ABU DHABI // Globalisation and local fragmentation are placing tremendous pressure on the UAE's indigenous character and national identity, requiring a concerted federal strategy to prevent the erosion of the culture, a prominent academic has warned Emirati leaders and intellectuals in a frank discussion of the issue.
In one of the longest public meetings to be held by the Federal National Council, Prof Abdul Khaleq Abdullah, professor of political science at UAE University, Al Ain, warned that the Emirati identity faces tremendous pressures both from within the UAE and outside of it. He highlighted increasing tendencies towards globalism and the damage caused by individual emirates acting in their own interests at the expense of the federation.
Another speaker contributing to the often heated discussion said it was not even clear what the Emirati identity was supposed to be.
Some of the country's foremost intellectuals and political and social scientists were among more than 200 people - also including legislators, government officials, teachers and students - attending the meeting on Tuesday night.
It was convened by the FNC's seven-member education, youth, media and culture committee in response to the decision by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, to declare 2008 the year of national identity.
"Our national identity is facing a tsunami of dangers from the inside and the outside," said Prof Abdullah.
"We should look at two challenges to the national identity; they are of our making. Moving towards the local rather than the federal and the move toward globalism in the last five to 10 years."
Prof Abdullah said that 38 years after the creation of the federation, national identity was going through its most difficult stages, "trapped between the local and the global".
"It digs deep and pushes a lot of us to be fearful and anxious about our future," he said.
The gathering at the FNC building in Abu Dhabi was called to debate the Ministry of Culture's role in building identity. The committee is expected to hold several more private meetings before presenting the Government with its findings and recommendations.
Chaired by the council's only female member, Dr Amal al Qubaisi, the discussion was seen as an important element of the exercise,intended to generate feedback from the public, officials and experts on the means of preserving the nation's social and cultural identity.
Prof Abdullah made clear that despite threats of cultural erosion, that identity resembled "an eternal river that has one source and one mouth".
However, the river had "some tributaries that we should prevent from expanding".
Some speakers felt that the debate was clouded by confusion. "For nine months we have been hearing about the national identity. Nobody has told us what is the national identity," said Wejdan al Mutairi, a student at Zayed University.
"Is it the Emirati dialect? Is the Emirati national dress? Can we keep up with globalisation and be Emiratis? There is no one to answer these questions."
Yousef al Hassan, director of the Emirates Institute of Diplomacy, pointed out that some countries adopted cultural symbols that were not truly indigenous. Brazil's ties to football and dance was a classic example, he said.
For Prof Abdullah, however, identity rested on a sense belonging and loyalty to the federation that he said should be part of the mindset of every citizen.
"When we say national identity we're talking about the homeland - with its history, institutions, government - permeating consciousness, the feelings and the minds of its sons and daughters," he said. "The essence of national identity is when the homeland is part of the human."
Once the FNC committee produces its report, officials from the Ministry of Culture are expected to take part in a full council meeting which is likely to be held later this year or early in 2009.
Describing the challenge facing the committee, and the decision to engage the public in the debate, Dr Qubaisi said: "The intention is to stress the importance of combining the efforts of the whole spectrum of society to preserve the national identity, taking as the starting point from the leadership's belief that he who has no identity does not exists."
mhabboush@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
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The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
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- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
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strategies
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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