After tragedy in Fujairah, a community searches for answers

It would take a heart of stone not to have been moved by the tragic deaths of seven siblings in a house fire. In one fell swoop, the Al Suraidi children were wiped out, with their heartbroken mother now contemplating a future of unimaginable grief and pain. Fire devastates lives and never more so than at 5.40am on Monday, when the four boys and three girls were overcome by toxic fumes after a blaze caused by an electrical fault broke out in the room next to where they were sleeping. All seven children, aged between five and 15, were buried the same day in Rul Dhadna, Fujairah, which has been left reeling by the tragedy.

It is hard to see how the community could ever see a way forward from such a calamity. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, appeared to offer it with his online message: “Whatever harms the children of the UAE harms the entire nation.” He immediately announced plans to fit 60,000 villas owned by Emiratis with fire detection systems linking directly to Civil Defence control rooms, which will alert firefighters at the first sign of homes filling with the poisonous, odourless gas carbon monoxide. The move follows a number of blazes in Dubai, where skyscrapers such as Sulafa Tower and the Torch tower have repeatedly caught fire and the Address Downtown Dubai hotel burned down, sparking concerns about the type of flammable cladding used, which meant the fires tore rapidly through the buildings.

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[ Dubai steps up building evacuation drills to prepare residents for potential fires ]

[ Fire alarm system connected to Civil Defence to be fitted in residential homes ]

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We have already seen from the horrific Grenfell Tower fire in London what impact that can have. It takes very little to start a fire but without the enforcement of the UAE's Fire and Life Safety Code, the effect can be devastating. In a country with a high rental market, it behoves landlords and commercial property owners to ensure their buildings are properly equipped with alarms and smoke detectors and undergo regular checks and third party independent inspections, as per the law. Landlords have a responsibility to protect the safety of those living within their walls, whatever the cost or inconvenience. Concerns remain about the cladding on building pre-dating the 2012 law, which phased out combustible cladding in new buildings. Sheikh Mohammed's gesture is the first decisive step in instigating a culture of fire safety. It might be too late for Shouq, Khalifa, Ahmad, Ali, Sheikha, Sara and Summaya, but we could all do with being a little more aware as to how best to protect ourselves in an emergency.

Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history

Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)

Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.

Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)

A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.

Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)

Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.

Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)

Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.

Results

5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden+(PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara+(jockey), Mohamed Daggash+(trainer)

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden+(PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige+(PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout

6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige+(PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi

7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1+(PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle

7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed+(TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.

After tragedy in Fujairah, a community searches for answers

Sheikh Mohammed has taken the first step in instigating a culture of safety

Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history

Results