UAE while on trial for insulting Islam in Kuwait.
Then came the day when I sat down to write what I decided at the time would be my last work. This was on the cusp of two glaringly contradictory lists that I found myself on, which seemed to summarise my existence. The first was written for Forbes China by John Maeda, the former head of the Rhode Island School of Design, in which he names the seven most influential designers in the world. Steve Jobs was number one. I was number six. Then there was an article published with the list of the seven Arab intellectuals wanted dead by extremists. I was number three.
The widespread misperceptions meant I had to choose between protecting my family and my ideas. The situation was unfair but my choice was clear. I chose my family over my craft. I was almost certain that from that day onwards I would never write again. I would be an example of someone who was made an example of for challenging the status quo. I fell on my pen.
But the words never stopped. They couldn’t. The ink kept flowing but it flowed inwards not out. My literary exile was lonely, often intolerable. Once in a while I would craft a sarcastic and cryptic message on social media hoping it would resonate with the likeminded and fly over the heads of the intended. It was the only substitute to losing my mind. It was an ink-letting of sorts, a dialysis of words.
Now that the geopolitical landscape has changed, I decided to slowly remove the pen I fell on out of my heart and the ink from my wound slowly trickled down onto this page. I was recently in France to announce the launch of the second series of THE 99, the production of the third series and THE 99 video game. Today I can rest better knowing that I am heard. That I am read. There is no reason to retreat anymore.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Abu Dhabi Card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,400m
National selection: AF Mohanak
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 1,400m
National selection: Jayide Al Boraq
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 100,000 1,400m
National selection: Rocket Power
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh 180,000 1,600m
National selection: Ihtesham
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,600m
National selection: Noof KB
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 2.200m
National selection: EL Faust
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
Results
57kg quarter-finals
Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Hamed Al Matari (YEM) by points 3-0.
60kg quarter-finals
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) RSC round 2.
63.5kg quarter-finals
Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Shamlan A Othman (KUW) by points 3-0.
67kg quarter-finals
Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Ahmad Ondash (LBN) by points 2-1.
71kg quarter-finals
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) defeated Lalthasanga Lelhchhun (IND) by points 3-0.
Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Seyed Kaveh Safakhaneh (IRI) by points 3-0.
81kg quarter-finals
Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Ahmad Hilal (PLE) by points 3-0
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Company%20profile
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Scores
Day 2
New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227
New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
