TRUNGTUM // An Indonesian maid is beheaded in Saudi Arabia. When a second one is on death row, strangers at home rally to her cause and raise tens of thousands of dollars.
She not only escapes the sword but is now rich. And hated.
Darsem binti Dawud Tawar, 22, shot to fame earlier this year in Indonesia after spending more than three years in a Saudi prison accused of killing a man who allegedly tried to rape her.
But when she safely returned to her small fishing village, the public tide swiftly turned against her.
She is accused of living in luxury, building a fancy house along the dusty track that passes for Main Street, throwing around cash and draping herself in jewels.
"She acts like a bling-bling celebrity now," said Siti Patonah, a 32-year-old vendor, scrubbing apples and watermelons at a market.
The execution in June of a 53-year-old grandmother, Ruyati binti Satubim, sparked mass protests in Indonesia and prompted the government's first effort to do more to protect the 1.2 million women who flock to Saudi Arabia every year. It recalled its ambassador from Riyadh and last month barred workers from going to the kingdom.
But Ms Darsem's case has stolen the show, sparking fierce debate in the world's most populous Muslim nation about whether she should donate her windfall.
Some Indonesian lawmakers fret that the public may not be as likely to give next time around, even if a life is at stake.
Life has been anything but easy for Ms Darsem. She dropped out of school before finishing and moved to Jakarta so she could help support her family.
By 15, she was married and pregnant and months later she went to the Middle East, first Oman, then the UAE and finally Saudi Arabia, as she had seen many other young women do before her.
"My husband didn't have a job, my father was getting old, I thought it was our best chance," Ms Darsem said from the living room of her parent's two-room house, aqua-blue paint chipping off the walls.
She refuses to talk about what happened next, saying she wants to put it behind her.
But Saudi media reports say she killed her employer's relative, a man who was mentally ill, with a hammer to the head after he attacked her. She then threw his body in an empty water tank and covered it with concrete.
Ms Darsem spent three-and-a-half years in a Saudi jail but it was not until the beheading of Ruyati, also accused of murdering an abusive boss, that her luck turned.
Newspapers and activists on Facebook and Twitter championed her cause. The government quickly scraped together the US$500,000 (Dh1.8 million) demanded by the family of her victim for her release.
The public also chipped in and when she finally came home a TV station handed her $140,000 from its viewers. That is a fortune in this nation of 240 million, where many people make less than $200 a month. In Trungtum, a coastal town 180 kilometres from Jakarta, Ms Darsem may as well be a millionaire.
She said everyone has a suggestion as to how she should spend the money, and they all have their hands out. "But why should I give them anything? They did nothing to help my family when I was gone," she said of her neighbours.
Asked why she does not help with the legal fees of 23 Indonesians still on death row in Saudi Arabia - the most popular suggestion on Twitter and in newspaper opinion pages - the round-faced girl with dark, slow-blinking eyes looks incredulous.
"I didn't even know those women," said Ms Darsem. "There were dozens in my cell all the time. They were always coming and going. But really, who are they to me?"
Despite the rumours, Ms Darsem is hardly living large. The $10,000 (Dh37,000) house she is building 50 metres from her parents' home is not much bigger or more extravagant than any of her neighbours' properties and her future plans are modest: some land to grow rice, a new, wooden fishing boat for her dad and a sewing machine to open a tailor's shop.
She also intends to get "a good education for my son".
The local TV station that collected the money on Ms Darsem's behalf has taken much of the heat.
Many viewers thought they were saving the girl from the executioner's sword but the government insisted it was responsible for the "blood money" demanded by the victim's family.
So the station decided to give it to Ms Darsem. Standing awkwardly beside her as she accepted the cash was Een Nuraini, the daughter of the woman who was beheaded.
"I don't know why they even invited me," said Ms Nuraini, 35, who lives in Sukatani, a small village a few hours from Trungtum.
"But when Darsem promised on live TV to share some of the money, I hoped to be able to use it to send my mother's parents to Mecca for the Haj pilgrimage."
Several weeks later, Ms Darsem presented Ms Nuraini with an envelope containing $2,000. It was nowhere near enough for her grandparents' trip.
"I don't think she understands," said Ms Nuraini, her eyes welling with tears from beneath her dark grey headscarf.
"The only reason she got all this attention - not just the money but also help from the government - was because of my mother."
Ms Nuraini said no one has supported her family - neither the government, nor the public.
Asked what she would do with Ms Darsem's money, she said: "I gave it all to the mosque and orphanage in my mum's name. That's what she would have wanted."
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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."
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
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
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
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Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
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
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THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Automatic
Power: 530bhp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh535,000
On sale: Now
Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
