Faisal Al Yafai's carefully worded article (Hatred of the hijab is part of a broader anger against women, May 18) seems somewhat skewed.
Firstly, the man on the flight asked the lady to “undress her head”, rather than completely undress. This distinction is probably the prime reason why the court did not find the request to be a sexual assault.
Few cultures in the world would deem the forced revealing of the head to constitute sexual assault. Even the Quran does not specify the head as sexual, and only requires a woman to dress modestly to avoid harassment.
And although women covering their head is most commonly associated these days with Islam, it has been common among all Abrahamic religions, including Christian nuns today.
But the real tragedy of this article is suggesting it is men desperately trying to stop poor helpless women from wanting to wear their hijabs, when in fact laws have been created to enforce the wearing of head covering in some countries.
The recent arrests of Iranian women who posed on Instagram with their heads uncovered are just one example. A woman should have the right to dress however she feels appropriate.
Name withheld by request
This seems like an incredibly basic view of the issue. Wearing a hijab in no way removes a woman from the pressures of fashion and peer review.
It seems this article was written more about the wearing of a niqab or an abaya. Just because a woman wears a hijab doesn’t mean she doesn’t wear jeans, a blouse and make-up.
Ela Jayne, Abu Dhabi
This dreadful attack on a Muslim woman is, unfortunately, another example of fitting an isolated incident to a destructive global narrative – that the West is out to vilify Muslims everywhere.
My mother was raised as a Catholic and wore a veil at church and whenever she went out of the house. Nobody ever attacked her and she certainly wasn’t singled out as being “different”. Many women in the 1960s in the West wore a headscarf.
What we are seeing here is an example of when a society’s norms and values become misaligned or unlinked.
Very subtle anti-Islamic messages are being broadcast every day via conservative TV channels and websites that portray Islam as a religion of violence. The aim is to isolate its adherents.
Iconography runs deep in humans so the hijab has become a symbol of the fear experienced by many in the West of the ultimate intentions of Islam.
Let that stupid ignorant man be punished, but let’s not allow him to drive us further into the dark labyrinth.
Name withheld by request
Age bias stops me from contributing
Having read your article, Drive for workplace equality in the UAE an ongoing battle (May 15), I would very much like to be working in the UAE in the education sector and believe I have much to offer.
Unfortunately I’m disqualified solely by age. I’m Australian and often get asked to consider positions in the UAE but sadly I have to inform the recruiters I am over 60 years of age.
For the past 30 years, I have ignored my age and concentrated on my abilities. Today I am super fit and healthy and believe I should not be judged on assumptions or age prejudices.
In Australia, a huge percentage of our teachers and principals are over 60 and still very devoted to the job.
Catherine Blackmore, Australia
Commuting ‘is therapeutic’
With regard to the advice column, Workplace Doctor: Commute from Abu Dhabi to Dubai or relocate? (May 17), the upside to living in Abu Dhabi and commuting to Dubai is you are going against the flow of traffic, the bulk of which goes in the other direction.
I’ve been doing it for three years now and I have no plans to move. I think Abu Dhabi is much more family friendly and has a more laid-back lifestyle, which my wife and I love.
I actually find the drive somewhat therapeutic – in the afternoons, it helps me unwind from work. For now, I’ll keep commuting.
Steve O'Brien, Abu Dhabi
I have been doing this commute for eight years because I didn’t want to uproot my family from Abu Dhabi.
I would say try it for a school year before you decide whether to move. You will know halfway through how it is working out and you can plan for the following school year accordingly.
What we did was move off the island, which makes my commute shorter. Now it’s just part of my routine.
Deirdre Stewart, Abu Dhabi
Francesco Totti's bio
Born September 27, 1976
Position Attacking midifelder
Clubs played for (1) - Roma
Total seasons 24
First season 1992/93
Last season 2016/17
Appearances 786
Goals 307
Titles (5) - Serie A 1; Italian Cup 2; Italian Supercup 2
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
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
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SupplyVan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2029%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MRO%20and%20e-commerce%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
