MUSCAT // Every year, Ramadan brings relief to hundreds of illegal foreign workers living rough on the streets of the Omani capital.
Mosques give them meals and shelter, and authorities who would normally arrest them observe an unofficial amnesty.
But this year, Ramadan’s spirit of compassion has been extended further, with all of the mosques in Muscat opening their doors to non-Muslims as well.
Homeless workers have been welcomed for free meals every evening throughout the holy month, regardless of their creed, nationality or religion, said Sheikh Said Mahmood, imam of Al Seeb mosque in the Seeb area of Muscat.
“This is the first time we have opened the doors of the mosques to allow people from different religions for iftar,” Sheikh Said said.
“Normally only Muslims are allowed in but this Ramadan anyone hungry is welcomed.
“Ramadan is the best month for them. They temporarily end their hand-to-mouth existence and mingle freely with everyone without the fear of being arrested.
“The mosques during the holy month of Ramadan are like sanctuaries to them. Some even sleep in the courtyards and use the toilet facilities. They disappear after Ramadan.”
The men sit side by side on mats in the mosque courtyards, eating food from local restaurants and paid for by people of the neighbourhood.
One of the donors is civil servant Nabil Al Darwish, 56, who said he and his neighbours came up with the idea.
“In the difficult time in which we live, we must share whatever we have got with people who are less fortunate than us,” Mr Al Darwish said.
“Difficult circumstances have made them homeless and it is our duty to do something about it at least once a year.”
Most of these homeless men are labourers or domestic workers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Africa, who have lost their jobs.
They stay on illegally in Oman, often unable to afford the air fare home, and sleep in parks and other public places.
Ramesh Chowdhary, an Indian Hindu, entered a mosque for the first time this Ramadan, sitting with Muslims to join in with the iftar.
He came with Rony Rodriguez, his friend and compatriot. Both men were brought along by their Muslim countrymen.
“I was nervous the first day of Ramadan to eat in a mosque because I know it is not allowed,” Mr Chowdary said. “But the imam assured us it was okay to be here and we can come the rest of the Ramadan month with no obligation.”
Omani police and inspectors from the labour ministry turn a blind eye to illegal workers during the holy month, giving them some reprieve until after the Eid holiday.
“It is a month of forgiveness and repentance,” labour inspector Rashid Al Ismaili said. “We don’t give them a hard time in Ramadan, whether they are Muslims or otherwise.
“But it is another story after the end of Ramadan. Then it is business as usual.”
The caterers have also joined in the spirit of Ramadan, making sure the homeless do not leave the mosques empty-handed after the iftar.
“We put all the food leftovers in parcels and ask the labourers to stand in a queue to collect them,” said Fazil Faisal, who works at Al Dosteen restaurant in Muscat. “The food has been paid for, why waste it?
“They take it with them and eat it in the night and even for breakfast the following morning.”
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
