Dear Ali: I work for a bank and my contract stipulates I work from 8am to 5pm, but we are asked to work until 9 or 10pm. We were also told that if we do not sign up a new client every day, Dh50 will be docked from our pay. From a cultural point of view, how should I address this unfairness? SA, Dubai
Dear SA: Did you try to speaking with your HR department? I suggest clarifying that these terms are not what you agreed to in your contract. If they insist, then you may report them to the Ministry of Labour, although I would use that as a last resort.
Unfortunately, some companies exploit their staff, which is not ethical or acceptable in our culture, and our Government encourages employees to speak up if they feel they are being treated unfairly. Try talking politely to your manager or employer and I'm sure they will sort it out fairly.
Another approach might be to talk to an Emirati supervisor and try to explain that such treatment detracts from your experience in the UAE. An unhealthy working environment could give a company, or even the country, a negative reputation. I'm sure this would motivate both Emirati and other managers, too, who wish to promote both the business and the Emirates. If long hours are still required, try asking for additional pay when working beyond the hours stipulated in your contract. It's only fair.
Dear Ali: Hearing the call to prayer every day has made me curious about the Holy Quran. I have read parts of an English translation but find it very difficult to understand. Is there anywhere in Abu Dhabi for expats to learn about the Holy Quran in English, even if they don't wish to convert? TS, Abu Dhabi
Dear TS: I applaud you for your interest in wanting to explore our faith and religion. Learning about the teachings of the Holy Quran will certainly help you understand us Muslims and make your stay here more valuable.
You are a fine example of an expat who is eager to understand Islam even if you don't wish to convert. Contact the Abu Dhabi Islamic Centre at 02 631 2211 for classes in "interpretation", which run on Fridays. Good luck and all the best.
Dear Ali: Arab men often use their father's name as their own surname. Do women also do that? Does a married woman take her husband's first name or surname as her surname? LT, Abu Dhabi
Dear LT: Arab men and women always keep their "last names", which are their tribal name, before and after they get married.
My full name is Ali Abdulkarim Ali Salim Alsaloom. First is my own name. Second is my father's name. Third is my grandfather's name. Fourth is my great grandfather's name. And fifth is my tribe's name, or "surname".
Typically, because many Khaleeji men have popular names such as Mohammed, Ahmed, Sultan and so on, we tend to use the first name, second name and the tribal name all together to avoid confusion.
As for women, it is not common in our culture for a woman to change her surname to her husband's. We place great value on a woman's family and heritage, therefore women are not officially required to change their names.
Visit Ask Ali for past columns by Ali Alsaloom.
Language lesson
Arabic: Mayseer
English: This cannot be
The phrase "Mayseer" can be used in different situations. For example, if you feel someone is being unfair to you, or you just heard something that is incorrect or unbelievable, you can say, "Hadha mayseer", which means "This cannot be" or "This can't happen". It indicates unfair behaviour as well as information that might be incorrect. The opposite is "Yeseer", which means "It can be" or "It can happen".
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
RACE CARD AND SELECTIONS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
The National selections
5pm: RB Hot Spot
5.30pm: Dahess D’Arabie
6pm: Taamol
6.30pm: Rmmas
7pm: RB Seqondtonone
7.30pm: AF Mouthirah
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
MEYDAN CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group One (PA) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm Dubai Trophy Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
The National selections:
6.30pm AF Alwajel
7.05pm Ekhtiyaar
7.40pm First View
8.15pm Benbatl
8.50pm Zakouski
9.25pm: Kimbear
10pm: Chasing Dreams
10.35pm: Good Fortune
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The 15 players selected
Muzzamil Afridi, Rahman Gul, Rizwan Haider (Dezo Devils); Shahbaz Ahmed, Suneth Sampath (Glory Gladiators); Waqas Gohar, Jamshaid Butt, Shadab Ahamed (Ganga Fighters); Ali Abid, Ayaz Butt, Ghulam Farid, JD Mahesh Kumara (Hiranni Heros); Inam Faried, Mausif Khan, Ashok Kumar (Texas Titans
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
TICKETS
For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.