Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (R) meets US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, surrounded by Arafat's aides and bodyguards and members of Jackson's delegation after their meeting on July 29, 2002 in Arafat's besieged headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Getty Images
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (R) meets US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, surrounded by Arafat's aides and bodyguards and members of Jackson's delegation after their meeting on July 29, 2002 in Arafat's besieged headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Getty Images
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (R) meets US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, surrounded by Arafat's aides and bodyguards and members of Jackson's delegation after their meeting on July 29, 2002 in Arafat's besieged headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Getty Images
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (R) meets US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, surrounded by Arafat's aides and bodyguards and members of Jackson's delegation after their meeting on July 29, 2002 in


Jesse Jackson taught me why I should stick with the Democratic Party, despite its failures


  • English
  • Arabic

September 06, 2023

When I attend next month’s meeting of the Democratic National Committee, part of the US Democratic party, it will mark my 30th year as a member of that body. As an Arab American and one of the longest serving DNC members, I have a story to tell.

Because I’ve been there so long, some may take my presence for granted. And because I’ve been a vocal critic of the party’s spending priorities and lack of budget transparency, others wonder why I remain. But because I came on board the hard way and have continued over the years to face repeated challenges, I have learnt to never take anything for granted and the importance of staying the course.

In the early 1980s, as Arab Americans began to organise themselves, some viewed our engagement in politics as a threat and placed impediments in the way of our involvement. As a result of the pressures they experienced, some candidates returned our contributions, rejected our endorsements, or removed members of our community from their staff. It was a painful period of exclusion.

When Jesse Jackson ran for US president in 1984 and welcomed Arab Americans into his campaign, the community enthusiastically responded. Shortly after the campaign, we launched our project to build on this experience by registering and mobilising Arab American voters and supporting Arab American candidates. We created Arab American Democratic and Republican clubs in 20 cities across the US.

After failing in many attempts to secure a meeting with the Democratic Party leadership, a meeting was finally set up with a mid-level staff person. He had a simple but direct message for us: “The reason we won’t be publicly acknowledging your clubs or meeting with you is because doing so would alienate another group that is far more important to us.”

In 1988, we again rode the Jackson train, electing over 80 Arab American delegates to the national convention and, representing Mr Jackson, I was able to mount the convention podium to introduce the first-ever debate on Palestinian rights. At convention’s end, Mr Jackson was given the right to name eight at-large members to the DNC – I was one of them.

Before it became public, a party leader asked me to refuse this appointment warning that Republicans would have me in their crosshairs from day one. And if the Democrats lost in 1988, my community and I might receive some of the blame for the defeat. It was a painful decision to make, but when I agreed to stand down, incoming party chair Ron Brown told me that he would make it up to me and the community.

When he took over as chair, he called me from his office to tell me that he wanted me to be his first meeting – to send the message that the party’s door was open to Arab Americans. A few months later, he came to an Arab American Institute event – the first Democratic Party chair to do so – despite threats from some donors that if he “even enters the room with the Arabs” they would withhold their contributions. And towards the end of his term, when a DNC vacancy opened up, he appointed me to fill it.

The Democratic Party, like its Republican counterpart, needs reform

I have now been a member of that body for 30 years. For 16 of those years, I served on the executive committee. For 11 of them I served as chair of the resolutions committee. I also served on the party’s unity/reform commission and, for many years, as one of the chairs of the ethnic council, which represents 19 European and Mediterranean ethnic communities.

Over the years, I have learnt that the Democratic Party, like its Republican counterpart, is in need of reform. It lacks accountability, transparency, and any real sense of involving DNC members in democratic decision-making. I’ve discovered that the problem of politics in US democracy is that it’s not about politics. It’s about money.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are raised each election by various party entities. These funds are then cycled through to a small coterie of consultant groups, who in turn raise more money and prepare costly television and social media ads. Candidates may win or lose, but the consultants never lose – because they are never held accountable for their work. When I raised this issue in the unity/reform commission and called for accountability and transparency, my efforts got me removed from the executive committee.

This hasn’t been the only defeat I’ve encountered. Most notably, I lost my effort to have the party oppose the Iraq War, to honour our bylaws calling for DNC members to review and evaluate the effectiveness of expenditures, and to have the party ban “dark money” that is polluting Democratic primaries.

Faced with these defeats, some have asked me why I remain a member of the DNC. My response is that I remember how I got on – the hard way – and how my community was shut out for so many years. And I remember something Jesse Jackson told me 40 years ago when I faced a similar challenge: “Don’t quit, because that’s what your opponents want you to do. What they most fear is that you’ll stay and continue to fight.” And so, I will.

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England XI for second Test

Rory Burns, Keaton Jennings, Ben Stokes, Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes (wk), Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Jack Leach, James Anderson

Five expert hiking tips
    Always check the weather forecast before setting off Make sure you have plenty of water Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon Wear appropriate clothing and footwear Take your litter home with you

Profile of Udrive

Date started: March 2016

Founder: Hasib Khan

Based: Dubai

Employees: 40

Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.

Profile box

Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

EA Sports FC 24
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Tuesday's fixtures
Group A
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Iran v Uzbekistan, 8pm
N Korea v UAE, 10.15pm

Director: Jon Favreau

Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

RESULTS

5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Samau Xmnsor, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Ottoman, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Sharkh, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Yaraa, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Maaly Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Jinjal, Fabrice Veron, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Al Sail, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

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The five pillars of Islam
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com

Name: buybackbazaar.com

Started: January 2018

Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini

Based: Dubai

Sector: FinTech, micro finance

Initial investment: $1 million

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dooda%20Solutions%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lebanon%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENada%20Ghanem%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AgriTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24300%2C000%20in%20equity-free%20funding%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE tour of Zimbabwe

All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company profile

Name: Dukkantek 

Started: January 2021 

Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani 

Based: UAE 

Number of employees: 140 

Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service) 

Investment: $5.2 million 

Funding stage: Seed round 

Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office  

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

The Birkin bag is made by Hermès. 
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

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.

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Your rights as an employee

The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.

The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.

If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.

Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.

The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Updated: September 06, 2023, 6:48 AM