The current US presidential election campaign has generated an intense debate within the Arab-American community.
If it were a normal election year, I would be out in the field urging my community to vote for Democrats. I would be warning Arab Americans that they needed to do everything they could to stop Donald Trump from re-entering the White House.
I would remind them of his xenophobia and anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant rhetoric. I would point to the danger he poses to women’s rights, civil rights and civil liberties, the environment, health care, civil discourse and the constitution.
It would be, as is said, “a slam dunk”. But this isn’t a normal election.
Arab Americans have been deeply traumatised by the war in Gaza and Lebanon. They are justifiably furious at President Joe Biden’s refusal to enforce US laws that could rein in Israel’s unconscionable and illegal actions, and accuse them of enabling Israel’s impunity.
Given this, there has been a significant decline in Arab-American support for Democrats, an uptick in support for Republicans, and many saying that they want to punish Democrats by voting for a third-party candidate. I, too, feel this pain and am torn as to how to move forward.
However, for those who rightly want to punish the Democratic nominee for president, there are some questions worth pondering upon.
When they say they are voting their conscience by supporting a third party, how will punishing Vice President Kamala Harris and enabling Mr Trump to become president end Israeli actions – especially as Arab Americans have allies in the progressive side of the Democratic Party who support, and have been working with, them to advance their foreign and domestic policy concerns and will be with them to pressure a Harris White House? Meanwhile, the Republican Party in its current form is dominated by hardline hawks who have little or no concern for the Palestinian people.
The problem with ideologues, both on the left and the right, is that they often miss the muck of the reality in which most people live
Another question worth asking is, how will voting for parties that have been around for decades and yet struggle to gain even 1 per cent of the vote will advance anything other than helping elect Mr Trump? Or, how will turning Arab Americans’ backs on all of the groups that have been their allies in the struggles for their civil and political rights and for a just foreign policy add up to “voting one’s conscience”?
It reminds me of a lesson I learnt from the late civil rights leader Julian Bond in the aftermath of the 1968 presidential election.
It was a time when the US was reeling from the Vietnam War, urban unrest and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and senator Robert Kennedy. In the wake of voter opposition to the war, then Democratic president Lyndon Johnson had been forced to end his re-election bid in favour of his vice president, Hubert Humphrey.
All of this was in the air when Democrats met for their convention to formally nominate Humphrey. On the first night of the convention, there was a fight over whether to recognise the all-white Georgia state delegation or the mixed delegation led by Bond. The mixed delegation won a partial victory.
On the second night, the convention wrestled with an effort to amend the platform to oppose the continuation of the war. Bond was a leader in this fight, too. Those who backed the amendment lost.
On the third night, when the convention met to nominate Humphrey’s vice-presidential running mate, the anti-war delegates proposed Bond to run against the party leaders’ hand-picked choice, senator Ed Muskie. When the party leaders couldn’t silence the anti-war opposition, they brought in the police who were televised beating delegates who were chanting Bond’s name.
On the final day of the convention, after Humphrey and Muskie gave their acceptance speeches, Bond came on stage and in a show of unity held up the hands of both Humphrey and Muskie. Many young activists, like myself, were devastated.
A few years later, I got to know Bond, and asked him why he did that. In response, he said that there were two types of people. Those who looked down at the evils of the world and said: “I’m going to stand on my principles because it’s got to get a lot worse before it gets better.” Then there are those who say: “I’ve got to get to work to see if I can make it at least a little bit better.”
He added: “I’m with the second group because if I took the first view, I’d be allowing too many people to continue to suffer while I maintained my purity and refused to do anything to help. At the convention, it wasn’t Julian Bond versus Ed Muskie. It was Hubert Humphrey versus Richard Nixon, and I had to make a choice as to who would help make life at least a little bit better.”
The problem with ideologues, both on the left and the right, is that they often miss the muck of the reality in which most people live and the tough, and often less-than-perfect, choices with which they are confronted in the never-ending challenge to make life a little bit better. This is usually the case, whether in the struggle for human rights, improvements in the quality of life, or the provision of security for those who are most vulnerable.
Today, Arab Americans have to decide which group of people they want to be part of.
Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
HAJJAN
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Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
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Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
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