Dear Ali: I just moved to the UAE. Are there any occasions that aren't celebrated here? Is it OK to celebrate my own religious festivals or New Year, for example? JM, Dubai
Dear JM: First of all, welcome to our beautiful country. I hope that you have a great start in your new home.
In the UAE, we have 200 nationalities living, working, practising their own faiths and celebrating their own national and personal occasions. So, yes, people do celebrate occasions such as New Year’s Eve, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Halloween and anniversaries, even though it’s not necessarily part of the UAE’s traditions. However, you can still find some Emiratis who may celebrate or attend and participate in parties, but most often they would only exchange greetings. In general, it’s not common.
Watching the fireworks display in Downtown Dubai near the Burj Khalifa during the New Year’s Eve celebrations, followed by the show at the Dubai Fountain, is one of the major attractions for visitors of Dubai and residents alike.
As you can tell, we may accept your invitation to join you for celebration of any of these occasions, but mainly because it is a good chance to get together and share moments of joy and excitement with you. And I hope you can experience our spirit of celebration on our big Eid days, such as Eid Al Adha and Eid Al Fitr, or this year’s UAE National Day.
Dear Ali: Emiratis have a lot of pride about being from their country, but do any Emiratis also hold foreign passports? AP, Abu Dhabi
Dear AP: National identity means much more to us than just having a passport. Every country has its own identity based on how history formed its nation and how generations have passed on their traditions. In terms of Emiratis, yes, we do have a strong sense of national identity, but the question is also “why?”
Wearing the national dress signifies the way that we identify ourselves as Emiratis. Even our language plays a great role when it comes to having an Emirati identity, but I think that, most of all, our patriotic traits reveal how much pride we have in our country.
We’re proud of our ancestors, who endured so much hardship but still managed to maintain our cultural heritage.
You might not find many Emiratis who hold a foreign passport, but they do exist. Besides passports, we also have identity cards for everyone who lives in the UAE, whether you’re an Emirati or an expatriate, which I believe is a good thing – it brings us closer together, like one big family, despite our differences in nationality.
Ali Al Saloom is a cultural adviser and public speaker from the UAE. Follow @AskAli on Twitter, and visit www.ask-ali.com to ask him a question.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Quick%20facts
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How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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US Industrial Market figures, Q1 2017
Vacancy Rate 5.4%
Markets With Positive Absorption 85.7 per cent
New Supply 55 million sq ft
New Supply to Inventory 0.4 per cent
Under Construction 198.2 million sq ft
(Source: Colliers)
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
India Test squad
Virat Kohli (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill
The Energy Research Centre
Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.
Results
2.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner Lamia, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner Jap Al Afreet, Elione Chaves, Irfan Ellahi.
3.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner MH Tawag, Bernardo Pinheiro, Elise Jeanne.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner Skygazer, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.30pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 1,700m
Winner AF Kal Noor, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
5pm Sharjah Marathon (PA) Dh70,000 2,700m
Winner RB Grynade, Bernardo Pinheiro, Eric Lemartinel.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.