ABU DHABI // An Afghan expatriate and his cricket loving friends in Mussaffah have started stitching a 5km-long UAE flag, which they claim will be the longest ever made in silk cloth.
“I always wanted to do something to show my gratitude to this beautiful country and its great leadership,” said Ibrahim Saeed, 26, from the Khost province in Afghanistan.
“Hence this idea came in my mind, and I shared it with my friends. Everyone not only encouraged me, but also helped me in whatever way they could.”
Mr Saeed said the flag would be 5,000 metres long and 1.5 metres wide, and he hoped to have it ready for National Day – only one month away.
The project will use 20,000 metres of silk cloth in the four colours of the flag. It has taken Mr Saeed about four months in preparations – including collecting donations – to start the project.
Mr Saeed said: “We are seeking permission from the authorities to allow us to hang this magnificent flag across the Corniche road in Abu Dhabi on National Day. We sincerely hope our dream comes true.
“The whole project will cost about Dh100,000. I contributed about Dh65,000 of my own savings and the rest of the money was collected via donations. Regardless of financial constraints, whoever heard about the project came forward and contributed. I am thankful to all of them for supporting me,” said Mr Saeed, who works as a sales representative in Mussaffah.
“Almost all who are supporting the cause are basically cricket friends. We all play cricket together in Mussaffah. Today, the UAE flag has given us another reason to come closer.”
The 25 volunteers helping Mr Saeed are mainly expatriate workers who live and work in Mussaffah. “My volunteer team consists of blue collar workers to office managers. And there are several students who are also participating.”
Mr Saeed and his team are working on the flag in a warehouse every day from 6pm onwards. “During the day, all of us are busy in our routine work. Hence we are using our evenings to complete the task.”
He hopes more people will join the project: “I am receiving lots of messages from people who wish to be part of this project. I am welcoming everyone as it will help us to meet the deadline.”
However, for Mr Saeed the only challenge to make this dream a reality was the lack of sewing machines. “I have only two sewing machines. I need at least another three to finish the work on time,” he said.
Ahmed Khan was one of the volunteers. “It is such an honour to be part of this project. Everyone in the group is so enthusiastic that it seems like we will finish before time,” said the 18-year-old student who was born and brought up in UAE.
Pakistani Raaz Mohammed, who is also Mr Saeed’s roommate, said he was using this opportunity to express his feelings for the country.
“It may sound romantic but the fact is without working in the UAE we would not have been able to provide a quality life to our families back home. We feel proud to be part of a historical project. May Allah always keep the UAE flag highest in the sky,” the 30-year-old pharmacist said.
Mohammed Arshad, a tailor at Flower Nabila Tailoring shop in Muroor Road, said that stitching such a big flag was an ambitious job that would take many days.
“It is not an easy task, especially for those who are not expert in stitching. One needs to stitch lots of cloth pieces together carefully. Stitching is not just about operating a sewing machine, it also includes neat cutting and flawless finishing,” said the 30-year-old Pakistani, who has 18 years of tailoring experience. Mr Arshad said an expert tailor could stitch at least 100 metres of cloth in an hour if it was only straight stitching. However, more time would be required for cutting and finishing. “If the person does not know the stitching skills professionally then he is going to make many mistakes and take more time to redo the job again and again,” he said.
akhaishgi@thenational.ae