ABU DHABI // The UAE promised the world it would build a centre for countering violent extremism last September, and by October this year they will have it.
Faris Al Mazroui, the Assistant Foreign Minister for Security and Military Affairs, said the building for the International Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) is already completed. All that remains to be done is to reach an international agreement about the staffing and administration of the centre.
The idea for the CVE was first floated a few days ahead of the launch of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) in New York last year.
The GCTF, a group of nations brought together by the US Department of State to act in solidarity to prevent extremist violence, announced from the outset its interest in creating a multilateral training and research centre.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, told the conference that the UAE was happy to host such a centre.
In a recent speech, Daniel Benjamin of the US Department of State's office for counterterrorism, thanked the UAE for taking on the role. "Sheikh Abdullah has been a leader in global efforts to counter violent extremism," said Mr Benjamin. "The UAE government has developed creative and targeted programmes to address vulnerable populations in countries and regions such as Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia."
"Establishing an international venue in Abu Dhabi ... is another demonstration of the UAE's leadership," he said.
Yesterday and today, the nations making up the GCTF met at Jumeirah Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi to discuss the logistics of how the centre would operate. The GCTF is made up of about 30 members, including the European Union and United Nations.
"The CVE's administration and budget will be discussed and set by members of the GCTF steering committee," said Mr Al Mazroui.
He said the centre would have three main objectives. "It will conduct discussions and initiate cooperation between member states on issues of violent extremism, it will research and offer studies on the subject and it will train experts and stake holders as well as offer members capacity building to counter the threat," he said.
What the CVE would not be is a place for intelligence gathering or militaristic responses.
"We are not a security centre; we are a research and study centre," said Mr Al Mazroui.
The Turkish government will be co-chairing the coordinating committee alongside the US during the first few months.
Ambassador Reha Keskintepe, the director of Research and Security Affairs at the Turkish foreign ministry, explained: "The centre will study the realities behind fanatic terrorism, what leads to it and how to counter fanaticism.
"The centre is also oriented towards capacity-building in countries that provide a fertile breeding ground for extremist violence."
The extremism under consideration, Mr Al Mazroui added, was not solely related to religion. "Violent extremism is ideological, not religious," he said. "We are not talking about Islamic, Christian or Jewish extremism but we are studying the roots all kinds of violent extremism.
"This centre is dedicated to study the platforms it grows on and develop methods to counter it so we do not have issues like what happened in Oslo last July or the Sarin gas attack in Japan in 1995," he said.
Christian Lungarotti, the deputy head of the Italian Mission to the UAE, said knowledge sharing would be the key element of success for the centre. "It is a remarkable initiative," he said. "And the idea of sharing knowledge and efforts on such a topic is very important.
The GCTF conference continues today as diplomats create the final working plan CVE.
amustafa@thenational.ae
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
