Images of the state funeral of Samuel Paty, a schoolteacher murdered in a Paris suburb in a terrorist attack last October, showed France's steadfast commitment to its core values of freedom of speech and secularism. Paty's killing is one in a string of similarly brutal attacks to hit the country in recent years. His death also hurried President Emmanuel Macron's push to agree a new charter between the state and religious leaders from the country's Muslim community advocating "enlightened" practice of the religion in France.
The document, signed on Saturday, addresses foreign infiltration of extremist and political Islamist ideology, asserts gender equality, rejects the concept of apostasy and emphasises the protection of minority groups against hatred falsely justified in the name of religion. From now on, all of France's Muslim preachers will have to agree to these requirements.
Defining a national brand of Islam is unprecedented in the history of Europe, which has traditionally avoided attempts to shape the manner in which Muslims interpret the spiritual tenets of their faith.
There are other social issues to address if Mr Macron truly wants to weaken extremism in the country
State involvement in regulating doctrine does not, as some claim, necessarily go against the value of religious freedom. Enlightenment and tolerance are already promoted within most of the global Muslim community and in much of Islam's history. Rather than constituting state overreach, empowering religious tolerance will realise the unique role faith can play in building a better society.
Constructive co-operation between government and religious leaders is common in many Islamic societies. The UAE, for example, is building the Abrahamic House for Human fraternity which aims at being a beacon for understanding and peaceful coexistence. UAE initiatives led to Pope Francis and Ahmad Al Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar University signing the Document of Human Fraternity.
The historic moment in Abu Dhabi showed that doctrinal clarity on issues of peaceful coexistence is an important part of combatting extremism. In France, however, there are other social issues to address if authorities truly want to weaken extremism in the country.
The conditions in which some of the nation's poorest citizens and migrants, many of them Muslim, live are dangerously conducive to radicalisation. Poverty, crime and lack of opportunity are rife in the huge housing estates of the more disadvantaged French suburbs. In such desperate conditions, extremist viewpoints are often sold by malicious actors as the only way to bring meaning and structure to people's lives.
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Resolving ideological and social challenges will not only reduce the rising threat posed by terrorism in France, and perhaps elsewhere in Europe. It will also take momentum away from growing nationalist and often xenophobic extremism, which is just as dangerous as its fanatical and militant Islamist counterpart. Europe's leaders must address this ideology with equal determination, or risk appearing as though they are singling out extremism only within the Muslim community.
It is not anti-religion to promote tolerance. But in a continent that has never before forayed so far into the issue of combatting terrorist ideology, dialogue between communities, in good faith, must be the guiding principle.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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.
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Arrogate's winning run
1. Maiden Special Weight, Santa Anita Park, June 5, 2016
2. Allowance Optional Claiming, Santa Anita Park, June 24, 2016
3. Allowance Optional Claiming, Del Mar, August 4, 2016
4. Travers Stakes, Saratoga, August 27, 2016
5. Breeders' Cup Classic, Santa Anita Park, November 5, 2016
6. Pegasus World Cup, Gulfstream Park, January 28, 2017
7. Dubai World Cup, Meydan Racecourse, March 25, 2017
England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
