Life begins at 40. Qatar, Bahrain, Bangladesh and of course the United Arab Emirates will be reflecting on this four decades on from their independence in 1971.
National fever is high. Just look at all the flags, malls stuffed with promotions, cars pasted with national emblems and newspapers filled with nostalgia and pride.
Patriotism is a necessary part of national culture to bring people together. But the machinery of state has a difficult path to tread - too little national pride means people won't care for the country, its improvement or long-term survival. Too much and there is a worry that patriotism turns into an unattractive, arrogant, jingoistic nationalism.
Newer nations tend to display higher levels of national pride, which is entirely expected.
In a 2006 survey by the University of Chicago, people were asked how proud they were of their countries in 10 areas - political influence, social security, the way their democracy works, economic success, science and technology, sports, arts and literature, military, history and fair treatment of all groups in society.
The US ranked highest overall. "Given that we're the one world superpower, it's not that surprising," said one of the researchers.
Venezuela, Ireland, South Africa and Australia ranked next.
Patriotism is mostly a New World concept, the researchers added. Former colonies and newer nations were more likely to rank high, while western European, East Asian and former socialist countries usually ranked near the middle or bottom.
There has been a resurgence of fierce national pride in the Middle Eastern countries currently in the throes of revolution.
Fighting to reclaim your nation from dictatorship is surely one of the most powerful ways to ignite a national pride that transcends class, age and politics. Egypt was the perfect example.
Western European nations struggle to find a middle ground between patriotic apathy and arrogance when it comes to national pride. This dichotomy should be a lesson for newer nations as something to avoid.
The UK's struggle is particularly acute. "Patriotism has become a dirty word to some and a nostalgic exercise for others," said a report this week by the UK think tank, Demos. It said it is necessary to reclaim national pride, its importance being it is a stronger motivator for social cohesion and improvement than altruism.
Politicians, it said, should stop meddling in trying to over-construct a sense of national pride.
Instead, "[Modern British] patriotism is founded in a profound, emotional connection to the everyday acts, manners and kindnesses that people see in themselves. Those who love their country most are shown to volunteer more and to trust their neighbours more than those who are either ambivalent or ashamed" of their country.
This truth extrapolates easily to other countries. Those looking to build national pride should encourage such gentle positive and constructive interactions between people.
This is especially so because national pride does not exclude the possibility of pride in oneself or one's community. In fact, one increases the other. For a country such as the UAE this is particularly significant.
Once this week's fervour comes to a close, the challenge of nation building - whether that be at the level of infrastructure, politics and governance or social cohesion - still needs to go on. This construction is still in its early stages because at 40, the UAE is very much in the formative years of its nationhood. If the saying is true, its life can now truly begin.
Shelina Zahra Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf and writes a blog at www.spirit21.co.uk
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
MATCH DETAILS
Barcelona 0
Slavia Prague 0
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Lecce v SPAL (6pm)
Bologna v Genoa (9pm)
Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)
Juventus v Brescia (6pm)
Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)
Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
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
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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