Head to the Instagram Stories of Aqib Anwar on a Friday, and you’ll see a series of snapshots taken in the few moments after the jummah prayer: a close-up of a traditional red prayer mat held by a man wearing Wrangler jeans and contemporary, colourful crocs, or a father and son walking hand-in-hand from the mosque to their car against a rare, cloud-filled, blue-sky background. You’ll see intimate photos of worshippers with their heads bowed in prayer, enjoying moments of peace in spite of the scorching sun, images of the lucky ones who have found shady spots under the palm trees and those even luckier, who came earlier enough to find space inside.
Anwar, 32, was born and raised in Dubai, studied economics and worked in marketing before taking up photography as a hobby in 2015 and then becoming a full-time freelance photographer and videographer. Since 2018, capturing candid moments after Friday prayers has become a weekly hobby for Anwar.
“This was at a point where I had doubts about religion, I was finding my own way, and it was only Friday prayers that brought me back to my religion,” he tells The National. “I started going every week and was reminded of the beauty, simplicity and peace of Friday prayers that I experienced while growing up here.”
Anwar says that there are also lots of global misconceptions about Muslims and violence, and that he hopes these photos help to show the peaceful reality of the faith.
“There’s such a brotherly community feel to those moments after Friday prayer,” he says. “With the way the world is now, we don’t see that show of compassion towards strangers, and towards family, a lot, but every Friday I see it, whether it’s the dad hugging the son after prayer, or neighbours meeting, or relatives catching up ― there are always hugs, handshakes and smiles.”
Many of Anwar’s Friday prayer photographs are from Al Farooq Omar bin Al Khattab mosque, located in the heart of Jumeirah. They are captured directly after the prayer, and because of time constraints, Anwar says that he rarely has a chance to ask permission before each photo is taken. But he says he "would never take or post a picture of someone in any position that I wouldn’t want myself to be seen in”.
He compares this method of photography to shooting outside fashion weeks, such as those he travelled to in London and New York in 2017 and 2018.
“I don’t think I would have been able to capture these moments had I not experienced street-style photography,” he says. “It was such a rush, you don’t have time to shoot, you have to position yourself 10 seconds before something happens, and it really made me learn to think on my feet.”
Fashion after all, is Anwar’s forte when it comes to photography, with campaigns for brands such as Nike, Gucci, Adidas and regional perfume brand Ghawali under his belt. He is known in the creative scene for his cinematic aesthetic, and every project Anwar has photographed for the past five years was shot purely on his Canon 5D Mark IV. “One camera one lens,” he says.
He was also the photographer behind the lens of the now-viral photos taken of the recent Adidas x Ravi collaboration for Esquire magazine, where the Ravi founder and family were photographed in their home, along with the exclusive green and white Superstar trainers that sold out hours after launching.
The fashion industry is facing a surge in demand for more authentic representation, and Anwar believes that more brands should hire local photographers for their campaigns in order to do justice to this culture and city.
“There are still other photographers, western white foreigners, being flown out to document or take photographs or do campaigns here despite the fact that we have so much local talent,” Anwar says.
Instagram, as a platform, is invaluable for raising awareness and appreciation for Anwar’s work. “If there was no Instagram, I don’t think I’d be a photographer," he says.
To catch a glimpse of Anwar’s Friday prayer photo series, you’ll need to tune into his Story every Friday. He hasn’t made a highlight for them on his Instagram profile just yet, in the anticipation of using them for a project off-screen, later.
“I don’t know exactly what ― but if the opportunity comes, I might want to exhibit them, in a way that makes sense to all parties involved, or create a coffee-table book,” he says. “I’m documenting and saving them for something bigger.”
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
Scorecard
Scotland 220
K Coetzer 95, J Siddique 3-49, R Mustafa 3-35
UAE 224-3 in 43,5 overs
C Suri 67, B Hameed 63 not out
THE BIG THREE
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m
ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m
RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
