From martial arts to military training, Emirati schools pupils have proven they are the nation’s hope and future, according to Hussain Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, and Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs.
The ministers made the comments during a visit to the National Service Training Centre in Al Ain on Monday to thank pupils who took part in a military training summer camp.
"Emirati youth has today become a representation of will and determination, and have taken the lead in defending their nation and sacrificing their lives to preserve its accomplishments," they said.
The volunteer summer session for school pupils — launched by the National and Reserve Service Authority — was organised “with a vision to build generations that could be pivotal for the present and the future”, said Mr Al Hammadi.
Ms Al Mazrui said there has been great demand from the youth and older citizens to participate in National Service since the law was issued in 2014 by President Sheikh Khalifa.
The law requires every Emirati man aged between 18 and 30 to sign up for military service.
The landmark legislation was first announced in January 2014 and was fast-tracked through the FNC by March.
In 2016 the legal term for conscripts with high secondary school degrees was extended to 12 months from nine.
Ms Al Mazrui said enthusiasm for serving the country is particularly evident in men over 30 years of age and women who are not obliged to enlist but have rushed to join the voluntary programme nonetheless.
“This is a testimony to their patriotism and the desire to serve the country.”
The National and Reserve Service Authority programme keeps pupils occupied in their spare time and teaches them Emirati values of discipline, giving, co-operation and serving the nation, state news agency Wam said.
Some emiratis that have completed national service believe it has helped them to secure a job or scholarship.
Earlier this year, the National Ambulance service this it is targetting national service graduates to work as paramedics, with a nine-month training course leading to a career as a firs responder. At present, fewer than 1 per cent of ambulance service personnel are Emirati.
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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