Muath Edriss, a Syrian musician and a migrant under temporary protection in the US, played music and sang Arabic songs at the White House two months ago during a reception marking Arab-American Heritage Month.
He sang The Star-Spangled Banner – the US national anthem – translating the lyrics into Arabic. He says he is the first to have done it.
“It was a beautiful and amazing experience,” Mr Edriss tells the National.
He also composes his own music and plays the oud, the six-string instrument popular in the Levant. It is marked by its ability to play quarter tones, a unique characteristic of Arabic music.
“When we play oud, we hold the instrument and it's very close to the heart,” he says. “You speak with your instrument and sometimes it expresses what you want to say but can’t say.
“I'm very lucky to play this instrument.”
Like many Syrians displaced due to the civil war in their homeland, Mr Edriss has been living in limbo for more than a decade – and he sees little way out.
While on a trip to the US to visit his sister in Virginia, Mr Edriss received an email saying that his work contract in the Gulf would not be renewed. With the war raging back home, he had no choice but to stay.
“There was no place for me to go – I couldn’t go back to Syria, because things were crazy, and I couldn’t go back to the Gulf, because I had no job,” he said.
Soon after that, he applied for Temporary Protection Status, a US programme that allows people to stay in the country if they are from nations deemed unsafe to return to because of war, natural disasters or other crises.
It allows those who qualify to work and be exempt from deportation.
The US has been renewing TPS designation for Syrians every 18 months since March 2012, citing the ongoing civil war, the large-scale destruction and the mass displacement of civilians. About 7,000 Syrians hold TPS status.
The current designation runs through March 2024.
Roughly 670,000 people from 16 countries are registered for TPS in the US, or are eligible for it, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The list of countries includes Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Sudan.
But TPS recipients are not eligible for permanent residency or US citizenship unless an employer sponsors them or they marry American citizens.
In addition, TPS holders are only allowed to travel out of the country with prior authorisation, called advanced parole, a cumbersome process.
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden, a Democrat who pledged to modernise the nation’s immigration system and be more welcoming towards migrants, asked Congress to pass legislation that would make TPS recipients eligible for permanent residency.
But that effort has stalled amid deep partisan divisions over immigration.
TPS holders’ legal standing is further complicated by delays in processing. In May last year, Mr Edriss applied to renew his status, but his new credentials have not yet been issued, meaning he cannot travel out of the country.
Born and raised in a musical family, Mr Edriss sings and plays classical Arabic songs as well as modern ones at cultural events, concerts and private parties, mostly in Washington, Maryland and in Virginia.
“I breathe through music. The thing is, I started working in a telecoms company and I was doing great, but I wasn't happy,” he says of his decision to quit his job and do music full time soon after he arrived in the US.
But not being able to travel freely has meant that Mr Edriss has had to forgo performing at concerts and other events abroad. Recently he had to say no to an opportunity to perform in Canada.
“It's a big hassle for us – we're musicians, we're like birds, we travel, we migrate,” he said.
Mr Edriss feels that he currently has few options to secure permanent status in the US amid the unlikelihood of the Syrian civil war ending any time soon.
“I think we deserve better treatment, whether we like it or not. We have become a part of this nation and a good part,” he says.
“The Syrian crisis is 11 years old now, and it has to stop somehow, some way.
“I wish that this mayhem will end soon, inshallah.”
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More on animal trafficking
The five pillars of Islam
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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
Arctic Monkeys
Tranquillity Base Hotel Casino (Domino)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
RESULT
Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)
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
More on Quran memorisation:
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Scotland's team:
15-Sean Maitland, 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Nick Grigg, 12-Sam Johnson, 11-Byron McGuigan, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ali Price, 8-Magnus Bradbury, 7-Hamish Watson, 6-Sam Skinner, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Ben Toolis, 3-Willem Nel, 2-Stuart McInally (captain), 1-Allan Dell
Replacements: 16-Fraser Brown, 17-Gordon Reid, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Jonny Gray, 20-Josh Strauss, 21-Greig Laidlaw, 22-Adam Hastings, 23-Chris Harris
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The years Ramadan fell in May
MATCH INFO
Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)
Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no
Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)
Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9
Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Naga
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Scores
Rajasthan Royals 160-8 (20 ov)
Kolkata Knight Riders 163-3 (18.5 ov)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
How to book
Call DHA on 800342
Once you are registered, you will receive a confirmation text message
Present the SMS and your Emirates ID at the centre
DHA medical personnel will take a nasal swab
Check results within 48 hours on the DHA app under ‘Lab Results’ and then ‘Patient Services’
