With reference to your opinion piece Jesus of Arabia's lessons in tolerance have much to teach us today (December 24), as a resident of the UAE, I feel very lucky to live in an environment where people of all races and religious backgrounds can interact, live and work together, creating bonds of long-lasting friendship.
Little symbols of interfaith tolerance can be observed here. In the huge malls of this country, once the Muslim celebrations of Ramadan and Eid are over, equally festive decorations for Christmas and New Year go up everywhere, just as they do for the Hindu festival of Diwali.
Once the break for adhan (the Muslim call to prayer, five times a day) is over, hotels and shops resume playing Christmas carols and songs celebrating the current season.
In the beautiful parks, beaches and marinas here, I have been among audience members at countless music festivals and notice everyone sings along to traditional Arabic tunes, modern international popular music and Christmas songs with equal enthusiasm.
Tolerance, mutual respect, co-existence and peaceful co-operation are key values of UAE society that we, as residents, can all feel, live and observe, no matter what faith we belong to.
However, as a Muslim, I do sadly notice the surprise that first-time visitors to the Middle East express on observing all the above.
Their image of Muslim societies and the Middle East, shaped by international news reports about violence, extremism and religious intolerance, is very different when they first arrive here and then fortunately undergoes a transformation after experiencing life in the UAE.
Faraz Waqar, Dubai
From hero to zero: film scripts aren’t what they used to be
Regarding your story Shah Rukh Khan's Zero leaves us with many unanswered questions (December 22), every hero and heroine goes through a transition. Success never sticks around for too long.
It was Salman Khan who first started the slide and shed light on how stars decline when scripts are below par.
Then Aamir Khan delivered the movie Thugs of Hindostan, touted as the most-awaited film in Bollywood with the casting of two legends. It didn't click. In fact, Khan went so far as to admit it wasn't up to the mark.
And so, with the inauspiciously titled Zero, we have the last instalment of star power gone awry.
It had to come. This malaise – related to poor scripting – is not confined to Bollywood. Hollywood is also spewing out poor remakes and equally bad stories.
Cinematic classiness belonged to the 1960s and 1970s, when filmmakers produced gems that showed their brilliance and had an extraordinary quality to them that moviegoers knew were destined for longevity.
The offerings of today will never withstand the vicissitudes of time, despite technological advances, high salaries and top class special effects that embellish cinema today.
AR Modak, Johannesburg
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Engine: 6.5-litre V12
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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
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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.
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
