Last year after writing We have our own heroes, we don’t need other people’s in The National I received an e-mail from a director in the Watani programme that began: “Dear Dr Sultan”. I must admit that I thought it was a nice compliment, but the thought stopped there and I promptly emailed him back, thanked him and pointed out that I do not have a PhD. Read more »
The National
It’s About Time For the Gulf to Have its Own Special Envoy
Around the Arab world, it is just known as the Obama speech. You don’t need to mention in which venue or country it took place. People just know. Arabs and Muslims who have generally been ruled by autocrats have heard the US president Barack Obama speak directly to them twice in a period of six months. Mr. Obama first addressed us in the Turkish Parliament this spring and then at Cairo University this summer. Twice is two times more than Arab leaders have addressed their own people in many instances. Read more »
Sharjah’s Steady Pace Is Showing Its Strength
Depending on what time of day it is and in which direction you are traveling, a journey from Dubai to its sister Emirate, Sharjah, can take anywhere between 20 minutes and two hours. Sharjah, whose name means “easterly” or “shiny” and has a population of 800,000, is sometimes unfairly referred to by some expatriates in the UAE as “the bedroom of Dubai” since tens of thousands of residents, nationals and expatriates alike, commute daily to their place of work in Dubai from Sharjah. Read more »
The Arab League: This Moribund Body Needs A New Home in the UAE
Predating the United Nations, the European Union, Asean and almost every other regional body is an institution based in Cairo known as the Arab League. Read more »
We didn’t start the fire but we can help to put it out
Barely a month goes by without news of another fire in Sharjah’s industrial area consuming a warehouse or more. In response, the Arabic blogosphere has been united in expressing two concerns: first, over the safety of the civil defence workers and employees of companies affected by the fires, and second, over why there have been so many fires in Sharjah to start with. Read more »
Art’s Powerful Message for the Merchants of Death
This spring the UAE is hosting arguably the most prestigious art event in the Middle East. The 9th Sharjah Art Biennial features scores of artists from around the world as well as theatrical performances and a celebration of Jerusalem as the Unesco Arab Capital of Culture. But what does that have to do with what is usually a socio-political column? Quite a lot, in fact. Read more »