Muslims across the UAE are ready to celebrate Ramadan amid a pandemic for a second year.
But while Covid-19 muted celebrations in 2020, this holy month brings hope of better times to come.
Iftars may be still be online, gatherings prohibited and marquees banned, but mosques can open and imams are ready to welcome worshippers in a safe and controlled way.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments has immunised 7,500 mosque staff, provided 1.5 million social distancing stickers to places of worship and sent out half a million bottles of sanitiser to keep people safe.
The global fight against Covid-19 has yet to be won, but hope is on the horizon thanks to safety measures and the swift distribution of vaccines.
As the holy month begins, The National spoke to UAE residents who are taking this time to reflect on the past year of their lives.
‘Covid is a wake-up call’
American-Palestinian resident Dalia Sufian, 36, lost both a family member and her job as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but she remains optimistic.
“I am looking forward to Ramadan,” she said. “It is generally a good month and a time to get closer to God. We were deeply affected by the death in our family and it will be difficult to spend Ramadan without him, but we did need this time to heal. I do believe that Covid is a wake-up call for all of us to reflect and get closer to God.”
‘Ramadan will be peaceful and quiet, which is what we need’
Emirati Fadya Omar is still optimistic even after her entire family of about 60 members contracted the coronavirus at a wedding ceremony in Al Ain.
“Ramadan is very spiritual and I really need to recharge,” she said.
“My entire family of 10 houses and around six members in each household got Covid, and I thought that I was safe. But my husband later got it through work.”
Ms Omar, her husband and her children were the only ones who had not attended the party.
“My son had no symptoms but had to quarantine alone in a room for 10 days, which is hard for any child,” she said.
The healthcare worker said the past year had been challenging, because of both Covid-19 and with distance learning.
“I was excited at first but now it is impossible to teach my children online and work. Distance learning was a disaster for me and my children,” she said.
“This year has been really hard with Covid and the workload at the hospital, so I am actually looking forward to Ramadan. It will be peaceful and quiet which is what we all need right now,” she said.
‘It will be such a huge difference’
The mother of a baby born a week before Ramadan last year said her joy will be tempered due to the pandemic disrupting travel plans.
Shahd Mardini, 28, gave birth on April 7 last year and will miss the usual iftars and suhoors at Ramadan tents, which were forbidden around the UAE to help contain the spread of the virus.
“I can’t say I am excited. I love going out and travelling and I have kids who I want to take out,” the Syrian citizen said.
“We usually spend Ramadan abroad, and now with coronavirus and everything being closed it will be difficult.”
She said it was bearable last Ramadan because she had just had a baby.
“It was also the beginning of the pandemic but now we are deep into this and it has been more than a year.
“Personally, I love family gatherings and all the iftars and suhoor, and taraweeh prayers at the mosque. I am really going to miss that this year. It will be such a huge difference,” Ms Mardini said.
The workers who keep the streets clean
The unsung heroes who keep our streets clean have also swung into action for Ramadan.
Tadweer – Abu Dhabi Centre for Waste Management has a 5,085-strong specialist team that includes supervisors, drivers, sweepers and cleaners. Tadweer teams are preparing to unload 161,862 waste containers daily throughout Ramadan using 211 hydraulic compactors.
The teams will work in residential, commercial and industrial areas, and at mosques, government offices, schools, government hospitals and clinics, construction sites of citizen housing projects, roads, streets, pavements and parks.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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GAC GS8 Specs
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Engine: Duel electric motors
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
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
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
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England Test squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Marseille 0
Atletico Madrid 3
Greizmann (21', 49'), Gabi (89')
Scoreline:
Manchester City 1
Jesus 4'
Brighton 0
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The years Ramadan fell in May
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
