AJMAN // The lorry attack on Nice in July that claimed 86 lives provoked much debate in France and beyond about Islam in the west but it was also the catalyst for one Emirati to embark on an educational journey.
The terrorist incident and the subsequent questions about Muslims in Europe prompted amateur cyclist Rashed Al Yafai to take his bike and go on a pedal-powered 500km tour of France and Belgium in an attempt to dispel myths surrounding his religion.
The 40-year-old and two European friends whom he met via Facebook - one from Belgium and the other from France - embarked on a tour last month that took them through Brussels, Revin and Rue de Bertinquesmes, while also visiting 67 villages in three days.
“I’ve been an amateur cyclist for eight years and through cycling, I know these two guys,” said Mr Al Yafai, who is a director at Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority.
“My relationship with them is formal as we only contact through WhatsApp or Skype to talk about bicycles and spare parts.
“After the terrorist attacks in Europe, especially the one in Nice, we were talking on WhatsApp and their way was a little bit critical, they asked me, ‘why you Muslims do this to us? Why do you hate us?’.
“It was my duty as a Muslim to explain to them that those behind these attacks are not Muslims. I told them, ‘these are extremist groups that do not belong to Islam’.
“I gave them the example of the UAE, an Islamic country that spreads charity costing millions of dirhams to Muslim and non-Muslim communities.”
Three days later, the two Europeans, who live in France and Belgium respectively, contacted Mr Al Yafai, who is from Abu Dhabi, and asked if he wanted to do a cycling tour in Europe.
“I liked the idea, so I decided to go there holding with me Islam’s message and being the ambassador of my homeland abroad,” he said.
“They loved the idea of visiting villages in Europe and telling people the real meaning of Islam and we started planning for it.”
After a month of intensive training, Mr Al Yafai was ready to begin.
“We tried as much as we could to pass by a large number of villages and we chose villages, not cities, because people in cities are always busy,” he said.
“I took with me the UAE flag and printed it on my suit along with the logo of the union and wore a UAE flag scarf too. This was a way to attract people and get them to stop us for a discussion. “Some people were looking at me and moving on. Others were stopping us and asking, ‘Where are you from? From which cycling team? What are you doing here?’
“My friends were talking to them in English or French on behalf of me and telling them, ‘he is our friend from the UAE’. And they kept asking, ‘where is the UAE?’ because most of them do not know the UAE, they just know Dubai.
“Through this we started opening up a conversation about the UAE and Islam, which is a religion of love and peace.”
The Europeans he spoke to were satisfied with what he had to say, said Mr Al Yafai. “They had acceptance of what we told them, with a smile and satisfaction. Some of them promised me that they would spread the message they got,” he said.
Mr Al Yafai also bonded well with his two cycling partners and he has now invited them to the UAE to get a true flavour of Emirati culture.
roueiti@thenational.ae
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs
Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo
Gearbox: 7-speed automatic
Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km
Price: Dh235,000
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Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
