It is easy to claim “I’m not racist.” But the hard work of tackling racism begins by asking ourselves difficult questions about whether we ourselves hold racist views and interrogating our smallest actions to see if we perpetuate them.
It is at once horrifying and easy to see the blatant racism and dehumanisation inflicted on George Floyd, the 46-year-old, unarmed African-American whose death at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis caused international outrage. The case of George Floyd has once again reminded us how racism is pervasive and can be both insidious and fatal.
One of the first Arab leaders to speak out against racism this week, the UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, said: "Combating racism is a duty of the state and the family".
As the ripple effects from the murder of George Floyd in the US and the Black Lives Matter protests spread around the world, the minister made his statement in a tweet accompanying a video of Palestinian film director and actor Maryam Abu Khaled, a black woman. The video describing the casual racism that black people face, perpetuated in ways that people don’t even realise. Examples she used included parents telling their children not to play outdoors for too long or they will “get sunburnt and start looking like Maryam” or explaining black people’s skin colour as being “left in the oven.”
Such comments are not trivial. Nor should they be dismissed as jokes that can be passed off as a bit of fun. They are all too common and leave long-lasting damage on people. They affect people's self-esteem, their value in society and their sense of humanity. When it comes to colour and race, what we consider beautiful or not is a manifestation of our own ideas that are often informed by deep-rooted racism.
The way we talk about people's colour is not a trivial matter. It is telling of who we are and shows us everything we need to know about who is considered human and valuable
Society can often equate being born white or fair with being better looking, which is then mistaken again to denote a better person, more valuable, more human.
Even today, in many societies to be darker or black is often equated with ugliness, lacking in worth, less human. This is the reality of people’s lived experiences. These ideas are pervasive and have caused much harm.
If we have even just listened and kept quiet while others have spread these ideas – let alone if we ourselves have spoken like this – then we are not blameless. We have sided with those who discriminate.
The world’s most famous skin-lightening cream is called “Fair & Lovely”. The global market for such products was estimated at over $4 billion in 2017 and is set to grow to nearly $9 billion by 2024.
The hypocrisy of claiming to be against racism while promoting these products was called out recently when Bollywood stars posting their support for Black Lives Matter were confronted with the fact that they also advertise skin-lightening products.
One cannot talk about beauty standards without considering how racism dehumanises people. We need to start talking about beauty in terms of a range that varies from the palest to the darkest.
If we don't, then saying we treat all people equally regardless of their racial backgrounds and their looks has no meaning.
White-skinned people must see themselves as just one inflection point on this range, as should dark-skinned people.
The way we talk about people’s colour is not a trivial matter. It is telling of who we are and shows us everything we need to know about who is considered human, who is valuable, and what we uphold as an ideal. Our notions of beauty must be inclusive and honour all colours of humanity. Otherwise we are racist, no matter how much we claim we are not.
Shelina Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf and Generation M: Young Muslims Changing the World
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
Dunki
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Race%20card
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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ON%20TRACK
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Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
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
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)
Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14
Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)
Perera 47; Sohail 2-18
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
