Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. WAM
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. WAM
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. WAM
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. WAM

How a majlis can open minds and shape our perspectives


  • English
  • Arabic

Sometimes the best way to discuss sensitive, important and difficult issues is to take the simplest approach: invite people to sit and listen with an open mind.

An ideal setting for such discussions is the majlis – meaning “a place to sit” or where people sit – that has survived the test of time and evolved over the years to remain one of the most cherished and important rooms in most households in the UAE and other Gulf nations.

In 2015, the majlis became one of the world’s great cultural treasures when the UN cultural organisation, Unesco, added it to its Intangible Cultural Heritage register along with qahwa (Arabic coffee) and Al Rafza traditional dance.

Unesco described the majlis as “open to all people” and “playing an important role in the transfer of oral heritage”.

“It is typically a large space with carpets on the floor and cushions against the wall,” it added. “There is usually a stove or fire to prepare coffee and other hot beverages. Community elders are considered true bearers. Judges and religious sheikhs have special importance in the majlis as they adjudicate on disputes and clarify political, social and religious rights and responsibilities.”

Over the past 10 years, I have attended many majlises hosted by men and women on different themes, including literature and poetry. One of the most prominent majlises that is open to the public twice weekly during Ramadan is that of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, who holds a special series of lectures every year throughout the month of fasting.

Speakers are invited from around the world and topics discussed vary from space and agriculture to social media, religion and politics. These talks on a diverse range of topics are bound to leave one with new knowledge and a new perspective at the end of the holy month.

One of the topics close to my heart is humanitarian work. So I was particularly interested to attend the past week’s lecture titled “UAE’s Soft Power”. The guest speaker was Dr Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, the secretary general of the Emirates Red Crescent.

He highlighted the sacrifices and the danger relief workers face in conflict zones, from betrayal by groups in power such as Hamas to bombings, as well as the amount of effort they put in logistics and getting the aid to those who need it most.

“If we can’t fly the aid over, we use ships; if we can’t use ships, we use trucks and cars. If that fails, we use small boats and if all fails, we walk to our destination,” he told a packed majlis, where even the extension to the main hall was full.

I talked to some of those who came – from as far as Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah. They admitted that they took aid work for granted and that they were inspired to join in and volunteer after seeing the real impact of giving and volunteering. This is the power of a majlis with great speakers – it can truly change people’s perceptions.

I recalled how sometimes in some of the most dangerous cities and villages I noticed in some corner the Emirati flag fluttering over a centre or a clinic with stocks of aid. All these often go unreported as usually those involved in such humanitarian activities, whether they are from here or elsewhere, tend to focus on getting the job done, and work diligently in the background year after year building bridges of compassion and care.

Set-ups and designs of the majlises might have changed over decades, from simple tents to modern structures, but a majlis remains more than just, say, a living room. It is a rare place where people can take a step back, listen, meet others and get to know about so many things in a relaxing and open atmosphere. Many people may not even be officially invited and it’s not necessary to agree with the viewpoints expressed by individuals – just respect them.

We are lucky that such forums are still alive and active.

One wise elderly gentleman from the United Kingdom made a comment as he was leaving a majlis: “We may have living rooms in western homes, but today, we don’t actually live in them, we spend the time watching TV and looking at our phones, typing instead of talking and listening.”

The beauty of a majlis is that in many ways it captures the pulse of a nation and gives us a chance to meet people from older generations. We should spend more time listening to them and learning from them as we sit and sip our coffee.

rghazal@thenational.ae

On Twitter:@arabianmau

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

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars

MATCH INFO

Watford 2 (Sarr 50', Deeney 54' pen)

Manchester United 0

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ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Green ambitions
  • Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
  • Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
  • Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
  • Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water 
UAE squad to face Ireland

Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


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Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

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How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5