A couple of weeks ago, during a short visit to London, I walked past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. I paused to look at a long line of bouquets placed by passers-by on the edge of the square, in tribute to those killed a few days earlier during the one-man terrorist attack on Westminster in which a policeman was stabbed to death and several pedestrians, three of whom were killed, had been mown down by the fanatic as he drove his car across Westminster Bridge.
As with last week's attack in Stockholm and another last July in the French city of Nice, quite apart from Sunday’s horrific attacks in Egypt, it was a reminder that the threats posed by terrorism are no longer confined to organised assaults with weapons or the hijacking of planes. A vehicle driven by a fanatic can also wreak havoc, killing and injuring innocent people going about their everyday business.
In each incident, as with the earlier terrorist attacks in Paris, the perpetrators were individuals who had been born or had spent much time in the countries concerned. Some were Muslim by heritage, though the man who carried out the London attack was not. All of them had been radicalised in Europe, through the internet, through mosques or in prison. Several had records as petty criminals. Western governments now recognise that the threat posed by adherents of the perverse and distorted interpretation of Islam represented by ISIL and Al Qaeda is not confined to those who may arrive in their countries with the specific intention of carrying out terrorist attacks but extends deep into their own multicultural societies.
Tackling that threat is not – and can never be – simply a matter of taking the relevant security precautions. However effective they may be, they can never identify every individual who may have become radicalised without an easily detectable footprint on the internet or a public profile through speeches or taking part in demonstrations. Hence the results we have now seen.
Nor can the response be effective if the whole of the Muslim communities in these countries are, unfairly, viewed with suspicion – not least because it is only through such communities that the alleged justification for such terrorism can be effectively countered.
Instead, while security precautions are, of course, necessary, there is an urgent need for a more wide-ranging campaign to counter violent extremism in western societies that reaches out into the educational system, into the prisons and into the Muslim communities, to support and empower those voices who challenge and effectively demolish the arguments of those who promote extremist views. That will take time and patience.
The work to counter the siren calls of those described by the late Sheikh Zayed as “apostates and criminals …. slaughtering children and the innocents” requires a long-term strategy not just of warfare and security procedures, however necessary they may be, but also of education and of the proper teaching of Islam, both in the Muslim world and beyond.
What lessons, I wonder, do we have to offer from the UAE?
Is there scope for learning from the work that has been done by organisations such as Hedayah, such as the training of imams in Afghanistan, so that they are more aware of the role that women are rightly called upon to play in Muslim communities?
Over the past few years, our educational curriculum has been undergoing revision to ensure that Islam is taught properly, without any undercurrent of fundamentalist views. Is any of that applicable in, for example, Birmingham, Brussels or Stockholm?
From our involvement with the Council of Muslim Elders, are there ideas and approaches of relevance not just to Muslim majority countries but also to those where Muslims are in a minority?
The threat is one which, in various forms, we all face. It is one we need to tackle together.
Peter Hellyer is a consultant specialising in the UAE’s history and culture
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
SWEET%20TOOTH
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Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Kandahar%20
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Results
6.30pm: Madjani Stakes Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m, Winner: RB Frynchh Dude, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Mnasek, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Grand Dubai, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m, Winner: Meqdam, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Thegreatcollection, Pat Cosgrave, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Sanad Libya, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Madkhal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
ODI FIXTURE SCHEDULE
First ODI, October 22
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Second ODI, October 25
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Third ODI, October 29
Venue TBC
