It has been a Ramadan of challenges and despair, of that there is no doubt. As roads melt in the summer heat and plants wilt, people have undergone the challenge of no food and water for spiritual benefit. But it has been the despair that’s been harder to bear. Watching the pounding of Gaza, as the death toll rises day by day, and the bodies of children mount.
I watch the news, read the papers and engage on social media with trauma and a heart that each days feels it cannot bear any more of the horrific imagery and stories. Tucking my daughter into bed brings up the stories of parents carrying dead babies in plastic bags, of children with their heads dismembered, of mothers buried in the rubble with their babies. It is more than the human heart can bear.
I’m not surprised that in the run up to Eid the mood is sombre. So much so that there are an increasing number of people who say we should be downplaying Eid because of all the terrible things happening around the world, in particular in Gaza. How can we celebrate, they say, when our brothers and sisters are being bombed to a pulp night and day?
With the greatest respect to those suffering, for the rest of us outside of war-zones, to call for Eid to be cancelled is to be an Eid grinch.
I believe it’s important that we celebrate this twice-yearly occasion. Eid is not superficial, commercial “fun”, which means it is superfluous and therefore dispensable. To think so is to misunderstand the purpose of this wonderful celebration.
To say it is unimportant and belittles suffering and shows we have no heart (apparently) is to ascribe the same meaning to eid as some suggest others give to Christmas – when they celebrate it as a commercial occasion stripped of spiritual values. But it is only if you see eid as having no meaning that you can belittle its importance.
Eid is a moment of rejuvenation and fresh starts; a time to do things in a better way. If anything, the current horrific events should spur us in the same direction – that things need to be re-energised and approached in a fresh way. The togetherness Eid brings builds up community relationships and unifies voices through the shared experiences of fun and love.
This is crucial if we want to approach political and humanitarian challenges with strength of numbers and a united passion. And human beings need to be uplifted – the human heart can find joy even in the most terrible of situations, and this aspiration for justice, freedom and joy should be periodically revisited so we can remember what we are striving for. Eid should never be cancelled.
I admit, though, that sometimes I teeter on the edge of being an Eid grinch.
The complications of moon sighting are guaranteed to make my blood pressure rise. I’m exasperated at how people seem so eager to celebrate eid when clearly no moon has been sighted, and in my outraged opinion – and that of astronomical calculations – a moon-sighting was impossible. Once I’ve got over that angst, I’m overtaken by the challenge of celebrating eid two or even three times across the extended family. I love a good party but by day three, my party shoes are worn out and my party smile needs replacing.
But this year, I’m determined that celebrating is important for my own rejuvenation, and for building togetherness. So I’m going to avoid being an eid grinch, and so should you.
Shelina Zahra Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf and blogs at www.spirit21.co.uk
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Naga
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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
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
RESULTS
2.30pm Jaguar I-Pace – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt)
1,600m
Winner Namrood, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
(trainer)
3.05pm Land Rover Defender – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D)
1,400m
Winner Shadzadi, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
3.40pm Jaguar F-Type – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner Tahdeed, Fernando Jara, Nicholas Bachalard
4.15pm New Range Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
4.50pm Land Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner Autumn Pride, Bernardo Pinheiro, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm Al Tayer Motor – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 T) 1,000m
Winner Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm Jaguar F-Pace SVR – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner Scabbard, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Fixtures
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FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.