ABU DHABI // Ramadan has always been a time to spend with loved ones and community – and a group of young Emiratis are determined to see that it stays that way.
They have launched Ela Jary, or “To my neighbour”, in which they will visit homes in Dubai with gifts and food in the true spirit of the holy month.
“Visiting neighbours is part of our religion and a tradition that most of us have forgotten,” said Khalifa Binhendi, 22, an entrepreneur.
“We are striving to bring it back through innovative and creative ways and to post it on social media pages during the holy month of Ramadan.”
Ela Jary was launched this month on social media, where well-known figures spoke of the importance of visiting during the season.
Sharing food is an old tradition that has started to fade away, Mr Binhendi said. “The UAE culture and especially our religion taught us to be kind to neighbours, especially by giving food to express love.”
The group will reach out to nationals and expatriates.
“This is part of the UAE’s culture and where our success came from, coexisting and welcoming others to be part of us,” said Aisha Harib, 26.
Ms Harib, a social entrepreneur, said that with the support of the public the group wanted to continue the initiative every Ramadan.
“This type of awareness is part of our culture, tradition and religion. In order to sustain it, we would be creating different creative initiatives every year for us to give out our awareness messages,” she said.
She said the rise in the use of technology had caused a “semi-separation between an individual and the circle he is in”.
“We used to visit our family, friends and neighbours more often, but now statistics we studied showed it has started to decline more and more,” said Ms Harib.
“People are more attached to social media devices. Hopefully we would be able to bring back this type of tradition through social media.”
It is important that the whole community get involved, said student Hessa Al Suboosi, 19.
“The youth, adults, government departments and companies – they will all interact with it,” she said.
Participants can record film or photographs of their visits and, with their hosts’ permission, spread them on social media.
“We brought together a creative group of individuals and formed a dedicated team for the initiative,” Mr Binhendi said. “We would like to thank this lovely team for making it a success.
“We would also like to thank Sheikh Saif bin Zayed and the Ministry of Interior for their support and encouragement.”
The idea was inspired after two social groups – Social Bandage and 1971 Team – merged.
1971 Team is a non-profit social group, whose name was derived from the year the UAE was created. The team gives back to the community and supports youth and creative talents.
Social Bandage is a social enterprise that takes part more in the social and medical fields in the UAE, and educational projects abroad.
The online campaign can be found via Twitter or Instagram @Ela_Jary.
aalkhoori@thenational.ae
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
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
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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
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
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
