Between the tombs of Ottoman envoys and rows of war graves, memorials in Berlin’s Turkish cemetery pay tribute to the powerful Arab mafia families who made a fortune in Germany after fleeing civil war in Lebanon in the 1970s.
The funeral of two brothers, whose deaths in a car accident in 2015 sparked fears of a battle for control over the city’s prostitution and drugs trade, attracted such large numbers that police were forced to close the road because of the parked limousines.
The graves of Aziz and Ahmad Aref – known as the godfathers of the underworld – appear at the centre of a map of sites associated with the city’s notorious clans drawn up by bloggers seeking, with a strong hint of irony, to show their “pop cultural, tourism potential”.
Police efforts to clamp down on the illegal activities of the gangs have captured the German public’s imagination, with near-weekly raids, court cases and heists inspiring new levels of popular interest in the already notorious crime families.
Middle East-dominated gangs were responsible for a crime every eight hours in Berlin in 2020 and the violent nature of clan crime has become entangled in the fierce debate about the integration of migrants in Germany.
The map features the grave of Nidal Rabih, a reputed gangland enforcer who spent more than a decade in prison before he was gunned down by a rival clan in a park at the age of 36, in front of his family.
His funeral in Schoeneberg was attended by thousands of people from around the country, including the heads of Berlin’s most notorious clans. In the days after the hit on the Lebanese-born Palestinian, police stood guard as municipal workers in the Berlin district of Neukoelln – a crowded maze of streets thronging with Arab-owned businesses – washed away a mural near the scene depicting him as an extremist fighter.
About one in five of Neukoelln’s residents are of Middle Eastern origin. Long considered home turf for Berlin’s Arab gangs, it is gentrifying rapidly, with trendy coffee shops and fashion outlets catering for an influx of hipsters seeking cheaper rent and authentic falafel.
Two worlds collide on Sonnenallee, known as Berlin’s Arab Street, where sports cars with blacked-out windows lurk in the side streets behind shawarma joints. Organic supermarkets compete for space with Arab-owned jewellers.
The grime and faded grandeur of Neukoelln has provided the backdrop for television producers who are keen to move away from the tropes of Berlin as a place of Cold War intrigue or 1920s glamour, trying instead to tap into surging interest in Berlin’s criminal underground.
Four Blocks, a drama telling the story of a fictional Lebanese crime family, was a runaway success when it debuted in 2017 and won praise from critics for its gritty and realistic portrayal of the German capital's underbelly.
Shot on location in Neukoelln, the series was inspired by real events. The second series depicts a feud between the clan and a Chechen rival gang, echoing a real-life rivalry that has often spilled over into violence in recent years and has become a major concern for police.
In November last year, a mass brawl involving dozens of members of the Remmo clan and a Chechen rival group set off a wave of clashes and reprisals. Witnesses saw the gangsters fighting with knives, furniture and hookah pipes outside a local shop in Neukoelln. Police in February carried out extensive raids in response to the violence.
High-profile court cases have revealed some of the sprawling business interests of clan associates, and the map offers visitors to Berlin a chance to sample the gangster lifestyle.
On the edge of the upmarket neighbourhood of Wilmersdorf sits Brando’s, a hookah cafe frequented by rappers with allegedly close ties to the gangs, and it is believed to be connected to the Remmo clan.
With its spotless streets and grand, imperial-era subway stations, Wilmersdorf is far removed from the Neukoelln neighbourhoods usually associated with gangs. Luxury car dealerships, prisons and restaurants owned or frequented by clan members all appear as stops on a tour of Berlin’s gangland that now covers the length and breadth of the city.
In another sign that clan activity has expanded well beyond Neukoelln’s borders, local media have reported that an increasing number of businesses are the targets of clan extortion rackets.
Many smaller businesses around the city, including florists, hairdressers and hostels – not the types of businesses typically attracting gang attention – have been asked to pay protection money or suffer the consequences.
Few convictions are made on the basis of reported threats, however, and the authorities are concerned that the problem is much larger than official figures show.
Berlin’s Arab crime families are notorious for leading public lives.
The head of the notorious Remmo clan, Issa Remmo, was said to live in an imposing neoclassical villa on a tree-lined avenue of Alt-Buckow, an exclusive suburb.
In April last year, hundreds of clan members and associates gathered outside the villa in defiance of coronavirus restrictions to show their support for the clan boss after the death of his mother.
In a city dominated by large Soviet-era apartment blocks, detached houses such as the stately pile of the Remmo clan are rare.
Now belonging to the state of Berlin, it has long been a symbol of the family’s power, suitable for a man whose family maintains a very visible public profile despite attracting the attention of the authorities.
Berlin's crime families appear regularly in the country's tabloid press, which relays every turn of the police crackdown on their activities to a fascinated public. The starring role Berlin's Arab clans play in the Netflix hit Dogs of Berlin underlines their ascendancy in German pop culture.
Only the second German-language series to be commissioned by the streaming giant, the show follows police investigating the death of a fictional Turkish-German footballer in another tale with close similarities to reality.
The two detectives probe a Lebanese clan, a neo-Nazi group, Turkish nationalists and football fans in a sweeping journey through the German capital’s criminal underworld.
Its popularity shows that the German public’s appetite for gangsters is not waning, even while the police try to stamp out their influence.
Jawan
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
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."
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
SPIDER-MAN%3A%20ACROSS%20THE%20SPIDER-VERSE
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
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