Our son, our brother, our hero
Emotional tributes for third officer to die in line of duty defending Yemen
DUBAI // Tributes poured in from all over the country yesterday for the third Emirati soldier to die in Operation Restore Hope.
Saif Youssef Ahmed Al Falasi, 35, a father of five, died in Yemen yesterday morning. He was laid to rest last night in Dubai.
The officer was the son and brother of every Emirati, said one of the mourners, Khalifah Omar, from Sharjah. “His death is not in vain. His name will be forever remembered. I pray for him and for his family.”
The officer’s body, wrapped in the flag of his country, had arrived on board a military plane at Al Bateen airport in Abu Dhabi. He was taken to Alia Sultan Lootah Mosque in Dubai, where dozens of people rushed to the car to help in carrying the body inside the mosque.
Emiratis from across the UAE came to the funeral service as a tribute to their compatriot. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister for Culture, Youth and Community Development, also joined the crowds and family members in prayers.
One mourner, Bakhit Al Katbi, from Sharjah, said: “I didn’t know him, but I came to pray for him and pay my respects.” Emiratis will give their lives to fight for freedom, and to help their Arab brothers, said Mr Al Katbi.
“He is the third hero who died in the line of duty. He brought our nation and his family great pride and honour.”
After the isha prayers, a family member recited the prayers for Al Falasi’s funeral, after which crowds gathered around as the body was taken by car to Al Qusais cemetery for the burial.
Saif Hasan, from Abu Dhabi, one of the dead officer’s military comrades, came to participate in the service. “Saif was known for his kindness and good virtues. May he rest in peace,” he said.
Ali Hussein, 19, from Al Warqa, was in tears as he watched the crowds leaving the mosque and heading for the cemetery.
“His death, and the death of the other two heroes, makes me want to join the Army after I finish my studies,” he said.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Foreign Minister, said on Twitter: “Saif Al Falasi has sacrificed himself to defend the rights of Arabs, may he rest in peace. My condolences to his family.”
Al Falasi was the second Emira- ti officer to die in Yemen. Lt Abdul Aziz Sarhan Saleh Al Ka’abi, from Al Ain, was killed while serving as part of the operation late last week. Last month, non- commissioned officer Hazim Obaid Al Ali, 40, died in Saudi Arabia during training exercises for the conflict. The operation, led by Saudi Arabia, is aimed at restoring to power the internationally recognised government of president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.
ABU DHABI // The new hatecrime law will have most effect when it comes to prosecuting religious and racial discrimination, experts said. The new law was hailed by religious leaders and scholars who saw it as a much-needed tool to protect society from religious extremism and crimes of discrimination.
With the full text of the act yet to be made public, residents were quick to question if the new law would apply to all forms of discrimination, such as job advertisements and discrepancies in salaries based on nationality, a practice that is common in the country.
But the legislation does not appear to be a law against all types of discriminatory acts.
“On the face of it, the law does not mean that individuals all have to be treated the same or that certain things can never be talked about, and the law does not appear to be a generic non- discrimination provision,” said Dr Richard Burchill, director of research and engagement at Trends, Research and Advisory in Abu Dhabi.
“The law is a response to the extremist views that attempt to exploit diversity and difference in support of violent activities. It is hoped that a law of this nature will foster further discussion and debate on the value and important of diversity and difference in our society.
“The new law gives a strong message that the UAE respects diversity and difference and that those who do not respect diversity will not be tolerated,” he said. He said that the law would need to be supported by efforts to educate society about what is and is not acceptable in discussions about religion, ethnicity or race. “The law does not seek to prevent discussions on these matters, what it is addressing is how extremists exploit diversity to further violent and destructive actions and seeking to prevent such actions and to use strong punishments as a deterrent. The police and judicial authorities also need to ensure training and awareness is a continual process and remains up to date so that the law can be applied in an effective manner,” he said.
Ahmed Al Anazi, 29, a cultural blogger said the new law was something he had always hoped to see enforced.
“Growing up in Abu Dhabi, I was used to seeing advertisements targeted at certain nationalities; something I never saw when I went to school in Canada. I kind of hoped that this would be applicable to the law here too when I heard of its enactment,” he said.
Zayed Al Shamsi, chief of the Emirates Association for Lawyers and Legal Advisers, said: “The law clearly specifies discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, creed, doctrine, race, colour or ethnicity.
“Nationality is applicable under those circumstances but there needs to be hate rhetoric involved. The law is very clear on the hate aspect of it.”
Mr Al Shamsi said job advertisements that were prejudicial in nature were discriminatory but were not necessarily inciteful of hate and violence, which the law covers in depth.
Hateful rhetoric, Mr Al Shamsi said, was any form of hate speech that promoted discrimination or violence.
“Ostracising other religious groups or individuals as infidels or unbelievers is also harshly penalised by the new law.
“We’ve seen cases in Egypt where people were publicly shamed and violent acts committed against them because they were called infidels by certain groups. Those kinds of acts are what the law does not tolerate.”
Verbal insults between individuals are not covered under this law, Mr Al Shamsi said. There are civil laws that govern this.