FUJAIRAH // The mother of martyred pilot Zayed Al Kaabi said Wednesday’ rain was “the sky shedding tears of joy today, welcoming my dearest son”.
Saadeh Naseb was joined by hundreds who turned out to honour the 37-year-old, who died on his birthday on Monday along with Mohammed Al Hmoudi when their jet fighter crashed in Yemen.
Al Kaabi was serving in Yemen alongside his brother Adel. He leaves behind four children and a pregnant wife, having discovered only four days before he died that he was to become a father again.
Family members, friends and relatives from across the country gathered at Al Mamoun Mosque in Merbeh to say their last goodbyes and to pray to Allah to bless his soul.
“He was kind to me and to all the family,” his grieving mother said. “He used to be first in his class since he was a little boy. His father died when he was 11 years old and now he has left his son Khalifa, who is also 11.”
After the funeral, Khames, another of Al Kaabi’s brothers, brought home the flag used to wrap the martyr’s body and handed it to his mother with pride, asking her to smell it.
“I can smell musk because it is a piece of heaven,” said Ms Naseb, 69.
Al Kaabi graduated from Khalifa bin Zayed Air College in 1998 and married in 2004. The family had last seen him on February 29, 14 days before his death, although he was always in contact with his mother and wife.
“I woke up on Monday morning looking for the phone to call Zayed and Adel, because they are both in Yemen,” Ms Naseb said. “I can’t have my breakfast before hearing from them, but I didn’t find it, my daughters had hidden it, so I didn’t know about my son.”
Al Kaabi’s sister, Amna Al Kaabi said: “I was at work when my younger sister called me and said that I should come home quickly to take my mother to the hospital for an appointment, but I was somehow suspicious.
“When I arrived, I saw my older brother’s car parked outside my mother’s house.
“When I entered, he looked at me and said with tears in his eyes, ‘congratulations, your brother has become a martyr’.
“He died on his birthday. We sent him – before we knew about the accident – our birthday wishes through WhatsApp, but he never opened them and they will stay unread.
“His wife found out last Thursday that she is pregnant and they were expecting a baby.”
Sheikh Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, performed the funeral prayer, and senior officials, Armed Forces officers and police officers were in attendance.
Al Kaabi was laid to rest at Merbeh Cemetery.
rhaza@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
Brief scoreline
Switzerland 0
England 0
Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
EXPATS
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani