Mosque shooting survivors from left, Mustafa Boztas, Wassail Daragmih and Temel Atacocugu leave the Christchurch High Court after the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, in Christchurch, New Zealand. AP Photo
Members of the public outside the High Court after the conclusion of the sentencing hearing for Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant in Christchurch. AFP
Supporters of the mosque shooting victims wave outside the Christchurch High Court during the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Tarrant, in Christchurch, New Zealand. AP Photo
Survivors of the twin mosque shootings react as they arrive at Christchurch High Court for the sentencing hearing of Brenton Tarrant, in Christchurch. AFP
Temel Atacocugu (L), a survivor of the twin mosque shootings, thanks members of the public outside the High Court after the conclusion of the sentencing hearing for Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant in Christchurch. AFP
Family and friends of victims and members of the public after the conclusion of the sentencing hearing for Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant in Christchurch. AFP
Mosque shooting survivor Abdul Aziz thanks supporters outside the Christchurch High Court after the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, in Christchurch, New Zealand. AP Photo
Survivors of a deadly mosque shooting celebrate with supporters after Brenton Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison, outside the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand. EPA
Members of the public wait outside Christchurch High Court as they want to show the victims their support during the sentencing of Brenton Tarrant in Christchurch, New Zealand. Getty Images
Al Noor Mosque shooting survivor Taj Mohammad Kamra celebrates as he leaves Christchurch High Court following the sentencing of Brenton Tarrant in Christchurch, New Zealand. Getty Images
Muslim Association Canterbury President Mohamed Jama celebrates with members of the public outside Christchurch High Court following the sentencing of Brenton Tarrant in Christchurch, New Zealand. Getty Images
Kerry Cook, an appointed amicus curiae, delivers his submission during the sentencing of Brenton Tarrant at the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand. Reuters
Justice Cameron Mander sentences Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant during his sentencing hearing at Christchurch High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand. Getty Images
Brenton Tarrant, the terrorist of the New Zealand Christchurch massacre who killed 51 people in different mosques last year, was sentenced to life in prison without parole today. The verdict will no doubt provide some solace and closure to the survivors of the attacks, as well as to families of the victims. However, the phenomenon that produced him continues, and the question remains: how long will it continue before we address not simply the end result of this kind of bigotry, but the causes of it?
It is not as though this was the first time such a massacre took place. Almost a decade ago, a Norwegian Islamophobic white supremacist carried out one of the brutal terrorist attacks on European soil in recent history. Anders Behring Breivik detonated a bomb in Oslo, murdering 8 people; he then went to a youth camp, and killed another 69. His motivations were all clearly laid out in the manifesto he deliberately left for people to find. He was a bigot who hated Muslims, lauded white supremacy, and viewed himself as a soldier in a new crusade to save western civilisation.
In that regard, the two terrorists had a great deal in common. But what they also had in common wasn’t simply violence – it was the sources of the ideas that contributed to their motivations for violence. And those ideas aren’t limited to the likes of these two solitary individuals who were responsible for so much death and violence in Norway and New Zealand. The ideas of European Identitarians, an extremist far-right movement, affect and impact the politics of so much of the western world, and beyond.
More than a decade ago, Anders Behring Breivik detonated a bomb in Oslo, murdering eight people; he then went to a youth camp, and killed another 69. AFP
Take Australia, where the white supremacist group, the United Patriots, was hailed as the "nationalist movement in Australia" by the terrorist of the mosque massacre. That group remains present and active in Australia; and trying to divide their rhetoric from that of the terrorist would be dishonest. That is especially true of its rhetoric on religious minorities, especially Muslims.
It would be far too easy to simply wipe our hands clean of the likes of the perpetrators of the Norwegian and New Zealand massacres, by simply condemning them as individuals. But they did not come out of nowhere. The director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, for example, noted earlier this year that such right-wing extremism, was manifesting in “small cells”, to disseminate “hateful ideology”. Those small cells themselves feed off of rhetoric that has been mainstreamed in Australian political discourse on the one hand, and are linked to international white supremacist groups on the other
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the threat has increased, with white supremacists exploiting audiences under social isolation to increase their propaganda drives.
It is not just in Oceania. Europe has seen a steady mainstreaming of far-right discourse, particularly on Muslims, over the past decade. Whereas the rhetoric existed before then, it was limited to far-right groups – today, much of that is no longer considered beyond the pale for mainstream political parties. The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, compared Muslim women wearing the face veil to “letterboxes”, while repeated incidents of Islamophobia in the governing Conservative party have failed to be properly investigated.
Viktor Orban, Hungary's Prime Minister, is openly far-right, depicting migrants as "Muslim invaders" – but his party is part of the political mainstream. A mainstream where Mr Orban feels completely empowered to declare: "Is it possible to successfully reject migration, to protect families, to defend Christian culture, to announce a programme of national unification and nation building, and to create an order of Christian freedom?" That line itself would have been entirely in place in the manifesto of the New Zealand mosque massacre terrorist.
And it goes beyond Europe. In a few months, American voters will go to the polls. There is a significant possibility that US President Donald Trump will be defeated by the Democrats; but that will not mean that the damage of the past four years will be undone. During Mr Trump's term, there has been a deepening and mainstreaming of Islamophobia and bigotry of different types, from the highest levels of America's democratic system – and that is not going to be undone overnight. Whoever eventually takes over the Republican Party, whether after this election or thereafter, will inherit a party that mainstreamed so much harmful discourse. It is a party where the likes of Laura Loomer, a political activist and conspiracy theorist, can stand a good chance of becoming a Republican congresswoman for Florida, even while calling Islam "a cancer on society", and demanding an Uber without Muslim drivers.
Of course, it is entirely possible that the future will see braver western politicians genuinely standing up to the scourge of the mainstreaming of white supremacist narratives. But it would require a backbone that hitherto has not been very forthcoming, on the scale that is needed. Because, alas, it seems to be a vote getter. And that in itself bodes badly for the years ahead. One hopes that the families of the victims of the New Zealand mosque massacre can find some solace in the verdict – but we have a lot more work to do if we are going to ensure noting like that can happen again.
Dr H A Hellyer is senior associate fellow of the Royal Institute (RUSI, UK) and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in the US
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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)
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
the pledge
I pledge to uphold the duty of tolerance
I pledge to take a first stand against hate and injustice
I pledge to respect and accept people whose abilities, beliefs and culture are different from my own
I pledge to wish for others what I wish for myself
I pledge to live in harmony with my community
I pledge to always be open to dialogue and forgiveness
I pledge to do my part to create peace for all
I pledge to exercise benevolence and choose kindness in all my dealings with my community
I pledge to always stand up for these values: Zayed's values for tolerance and human fraternity
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors Power: 639hp Torque: 1,130Nm Transmission: Single-speed automatic Touring range: 591km Price: From Dh412,500 On sale: Deliveries start in October
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
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
