DUBAI // Nasser Abu Rub's infant daughter will never know her father. The popular Dubai teacher died in a car accident as he drove to school this week.
But his students at Al Mawakeb School in Al Barsha are determined to give his 20-month-old daughter, Leen, an insight into the teacher they describe as a great man.
They plan to write the toddler a letter that she will be able to read when she grows up.
"We want to let her know how much he loved her and talked about her. We want her to know what a great man her father was," said Raya al Ashi, 17, one of his students.
Mr Abu Rub's family, students and colleagues have been left devastated by his death and the letter is just one of many gestures being made in his memory.
Raya described the moment the news was broken to students. "We were told that morning that Mr Nasser was sick and wouldn't be able to make it in. It was very hard for us to believe because he never misses a class and is never late," she said.
"We saw that some teachers were crying and we were baffled as to why and suspected that maybe someone got fired. It never crossed our minds that someone had passed."
Raya said the senior students from grades 10, 11 and 12 were then gathered in the school hall where the principal broke the news. "She is a strong woman but we knew something terrible must have happened because her voice started to tremble as she announced that we had lost a member of our family."
Raya said there were screams of denial inside the hall. "No one could believe it. I couldn't take it in and was in shock. Many thought they misheard what was said. Others were in denial shouting, 'No, it's not true'.
"It hit me 10 minutes later when I saw the reaction of everyone crying around me. I cried my eyes out. God could never take someone so good so soon. He was only 29 and had a 20-month-old daughter which he always talked to us about and showed us pictures of."
Mr Abu Rub was also a talented volleyball player who regularly challenged his students on the school court. "We are seeking to get the permission to write his name and notes about him on the school's volleyball court wall so that he will be remembered forever," Raya said.
The teacher inspired students, and colleagues respected his dedication and appreciated his warm character. Raya said: "He was popular with everybody. He reached out to every student in his own way. He would not leave the class until he made sure everyone understood the lesson. He even gave some students who were weak in Arabic private lessons without charge."
The body of Mr Abu Rub was flown back for burial to his home in Jenin, in the Palestinian territories.
The teacher moved to Dubai with his family in 2007 when he joined the school that summer. Police said his vehicle was involved in a collision with a bus that was transporting workers, and it is still not known which vehicle ran a red light.
"The accident is still being investigated. The bus driver claims that the light was green when he crossed but that hasn't been determined yet," a traffic police spokesman said.
The impact of the accident was so severe that the car rooftop was ripped off and Mr Abu Rub died on the spot, police said. Mr Abu Rub was a devout Muslim, and efforts are under way to raise funds towards realising one of his dreams, said Raya. "We are raising money towards building a mosque in his name in Indonesia because that was one of his wishes. It's the least we can give," she said.
Messages of support are being posted online. One entry reads: "People called him our best teacher, others called him our father, brother and friend." It continues: "I found Arabic classes boring my entire life until he started teaching us. His passion and spirit for teaching were an insight. This made his class an inspiration for each and every one of us."
Written on one posted picture of the teacher posing with his students are the words: "The respectful man who left us but brought us all together."
One student, Hind Al Faris, wrote: "RIP Mr Nasser. I miss you." Another, Lynn Merhi, wrote: "I still feel like he is gonna walk into our class any moment. I cannot believe he is gone!"
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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SPECS
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RESULTS
5pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Purebred Arabian Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup Conditions (PA) Dh 200,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Cup Listed (TB) Dh 380,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Boerhan, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
6.30pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Group 3 (PA) Dh 500,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan National Day Jewel Crown Group 1 (PA) Dh 5,000,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Messi, Pat Dobbs, Timo Keersmaekers
7.30pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival Handicap (PA) Dh 150,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
8pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The specs: Aston Martin DB11 V8 vs Ferrari GTC4Lusso T
Price, base: Dh840,000; Dh120,000
Engine: 4.0L V8 twin-turbo; 3.9L V8 turbo
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; seven-speed automatic
Power: 509hp @ 6,000rpm; 601hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 695Nm @ 2,000rpm; 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.9L / 100km; 11.6L / 100km
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Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
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Company%20Profile
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MATCH DETAILS
Chelsea 4
Jorginho (4 pen, 71 pen), Azpilicueta (63), James (74)
Ajax 4
Abraham (2 og), Promes (20). Kepa (35 og), van de Beek (55)