The Emirati business partner of an American held hostage in Syria hopes his friend’s psychological strength will help him through his ordeal.
Abu Ahmad Al Nuaimi, 65, and Majd Kamalmaz, 62, ran a mental health and counselling centre in Abu Dhabi shortly before the American was arrested in Syria in 2017.
The two friends dovetailed well, with Mr Al Nuaimi’s business acumen and the expertise of Mr Kamalmaz, an expert in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“Over the five years with Majd I learnt a lot from him and we developed a good business together,” he said.
He was going to Syria freely, with no question mark over him
“I knew he was going to Lebanon as he had some charitable centres there and in Jordan also to help refugees.
“He was going to Syria freely, with no question mark over him. Suddenly it was then I heard from his son what had happened.
“I have not spoken to him since he left.”
Mr Kamalmaz, from Arlington, Virginia, began his work in mental health with high-risk young people.
After specialising in treatments for PTSD, his work took him around the world including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Indonesia and in Mississippi, after Hurricane Katrina tore through the state in 2005.
Another major project was researching mental trauma in young refugees in Lebanon who had fled the Syrian civil war. He and his colleagues developed programmes to help them and their parents overcome their ordeal.
That work led him to plan a journey to Syria in February 2017 to set up support networks in some of the hardest hit areas of the country.
He has not been seen since and was believed to have been detained by the Syrian government.
Mr Al Nuaimi said there was no indication his friend was at risk or wanted by the authorities when he flew in to Syria.
“They had their ways to check with the border officials from friends and contacts to see if they were on a list, and they were told it was OK to enter,” he said.
“I was very shocked to hear he had been detained.
“You feel bad when something terrible like this happens to a friend. I was only relieved his wife was not held with him.
“We only see this in movies, and what we see is sometimes very bad. It is very hard.
“I have no idea how he will deal with this situation but morally he is strong and a specialist in this field."
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
