Mujeeb Rahman demonstrates a fighting stance during his class at the Kodokan Martial Arts Club in Ajman.
Mujeeb Rahman demonstrates a fighting stance during his class at the Kodokan Martial Arts Club in Ajman.

Indian kung fu master brings training to the UAE



DUBAI // Mujeeb Rahman is quiet, short and thin, and seems a man at peace with the world.

He doesn't look like a kung fu master with more than 25 years of experience.

Video:Kung fu master Mujeeb Rahman

Master Mujeeb Rahman shows us a signature kung fu move.

Yet Mr Rahman has trained officers at the Malabar Special Police in India and studied kung fu with Shaolin monks in Zhengzhou, China.

At 165cm tall and weighing 58kg, he walks with a confident gait and a smile on his face.

"True martial arts are about restraint," says Mr Rahman, 39, from Kerala.

He says Mixed Martial Arts and the Ultimate Fighting Championship send out the wrong message.

"They encourage people to use their skills to go on the attack and fight, where kung fu is really about protecting yourself.

"Just by blocking an attacker's kicks and punches in the proper way you inflict pain, delivering a message that you also can hurt them but without inflicting maximum damage."

A hajji, having undertaken the pilgrimage to Mecca, Mr Rahman is a pious man who performs his prayers five times every day on time.

He is also a sifu, the Chinese term for master. Sifu Mujeeb, as he is called by his students, has never been in a street fight in the time he has been practising martial arts. He saves his fighting moves for training and tournaments.

A member of the Binladin family, who has been studying kung fu under Mr Rahman, says he remembers the first time he met the master.

"When I started with Mujeeb, the first thing he told me was that he wouldn't train me if I wanted to go out and fight," says Mr Binladin, who preferred not to give his first name.

"I learned that kung fu is about physical fitness, mental control and self-defence. It's not about going out and beating people up."

Mr Rahman began his martial arts training at the age of 13, encouraged by his father. His father had been trained in kalaripayattu, one of the oldest fighting systems in the world, developed in Kerala.

"Martial arts actually originated in India around 5,000 years ago and kung fu 2,000 years ago there as well," Mr Rahman says.

"The Bodhidharma [a Buddhist monk] took kung fu to China 2,000 years ago, where Shaolin monks developed it.

"That's why kung fu is thought to be of Chinese origin but in reality it originated in India."

Mr Rahman trained in kalaripayattu for three years, then karate for a year before moving on to kung fu.

By the time he was 24 he had earned his black belt in kung fu. At that time he moved to Saudi Arabia to be with his father, who was working as an ambulance driver.

The young Mr Rahman found immediate success, winning a tournament held by the Asian Martial Arts Federation.

Soon after he was approached by the KTG sports club in Jeddah to teach kung fu. He remained in Saudi Arabia for 10 years before moving to Dubai, where he has continued to teach kung fu in Dubai, Ajman and Umm Al Qaiwain.

On Thursday nights, he is in Ajman at the Kodokan Martial Arts and Fitness Club.

His students travel from all over the UAE to train with him, wherever he may be.

Alawi Al Safi has been practising kung fu since Mr Rahman's arrival in the Emirates.

"Sifu Mujeeb teaches us kung fu and through it he teaches us to spread peace around people," Mr Al Safi, 24, says.

"We use kung fu to spread peace and defend ourselves from bad people. It's a spiritual sport that teaches you about yourself and how to treat people."

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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

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Intercontinental Cup

Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19

Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27

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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.

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

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    Always check the weather forecast before setting off Make sure you have plenty of water Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon Wear appropriate clothing and footwear Take your litter home with you
Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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
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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India

Director: Sharat Katariya

Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav

3.5/5

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

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Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery 

Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges 

Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic 

Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks 

Ep5: Travel and tourism 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Running your losers

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PROFILE OF SWVL

Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450 employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani