A Muslim convert believes his family in India are in danger because he changed religion.
Last year Abdullah Singh, 37, told his relatives he was converting from Sikhism. Since then, he says, his wife and two children have been receiving death threats.
He said he was disowned by his family and cut out of his inheritance.
Mr Singh is desperate to bring his wife, Rebecca, four-year-old son Ankosh and two-year-old daughter Hatel to the UAE but cannot because his salary is too low.
To qualify for family sponsorship a resident must earn a minimum of Dh4,000 a month. He earns Dh800.
“Returning to India is out of the question,” said Mr Singh, 37, who was known as Nidhan Mohinder Singh before his conversion.
He arrived in the UAE six months ago to work as an industrial painter and was already thinking of converting to Islam, having studied the religion back in India.
With the help of some fellow labourers, Abdullah made his conversion at the camp’s mosque.
When he told his family in Punjab, the repercussions began.
“My family was very upset with me,” Mr Singh said. “They said they cannot face society because one of them became a Muslim.
“They want me to go back as soon as possible to convert back to Sikhism.”
He said his wife, who was a Christian but had also converted to Islam, had been harassed and verbally abused by people in her village.
“When my wife goes out in the street they start pointing at her, ‘This is the Muslim’s wife’, and various types of bullying and slander,” Mr Singh said.
She eventually left her home and moved back to live with her family, only to come under pressure from them to divorce her husband.
Mr Singh sought help from the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department but UAE immigration laws do not allow low-income workers to sponsor their families.
He met his wife while Mr Singh was working as a bhangra dancer at a wedding.
“The first time I saw my husband in the street, he looked at me and I looked back and it was attraction from first sight,” said Mrs Singh, 26.
“I respect Muslim culture and since my husband made his decision to convert, I accept his religion too.
“Some Sikh and Hindu people are very cruel. They keep saying, ‘Your husband is a very foolish man.’ They even called me a prostitute.”
Mr Singh said he had doubts about Sikhism before he came to the UAE.
“I was not convinced of Sikhism. I used to go to the temple but never felt the peace of mind and soul,” he said.
He started going to Muslim gatherings while working in Delhi.
“I was impressed by their way of worship and lifestyle. It made sense to me. It was what I was searching for but did not find in my previous religion.”
Mr Singh started practising even before he officially converted.
“I used to fast the whole month of Ramadan,” he said. “I even reached a stage where whatever I asked from Allah I was granted.”
Now he is praying that someone offers him a job paying enough to let him move his family to the UAE.
hdajani@thenational.ae
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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.
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
ASHES FIXTURES
1st Test: Brisbane, Nov 23-27
2nd Test: Adelaide, Dec 2-6
3rd Test: Perth, Dec 14-18
4th Test: Melbourne, Dec 26-30
5th Test: Sydney, Jan 4-8
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Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)
Lazio v Napoli (9pm)
Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)
Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)
Torino v Bologna (6pm)
Verona v Genoa (9pm)
Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)
Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5