ABU DHABI // Young people must be able to distinguish righteous religious leaders as those who call for peaceful tolerance, not destruction and bloodshed, Egypt’s minister of religious endowments said on Wednesday.
Dr Mohammed Gomaa listed issues that need to be clarified for youth to protect society from radicalism as he spoke at the first of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Ramadan majlis series in Abu Dhabi.
Young people must be told that the Islamic political system is pragmatic and does not have to follow the structure founded in the early Islamic era, that Prophet Mohammed’s message calls for mercy to all humanity and not just Muslims, and that only the state has the right to declare war, not political parties and organisations.
Some governments have mistakenly answered the question of how to protect youth from radicalism by enforcing religiousness into their societies, without educating on the fundamentals of Islam, Dr Gomaa said.
Humans are drawn to religion by nature, so if a young person with no knowledge of Islam’s teachings was told to do something in the name of the religion, he was “easy prey”, the minister said.
Youth could be protected from radicalism if it was explained to them that Islam prohibited the killing of others, that religion could not be forced upon people, and that no one should be killed for not believing, said Dr Gomaa.
He cited an example when Prophet Mohammed saw that a woman from an enemy’s army had been killed in the battlefield.
“He denounced it and asked, ‘Who killed her?’ He told them she was not there to fight, even though she was with the enemy’s army, and killing of others was permissible only as a reaction to an attack,” Dr Gomaa said.
He stressed that the flow of radicalism should be cut by stopping unqualified individuals from preaching about religion.
“The radicalism we experienced was the result of opening the field for everyone,” he said.
Religious institutions should promote spiritual devotion and patriotism to one’s country side by side, he said, and that extremists had no sense of loyalty to their homeland, so nothing stopped them from destroying it.
“They are only loyal to the political party or the organisation they belong to,” said Dr Gomaa.
People should be aware that some groups are practising “political religiousness”, pretending and appearing to be devoted Muslims, but whose actions are contrary to Islam, he said. Using this method they seize power.
But establishing a proper Islamic state is not about naming its leader a caliph and following the same system followed in the early Islamic era, but about enforcing justice, Dr Gomaa said.
He gave an example of the first Abbasid caliph, who was nicknamed “the slayer” for murdering many Umayyads.
“So the issue is not about titles – if this were so, all presidents could have called themselves ‘caliph’, end of story,” he said. “Name yourself whatever you like. Islam did not place a fixed single system and say you have to follow it.”
Answering a question on the role of social media in fighting extremism, Dr Gomaa said it could have an important role, but people needed to be careful to take knowledge only from scholars.
“As they say, do not learn science from a journalist, and do not learn the Quran from a ‘mushafey’ – someone who taught himself the Quran by himself [without proper knowledge].”
Dr Gomaa also thanked the UAE for its support to Egypt, and said this was expected from the sons of Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father of the UAE, with his legacy of generosity and kindness.
The iftar banquet for the lecture was attended by US secretary of state John Kerry, who arrived in the capital on Wednesday for meetings on Syria, Libya, Yemen and efforts to counter ISIL.
Sheikhs, government and religious officials, diplomats and other guests also attended.
hdajani@thenational.ae
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Need to know
The flights: Flydubai flies from Dubai to Kilimanjaro airport via Dar es Salaam from Dh1,619 return including taxes. The trip takes 8 hours.
The trek: Make sure that whatever tour company you select to climb Kilimanjaro, that it is a reputable one. The way to climb successfully would be with experienced guides and porters, from a company committed to quality, safety and an ethical approach to the mountain and its staff. Sonia Nazareth booked a VIP package through Safari Africa. The tour works out to $4,775 (Dh17,538) per person, based on a 4-person booking scheme, for 9 nights on the mountain (including one night before and after the trek at Arusha). The price includes all meals, a head guide, an assistant guide for every 2 trekkers, porters to carry the luggage, a cook and kitchen staff, a dining and mess tent, a sleeping tent set up for 2 persons, a chemical toilet and park entrance fees. The tiny ration of heated water provided for our bath in our makeshift private bathroom stall was the greatest luxury. A standard package, also based on a 4-person booking, works out to $3,050 (Dh11,202) per person.
When to go: You can climb Kili at any time of year, but the best months to ascend are January-February and September-October. Also good are July and August, if you’re tolerant of the colder weather that winter brings.
Do not underestimate the importance of kit. Even if you’re travelling at a relatively pleasant time, be geared up for the cold and the rain.
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
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"
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
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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
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Specs
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Scorebox
Sharjah Wanderers 20-25 Dubai Tigers (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries Gormley, Penalty
Cons Flaherty
Pens Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons Caldwell 2
Pens Caldwell, Cross
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
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Transmission: eight-speed auto
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
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Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
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