UAE’s state owned Telecommunication Corporation, ETISALAT, has filed civil case in Mumbai High Court against its local joint venture partners in ETISALAT-DB, to recover $900 million. The license of ETISALAT and Dynamix Balwas Group (EDB) was terminated (along with another 121 firms) by the Supreme Court of India last month, citing inappropriate methods to obtain license.

One cannot be wrong in presuming that ETISALAT, an Abu Dhabi-based telecoms firm had joined hands with their former promoters and manipulated them a tool to obtain the 2G license – and thereby make unlawful gains from them. But when their fingers got burnt in a country with laid down rules of law and set principles, ETISALAT cries fowl for “JUSTICE”!

The rulers of Abu Dhabi, UAE, are at the helm of affairs of ETISALAT. The major Internet Service Provider (ISP) in that country, ETISALAT employs Smart-Filter software to block websites that express alternative political or religious views by free-minded individuals.

The Emirate is at a pivotal position in establishing and promoting the “Camel Race” of UAE. The promos for their Phone Card launch in 2005, designed and marketed by ETISALAT is an indisputable proof of their illegal practice of promoting the ‘Camel Race’, wherein the puny Camel Jockey heroes (aged between 2 years and 5 years) are prominently visible.

The tiny jockeys who compete in camel races are victims of a horrible slave trade. They are beaten, mistreated and, in some cases, sexually abused too. They have been kidnapped or sold into slavery as mere infants. In addition to enduring inhumane living conditions and beatings, the boys are intentionally starved to keep their weight down. Weakened from undernourishment, some are maimed or killed while trying to pilot the 1500-pound camels. [The multi-fold dangers of the Camel Race by engaging puny boys have already been brought to the attention of the world community through the site "www.uaeprison.com"]

It’s no secret that Human Rights Violations are rampant in the UAE. All pro-democratic activities are crushed under the iron hand of the UAE Government; and even people like the “Black Water” with dubious distinction are invited to the UAE, to add strength to resist the “Arab Spring” – slowly but surely entering their territory. UAE is always protected by the “Arab Exception”, a very strong iron shield which even the ‘Human Rights Watch’ or any other NGO of similar status in the world could not touch, let alone penetrate or break into.

An Indian investor was entangled in a fraudulent case in the UAE, with a false police complaint made against him. He had to undergo extremes of cruel torture and humiliation from the Abu Dhabi police that one cannot withstand. However, he was spared from death. When his case came up for hearing before the Apex Court of Abu Dhabi; the Jury declared him as innocent and the court directed the authorities to prosecute the policeman involved and also the plaintiff – for being guilty of deception.

The Court having been convinced about the innocence of the case quoted the Islamic Law that should be practiced by every one following the Islam Religion. An excerpt from the Judgment follows: “Verily the Islamic Law and the entire Positive Laws have honored Man and protected his freedom, his honor, his property and his soul”. Hence, if a man is killed while protecting these, he is considered to be a martyr. And limitation of his freedom without any rights is an unforgiving crime (this is mentioned in the provisions of articles 2 and 3 of the Penal Procedures Code). And it has been proved in this case that the policemen along with the plaintiff proceeded to “arrest” the accused to limit his right to freedom”.

The Court ruled that the UAE officials compensate the accused, for all the losses caused to by him due to this false case, and redeem his dignity, honor and every fraction of damages to the reputations of his establishments amassed over time through hard work and honorable deeds. But instead of honoring the verdict of the Court, the UAE officials, with the connivance of the UAE Police, committed the grave and heinous act of deporting him back to India, in total disregard of the pronouncements made by the highest Court of the land.

UAE is a nation which has a history of not respecting the Judiciary and bypassing the Law. Therefore, one feels it a contradiction that the same UAE officials who denied justice to an innocent man (a victim of unethical practices in an authoritarian land, despite clear and specific orders of the Apex Court of that country) is now frantically seeking “JUSTICE” in India for recovering the loss that they claim to have suffered in the 2G spectrum trading; a scam that rocked the telecom industry and cost the Indian exchequer a massive $40bn!

ETISALAT, no doubt, is a governmental body into fraudulent practices with a total lack of transparency, inherent in an autocratic rule. With a contrast of approach to various legal situations, do they stand justified in seeking justice after all? Or in their attempt to hold someone else accountable when the tide has turned against them, as happened in India?

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Some IT companies have taken the commendable step of devising innovative tools to support dissidents, bloggers, and writers – such as encrypted technologies and OTHER ways to bypass restrictions by devising alternative routes. On the other hand, some companies have colluded with security forces by providing governments with surveillance technology to track down dissidents. These companies have unquestioningly accepted government orders to restrict communication, and even divulged the identity of users, leading to their arrest.

IT companies will have to understand the consequences of their actions and their relationships with governments – so as to ensure that they aren’t complicit in human rights abuses on the internet. The Global Network Initiative is one step in that direction – it has developed principles participating companies have adopted to guide their decision-making. it was launched in the 60th Anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is founded on the internationally recognized laws and standards for human rights on freedom of expression and privacy.

Even as pressure from watchdog groups continues, other firms are widening Internet access in under-serviced areas and protecting digital rights. Such initiatives by companies to protect human rights are necessary, but governments will be expected to do more to ensure that the ‘right of freedom of expression of an individual’ is not undermined in the virtual world.

The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression has declared access to the internet as a basic human right; and some governments have stepped in, such as Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United States, and made defense of freedom of expression in the cyberworld a top priority.

ISPs in UAE use the Western-built automated filtering solutions to block mass content – such as websites that provide skeptical views of Islam, secular and atheist discourse, besides proxy and anonymity tools. These sites are maintained by the Western company vendors. The ISPs also use these tools to add their own selected URLs to the companies’ black lists.

UAE has in the past, used American-made SmartFilter products now owned by Intel (Intel’s SmartFilter management does not have a publicly declared policy on the use of its products by governments to implement censorship).

UAE’s du currently employ the Canadian-made commercial filter Netsweeper.

Netsweeper Inc. does not seem to have any problem with governments implementing political/religious censorship using their tools, and acknowledges working in tandem with telecom operators in UAE. This amounts to gross human rights violation on the internet in UAE. The emirates cannot to supersede the individual, whether ethnic or expatriate.

Read full article at: The Use of Western Technology by Middle East Censors in 2012.

[A Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council (United Nations) to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme].

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 “The people driving the Arab Spring deserve strong international support to realise their rights and to build genuine democracies. “Loyalty to autocratic friends shouldn’t stand in the way of siding with democratic reformers. International influence is also needed to ensure that the new governments extend human rights and the rule of law to all, especially women and minorities.” HRW’s Executive Director Kenneth Roth said in the group’s annual report, which covers some 90 countries. He added that the Arab world is in a “transformative moment,” and it will not be an easy one. (Full text at: Strengthen Support for ‘Arab Spring’ World Report 2012)

HRW pointed to five main issues that dominated the relationship between Western governments and their Arab autocratic friends: the threat of political extremism, the fight against terrorism, support for Israel, protection of the oil flow and cooperation in stemming immigration. agencies.

Human Rights Watch Criticizing the UAE

The following content is a response note to the Annual Report 2012 of the Human Rights Watch criticizing the UAE in particular for their Human Rights Violations.

The Annual Report of Human Rights Watch 2012 contains their concern on the inhuman activities in the various parts of the world, especially by the autocrat rulers in the UAE against the people under guise of maintaining Law and Order.  These unfortunates, the lower strata of people in the UAE are under the category of migrant construction workers and house maids working on contract basis.  People of higher strata like the pro-democratic activists, journalists, citizens of the UAE itself etc., are also not spared.

The migrant construction workers are put to lot of miseries and hardship.  Their working hours are long with low wages without bargaining powers, left to live in unbearable high temperature in tin sheds and poor food.  Moreover, they cannot pull out of the hell because their travel documents are in the custody of their contractors.

The case of house maids are very pathetic.  Over work, little freedom to communicate with the family members in their home land, sexual abuse and lower wages, there will be no exaggeration to term their lives as if “between the devil and the deep sea”.  The fact that their travel documents are with their contractor and without them they cannot even dream of returning to their motherland adds fuel to the fire.

The report contains some positive suggestions to improve the situation.  Some of them are:-

• Support the democratic movements.
• Disallow the “Arab Exception” hither being given to the autocrats.
• Provide consistent international support for peaceful protesters and government critics – which is the best way to pressure the region’s autocrats to end abuses and enhance basic freedoms.
• For reasons of principle and long-term interest, governments should stand firm with the people of the Middle East and North Africa when they demand their basic rights and work to ensure the transition to genuine democracies.
• The people driving the Arab Spring deserve strong international support to realize their rights and to build genuine democracies.
• Loyalty to autocratic friends shouldn’t stand in the way of siding with democratic reformers. International influence is also needed to ensure that the new governments extend human rights and the rule of law to all, especially women and minorities.”

The Report also contains many other suggestions to ensure peace and welfare to the people across the world.

Sincere efforts and cooperation from the Human Rights Watch and the individual countries can only bring about a progressive change to ease the suffering lots around the world, especially the Middle East and the UAE in particularly.  It is not an impossibility if the intention is genuine and the driving force is emerging from the heart of peace loving leaders.”

Read more on reports:-
2012 Human Rights Watch reporting on the United Arab Emirates
UAE: Free Speech Under Attack
Visit the UAE Human Rights Forum

(Dubai) – The United Arab Emirates during 2011 muzzled the right of its citizens to express themselves and to form independent associations, Human Rights Watch said last week in issuing its World Report 2012 at a news conference in Dubai.

(The Human Rights Watch has found serious violations of Human Rights in UAE during the year of 2011 in areas of pro-democracy movements, women’s rights abuse, victimisation of migrant workers, especially the poor amongst them, holding up their travel documents etc.  The Human Rights Watch reporting on the United Arab Emirates is republished here at: 2012 Human Rights Watch reporting on the United Arab Emirates )

UAE authorities harassed, arrested, and jailed activists, and disbanded the elected boards of two of the country’s most prominent civil society organizations.

“In the year of the Arab Spring, the UAE headed in the opposite direction by criminally prosecuting Emiratis who dared to criticize the government,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

In the 676-page World Report 2012, Human Rights Watch assessed progress on human rights during the past year in more than 90 countries, including popular uprisings in the Arab world that few would have imagined. Given the violent forces resisting the “Arab Spring,” the international community has an important role to play in assisting the birth of rights-respecting democracies in the region, Human Rights Watch said in the report.

In the UAE, in early April authorities arrested five activists, known as the “UAE 5,” after they allegedly posted statements on the internet forum UAE Hewar, which authorities have banned. None of the messages on UAEHewarthat have been attributed to the UAE 5 went beyond peaceful criticism of government policy or political leaders, said Human Rights Watch and other rights groups that reviewed the posts.

The state charged the five men in early June under articles 176 and 8 of the UAE penal code, which punish public “insults” of the country’s top officials. During their trial, the Federal Supreme Court patently violated the activists’ fair trial rights and refused to grant them pretrial release. After their conviction on November 27 the UAE’s president commuted their prison sentences. While the men were freed, their passports have yet to be returned.

“To protect the right of Emiratis to express themselves, authorities need to expunge from the penal code provisions that imprison people for insulting government officials,” Whitson said. “Such laws have no place in the 21st century, and no place in the UAE.”

UAE authorities further clamped down on freedom of expression by disbanding the elected boards of the Jurists Association and the Teachers’ Association after they and two other nongovernmental organizations co-signed a public appeal in April calling for greater democracy in the country. The decrees replaced elected board members with state appointees and said that the associations had violated the 2008 Law on Associations, which prohibits organizations and their members from interfering “in politics or in matters that impair state security and its ruling regime.”

Al-Islah, an Islamist group, issued a statement in December saying the authorities had confiscated the citizenship documents of seven of its members, some of whom had signed a petition in March seeking political reforms. UAE authorities later acknowledged that a presidential order had stripped six of the men of their citizenship for “acts posing a threat to the state’s security and safety.” The authorities have not publicly commented on the seventh case.

One of the men told Human Rights Watch that authorities had not shown him the presidential order or told him in detail the accusations against him. He has had to surrender his national identity card and health insurance card. Since he no longer has any citizenship, immigration authorities have instructed him to obtain an immigration sponsor or face possible imprisonment.

Migrant workers in the UAE experienced some improvements in their conditions, particularly on Saadiyat Island, the site of a major development and construction project. The government issued new labor regulations in January to protect workers from unscrupulous recruiters who charge them illegal fees and have them sign false contracts.

In March New York University announced that it would hire the United Kingdom construction firm Mott MacDonald to monitor labor conditions on its Abu Dhabi campuses. In May the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), a government developer in Abu Dhabi, announced its appointment of the international auditing firm PwC to monitor workers’ conditions on Saadiyat Island. Both firms will publish yearly reports on their findings. However, neither NYU nor TDIC have released comprehensive information about the terms of reference and monitoring methodology that their monitoring firms would use.

In March TDIC also amended its Employment Practices Policy to require contractors to reimburse their employees for any recruitment costs or fees associated with their employment on Saadiyat Island. Many foreign women employed as domestic workers in the UAE suffer from unpaid wages, food deprivation, long working hours, forced confinement, and physical or sexual abuse. In June the UAE voted to adopt theInternational Labor Organization (ILO) Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. The convention requires the UAE government to provide domestic workers with labor protections equivalent to those of other workers, including those regulating working hours and overtime compensation. The new standards also oblige the UAE government to protect domestic workers from violence and abuse, and to ensure effective monitoring and enforcement.

“The United Arab Emirates has revoked the citizenship of six nationals whom it said posed a threat to national security, but the men said they were being punished for demanding political reform in the oil-rich monarchy.

The UAE officials called back all the documents of these five men, “in accordance with a decree issued by President Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan”,  the official WAM news agency reported. “They had perpetrated over the past years acts threatening the national security of the UAE through their connection with suspicious regional and international organizations and personalities”

According to a report, the men whose citizenship is being revoked carry the names of well-known tribes in the UAE, which was established in 1971 as a union of former British dependencies in the Gulf.

The government’s move to strip the six of their citizenship has created a rift within the wide network of clans in the UAE, with supporters of the men trading insults with those who denounce them in social media.

“We’re afraid of a split in the tribal community… A fire, when it starts, grows then burns everything around it. Right now, there’s just smoke, but if it’s not stopped, it can be very dangerous,” said Ismail al-Housni, who belongs to the same tribe as one of the men stripped of citizenship. “I hope that people of wisdom will stop this and solve the issue officially.”

An Islamist group, Al-Islah, had posted a statement on Wednesday saying the authorities had confiscated the citizenship documents of seven of its members. One of the seven named by Islah – Ahmed al-Suwaidi – was not included in the six named in the official statement.

The UAE appears to be trying to douse any ambitions that the well-organised Islah movement may have of exploiting the rising tide of political Islam across the region.<p>Islah called on the country’s rulers to reverse the “illegal” move against its members, Some of the men had signed a petition sent to the leaders of the UAE demanding that the country’s Federal National Council, an advisory body, be endowed with greater powers.

The Islamist group, which claims to have as many as 20,000 supporters, has drawn increasing attention from the government this year. The rise of political Islam after the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt has raised alarm bells in the UAE, with some fearing that Muslim Brotherhood sympathisers could use religion to challenge the rulers’ tribal legitimacy over the Gulf’s business hub.

The Islah incident risks blowing up into another human rights issue for this strong western ally, which, underpinned by Abu Dhabi’s vast oil wealth, has escaped the wave of street protests sweeping the Arab world.

Some of the “Islah seven” are Arabs of Iranian origin, a significant minority within the national community whose trading forefathers moved to the UAE a century ago.

Earlier this year five political activists, including a prominent blogger and an economics professor, were convicted and jailed for insulting the UAE leadership, after they criticised UAE policies and called for reforms. They were pardoned by the federation’s president a day after their sentences of two to three years in jail were handed down. The UAE penal code allows the government to jail people solely for peacefully expressing critical views, in contravention of international human rights guarantees for free speech.

International institutions can contribute their might to a noble cause of supporting those hapless people in the UAE, who at the mercy of the world around them. A report from Human Rights Watch concludes “Silence on the part of public institutions who partner with the UAE government will be taken as condoning the attacks on reformist advocates”  “If the institutions want the world to believe they are in the UAE for more than profit, they should speak out in defense of the values they espouse.”

View news report: UAE strips six of citizenship citing security threat”

UAE Forum: Promoting Human Rights & Democratic Values in the Digital Age. Let’s Join

“Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE’s Minister of Interior, could twist and stop implementing court orders. He has been proved to be the most cruel person the emirates have ever seen. But everything is NOT ending here. The unexecuted final order of the court of records of this state is a proof of evidence that the UAE is led by truly unjust rulers. This will go to prove that what they preach towards protection of Human Rights and what they do have no comparison”

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan (1918 – 02 Nov, 2004)

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan was a wise leader who was profoundly loved by his people. He ruled Abu Dhabi since 1966 and was the founding leader of the United Arab Emirates, after seven Arab territories gained independence from Britain in 1971. Sheikh Zayed was regarded as a man of great  vision, grew up to guide his nation into the oil age. Sheikh Zayed promoted the growth and development of the country from sleepy backwardness, and transformed it into a modern economic powerhouse.

During the last leg of his life, a span of 12 years he had been ailing and had a kidney transplant in 2000. Due to a long struggle to a recovery, Zayed was ineffective in the Emirates’day-to-day decision making for over a decade. The open-door policy adopted by Sheikh Zayed between the ruler and the ruled had gone to oblivion. Zayed died at the age of 86. He was survived by his wife Fatima, his 21 sons and about 14 daughters.

The present UAE is led by two chief sheikhs from the regional regime of Abu Dhabi, who is first in importance the hereditary emir and president of the country, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, born in 1948, succeeded his father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan on 03 November 2004. The other is his younger brother General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, born in 1961, is the next in line to become President of the United Arab Emirates after Sheikh Khalifa.  Sheikh Mohammed became Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in November 2004 and since then he became the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. In January 2005 he was appointed Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Later he was promoted to the rank of General.

There are quite a few Zayed’s siblings who actively supports the above two principal sheikhs are Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs; another brother, Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, is the UAE’s national security advisor and director of state security while Sheikh Saif bin Zayed al Nahyan, a half-brother, is deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interiors.

General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the UAE’s Minister of Interior since October 2004. He was the Deputy Director of the Capital Police in 1994–1995 before becoming the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Police on October 23, 1995. Sheikh Saif was blamed for the vast majority of human rights violations committed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Prior to his ministerial appointment he has occupied several leadership positions in Abu Dhabi Emirate.  It’s probably the reason Sheikh Saif’s instinctive criminal behavior, that is chiefly satisfied by the UAE tyrants. He is the full brother of Sheikh Issa, who poured lighter fluid over a man’s genitals, which he then sets alight, the man who ran over him with a Mercedes SUV etc (View Video) explicitly illustrated through the sociopathic mentality of some of these royal families who get off on torturing ‘slaves’ and other unfortunates. Read full article here: UAE, the making of a Police State

Last updated: 14 Dec, 2011

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Wadah Khanfar

By Wadah Khanfar ( Wadah Khanfar was the director-general of the al-Jazeera satellite TV network. In September 2011, Khanfar announced his resignation publicly on the micro-blogging platform Twitter, as a sudden and dramatic move at a time of unprecedented turmoil across the Middle East. View Featured)

Ennahda, the Islamic party in Tunisia, won 41% of the seats of the Tunisian constitutional assembly last month, causing consternation in the west. But Ennahda will not be an exception on the Arab scene. Last Friday the Islamic Justice and Development Party took the biggest share of the vote in Morocco and will lead the new coalition government for the first time in history. And tomorrow Egypt’s elections begin, with the Muslim Brotherhood predicted to become the largest party. There may be more to come. Should free and fair elections be held in Yemen, once the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh falls, the Yemeni Congregation for Reform, also Islamic, will win by a significant majority. This pattern will repeat itself whenever the democratic process takes its course.

In the west, this phenomenon has led to a debate about the “problem” of the rise of political Islam. In the Arab world, too, there has been mounting tension between Islamists and secularists, who feel anxious about Islamic groups. Many voices warn that the Arab spring will lead to an Islamic winter, and that the Islamists, though claiming to support democracy, will soon turn against it. In the west, stereotypical images that took root in the aftermath of 9/11 have come to the fore again. In the Arab world, a secular anti-democracy camp has emerged in both Tunisia and Egypt whose pretext for opposing democratisation is that the Islamists are likely to be the victors.

 But the uproar that has accompanied the Islamists’ gains is unhelpful; a calm and well-informed debate about the rise of political Islam is long overdue.

 First, we must define our terms. “Islamist” is used in the Muslim world to describe Muslims who participate in the public sphere, using Islam as a basis. It is understood that this participation is not at odds with democracy. In the west, however, the term routinely describes those who use violence as a means and an end – thus Jihadist Salafism, exemplified by al-Qaida, is called “Islamist” in the west, despite the fact that it rejects democratic political participation (Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaida, criticised Hamas when it decided to take part in the elections for the Palestinian legislative council, and has repeatedly criticised the Muslim Brotherhood for opposing the use of violence).

 This disconnect in the understanding of the term in the west and in the Muslim world was often exploited by despotic Arab regimes to suppress Islamic movements with democratic political programmes. It is time we were clear.

 Reform-based Islamic movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, work within the political process. They learned a bitter lesson from their armed conflict in Syria against the regime of Hafez al-Assad in 1982, which cost the lives of more than 20,000 people and led to the incarceration or banishment of many thousands more. The Syrian experience convinced mainstream Islamic movements to avoid armed struggle and to observe “strategic patience” instead.

 Second, we must understand the history of the region. In western discourse Islamists are seen as newcomers to politics, gullible zealots who are motivated by a radical ideology and lack experience. In fact, they have played a major role in the Arab political scene since the 1920s. Islamic movements have often been in opposition, but since the 1940s they have participated in parliamentary elections, entered alliances with secular, nationalist and socialist groups, and participated in several governments – in Sudan, Jordan, Yemen and Algeria. They have also forged alliances with non-Islamic regimes, like the Nimeiri regime in Sudan in 1977.

 A number of other events have had an impact on the collective Muslim mind, and have led to the maturation of political Islam: the much-debated Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979; the military coup in Sudan in 1989; the success of the Algerian Islamic Salvation Front in the 1991 elections and the army’s subsequent denial of its right to govern; the conquest of much of Afghan territory by the Taliban in 1996 leading to the establishment of its Islamic emirate; and the success in 2006 of Hamas in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections. The Hamas win was not recognised, nor was the national unity government formed. Instead, a siege was imposed on Gaza to suffocate the movement.

 Perhaps one of the most influential experiences has been that of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey, which won the elections in 2002. It has been a source of inspiration for many Islamic movements. Although the AKP does not describe itself as Islamic, its 10 years of political experience have led to a model that many Islamists regard as successful. The model has three important characteristics: a general Islamic frame of reference; a multi-party democracy; and significant economic growth.

 These varied political experiences have had a profound impact on political Islam’s flexibility and capacity for political action, and on its philosophy, too.

 However, political Islam has also faced enormous pressures from dictatorial Arab regimes, pressures that became more intense after 9/11. Islamic institutions were suppressed. Islamic activists were imprisoned, tortured and killed. Such experiences gave rise to a profound bitterness. Given the history, it is only natural that we should hear overzealous slogans or intolerant threats from some activists. Some of those now at the forefront of election campaigns were only recently released from prison. It would not be fair to expect them to use the voice of professional diplomats.

 Despite this, the Islamic political discourse has generally been balanced. The Tunisian Islamic movement has set a good example. Although Ennahda suffered under Ben Ali’s regime, its leaders developed a tolerant discourse and managed to open up to moderate secular and leftist political groups. The movement’s leaders have reassured Tunisian citizens that it will not interfere in their personal lives and that it will respect their right to choose. The movement also presented a progressive model of women’s participation, with 42 female Ennahda members in the constitutional assembly.

 The Islamic movement’s approach to the west has also been balanced, despite the fact that western countries supported despotic Arab regimes. Islamists know the importance of international communication in an economically and politically interconnected world.

 Now there is a unique opportunity for the west: to demonstrate that it will no longer support despotic regimes by supporting instead the democratic process in the Arab world, by refusing to intervene in favour of one party against another and by accepting the results of the democratic process, even when it is not the result they would have chosen. Democracy is the only option for bringing stability, security and tolerance to the region, and it is the dearest thing to the hearts of Arabs, who will not forgive any attempts to derail it.

 The region has suffered a lot as a result of attempts to exclude Islamists and deny them a role in the public sphere. Undoubtedly, Islamists’ participation in governance will give rise to a number of challenges, both within the Islamic ranks and with regard to relations with other local and international forces. Islamists should be careful not to fall into the trap of feeling overconfident: they must accommodate other trends, even if it means making painful concessions. Our societies need political consensus, and the participation of all political groups, regardless of their electoral weight. It is this interplay between Islamists and others that will both guarantee the maturation of the Arab democratic transition and lead to an Arab political consensus and stability that has been missing for decades.

Source: The Guardian UK

The National News, Abu Dhabi reported that, the India-based Migrants Rights Council has praised a prisoner transfer deal between Indian and Emirati authorities. The deal will help many Indian prisoners who have been “languishing” in UAE prisons, said P Narayana Swamy, the president of the rights council.  “It is a very good initiative,” he added.  “The treaty will provide a great relief to prisoners who are eager to return to India and spend the remainder of their terms in Indian jails.”

There are about 1,200 Indian nationals in UAE jails, according to the Indian Embassy, mostly for petty offences such as the consumption and movement of alcohol.Mr Swamy said the rights council, a non-governmental organisation based in Hyderabad, had already identified 18 people who would prefer to serve their sentence in an Indian prison.

“We have submitted a petition to the prime minister of India in this regard and requested the government to transfer them to Indian jails,” he said. The council has been active in taking up the causes of migrant workers in the Middle East and other countries. Mr Swamy is currently in Dubai, along with two other members of the council, to negotiate the release of six Indians from Karimnagar who are serving sentences for the murder of a Nepalese man in 2008.

“We are trying to get in touch with the family of the murdered man so that the blood money can be arranged for the issue of a pardon letter,” he said. Mr Swamy added that he and a delegation from the rights council would be going to Al Aweer Prison tomorrow to meet some Indian inmates. “Most of these convicted men come from poor families and have no support system,” he said.

Related Links:-UAE Prison Sheikh Saif

So let us learn to destroy the branch of attachment and fear we cling to and free ourselves to experience the glory of  total freedom as the birds in flight–in the realm of the unknown!!!

We are all meant to transcend apparent limitations

Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons from Arabia. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained. Months passed and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.

The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He presented the task to the member of   his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch. Having tried everything else, the king thought to himself, “May be I need someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem.” So he cried out to his court, “Go and get a farmer.” In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above the palace gardens. He said to his court, “Bring me the doer of this miracle.” The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king. The king asked him, “How did you make the falcon fly?” With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, “It was very easy, your highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting.” (Full Text)

Lots of blogs and websites have been dedicated to the inmates lodged at various prisons across the world. There are very few chronicles which document the life of prisoners lodged in various jails across United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The articles on lives of inmates lodged in UAE prison will be updated from here on. There have been many written accounts about foreigners and locals languishing in UAE jails. Some people claim that many of these accounts actually fabricated or exaggerated in order to grab international attention. This criticism may be true up to some extent, but still we wouldn’t want anyone to go through such experiences.

The articles published on this website depict unbiased and true accounts of life in the UAE prisons. None of the facts are exaggerated, and none of the stories have been tailored in order to dramatize the experiences. All these articles are the one-on-one account of prison life as told by people who have served in the prisons of United Arab Emirates.

The articles are not restricted to any particular prison or any particular person. We will be adding accounts of life of prisoners who are currently lodged in some of the UAE prisons as well some who have already served their terms in contrary to the UAE Law.

AN INTRODUCTION – JABIR’S CASE:-
The right to livelihood cannot be subjected to individual fancies of the person in authority.

In sharp contrast with countries abiding by the Rule of Law, those who live and work in the UAE do not have the protection of Law. Those who have access to the corridors of power can violate the Law with impurity. Due to various considerations, economic and political, the countries from where people migrate do not protect their citizens.

Here in this case, the UAE authority cowardly committed cruelty and discrimination against a victim of police brutality. On the other hand, both the courts in Abu Dhabi, including Supreme Court, the legal court of appeal, were fully satisfied and praised the conduct of the victim throughout the judicial proceedings.

The offending State of UAE which is responsible vicariously for the crimes, torts and other illegal actions of its officials. The right to livelihood cannot be subjected to individual fancies of the person in authority. (Full Text)