It started with cookies. Somtime in the 1980s, a European woman was going around a small neighbourhood in Jeddah giving out freshly baked cookies to her neighbours.
Some refused to open their door for her; others were suspicious of the cookies. They asked questions like: “Are they halal?” Others even said: “Do you even know what halal means?” A third group expressed delight and surprise at this hospitable gesture.
She had baked a variety of cookies, made with chocolate chips, ginger, dates or nuts, so there was something for everyone. That was the intention. Mind you, this was before the onset of the “chronic dieters” trend and so the cookies were devoured.
I used to be shy about these gestures. I was easily offended when someone exhibited intolerance towards these kind gestures. I still haven’t gone around and started conversations with neighbours through cookies.
I actually don’t know my neighbours with the exception of the one directly opposite me because her son has asked about my cats.
But this was the way of that lady to spread joy and create a web of understanding and friendship. It was her way of returning rudeness and suspicion with politeness and patience. That lady is my mother. Today, decades later, I see the effect of small gestures. Whenever I visit my mother, the children of the neighbours she once brought cookies to will also be visiting.
As we celebrated the International Day for Tolerance yesterday, it is important to remember that simple gestures do work in creating a more tolerant world.And while it has been 21 years of annual celebrations and awareness campaigns on this issue, we still struggle today with many facets of intolerance.
Discrimination and hate are not new, nor limited to any nation or culture. Whenever one is stressed or in trouble, there are tendencies for some to lash out using race, religion and other differences as a means of putting down the other. Making generalisations about any nation is wrong and causes further hate. There are incidents of abuse and mistreatment reported almost everywhere, and the latest political changes in the United States and Europe saw the rise of Islamophobia, anti-Arab and anti-migrant sentiment in general.
Inspired by Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, some racist posters have appeared in Toronto saying: “Hey, white person,” and then invited readers to “join the alt-Right,” listing websites that promise to provide news from a “pro-European” perspective. That is why work by the UAE’s Ministry of Tolerance is phenomenal and critical. It is pushing forward tolerance when large parts of the world are regressing to intolerance, racism and fanaticism. It is preparing several local, regional and international initiatives to promote tolerance and coexistence and help make the region more secure.
“The Government is working heavily on ensuring that hatred, discrimination and extremism are fought locally, regionally and internationally,” said Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance.
From laws to education programmes at schools and private homes, and the individual’s own attempts to better understand themselves, all these initiatives help make each of us a better and more tolerant person. I am not sure what texts extremists like ISIL are following, but I do know for sure that they are not following the words of Prophet Mohammed, who in his last sermon stressed the importance of tolerance in everyday life.
“All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action,” he said.
Now, regardless of whether one is a Muslim or not, it is whether or not we actually apply important values like this in our lives to make ours and other’s lives better.
rghazal@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @arabianmau
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
Dubai World Cup prize money
Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf – $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Bangladesh tour of Pakistan
January 24 – First T20, Lahore
January 25 – Second T20, Lahore
January 27 – Third T20, Lahore
February 7-11 – First Test, Rawalpindi
April 3 – One-off ODI, Karachi
April 5-9 – Second Test, Karachi
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
LOVE%20AGAIN
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