The Ali Story: No hard and fast rules for Ramadan



In this serialised feature, Ali Al Saloom shares his insightand experiences from growing up in the UAE.

When you're in a Muslim country and Ramadan arrives, things really change - you can feel it, it's tangible - but the most beautiful Ramadan for me was when I was overseas.

Having Ramadan overseas made me appreciate what I had in my own country and appreciate my religion even more. My religion has always been protecting me.

Over there, it was completely normal to see people eating and drinking during Ramadan, even holding hands and kissing; things I wouldn't normally experience here in the UAE.

The first time I was overseas for Ramadan was when I was studying at a university in Florida. When Ramadan started, there was no announcement, nothing to show it was Ramadan.

But I was really practising my religion proudly. I'd found a mosque in Orlando and there were lots of nice people who were going to it - American Muslims and Muslims from all over the world.

I made friends with them and that created a great community. Everyone got to know you and if I didn't go to that mosque, I'd be missed.

When Ramadan began, I was faced with two things: fasting and going to a school where most people were not fasting.

Most people were unaware I was even fasting. It's not a big deal. And of course, some would know from their other Muslim friends, and since they know I'm a Muslim so they would ask me whether or not I was fasting. You could tell your professors and they'd understand. Most teachers understood that, if you're Muslim, you'll fast, but it won't stop you attending school or anything. The thing is, you tell your friends and classmates and that's the end of it.

When you go overseas and nobody is watching you, only God will judge you if you don't fast or don't go to the mosque. But everyone who went to that mosque in America was fasting. Everything was normal because I was hanging out with the same group of people who all got together to break the fast and practise our religion.

The biggest difficulty I faced - and it's a bit sad - is I didn't have family or relatives around, and Ramadan is traditionally a time to spend with your family.

The thing that struck me is how beautiful the opportunity I had was and that it provided a great chance to reflect on things.

I met other Muslims who were more relaxed about how they follow their religion. Some were eating and drinking and going to clubs - it's their own call and I never had a problem with it. You're still a Muslim even if you're not practising it like everyone else.

Just because I was there alone didn't mean I didn't have the opportunity to practise my religion and celebrate Ramadan in the same way.

I'd always want to have someone to break fast with and I would always want to try to cook together whenever I could. If you cook together, it's a beautiful thing.

I had Christian friends who would attend, and it's always a good thing because it's a different view on religions and how it varies from place to place and person to person because it all depends on devotion.

When I came back to Abu Dhabi, my perception had changed big time. Whenever you travel, there are many things to learn but you also appreciate what you already have. When you see how your religion is practised overseas, you have a choice to compare how it is at home.

When I went back overseas to do my masters degree, it was to Waterloo in Canada. It was very international and there were a lot of Muslims.

The communities were lively and very different. It depended on the background of the people and who they were, the activities they did and the support they received.

But it was the same thing: if you stuck with the mosque, there was a community and everyone would fast during Ramadan and we would break the fast together. That element is nice to have.

Some years, it was amazing. We were all together during that period and everyone would take turns to cook. Every time I had the chance to cook, it meant there were people I had invited into my home.

To other people, having Ramadan overseas might be difficult. Some come back. I believe God is everywhere - not just in Islamic countries and not just in the UAE - whether you pray here or there.

When I was in America or Canada or anywhere else around the world, I didn't have the same opportunities I did here to practise my religion all the time. But I did have a mosque, where we would gather to discuss things and pray.

Ramadan is beautiful anywhere but it's different overseas.

I hope and wish that every Muslim will travel to places like Malaysia, India, China and Korea, or any place that has Muslims and see how they celebrate Ramadan and how they practise Islam.

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Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site

The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Chatham House Rule

A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding,  was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”. 

 

The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.  

 

The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events. 

 

Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.  

 

That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.  

 

This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.  

 

These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.  

 

Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.   

 
SCHEDULE

December 8: UAE v USA (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)

December 9: USA v Scotland (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)

December 11: UAE v Scotland (Sharjah Cricket Stadium)

December 12: UAE v USA (ICC Academy Oval 1)

December 14: USA v Scotland (ICC Academy Oval 1)

December 15: UAE v Scotland (ICC Academy Oval 1)

All matches start at 10am

 

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
MATCH INFO

Champions League quarter-final, first leg

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)

Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports

The specs

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Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5