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Articles by Khalid Al Ameri
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Now Showing: Extreme gemstone tests; the micropave ring trend; and inside the City of Gold
Search Stories by: and/or Now Showing Posted October 11, 2020 | Take a few moments to enjoy Jeweller's video selection including updates on current affairs and insights into our jewellery trade. This week, watch scientists destroy gemstones to identify them, learn the pros and cons of the hugely popular micropavé setting, and take a look inside Dubai's City of Gold.
Khalid Al Ameri | A Tomorrow Too Far
Have you ever had that moment where, all of a sudden, you remember something that you said or did in the past, the severity of which you only realized later on? That sharp inhalation, shortness of breath, the flush of humiliation, the sick lurching in the pit of your stomach as you recall hurtful words, or an action that was so clearly displeasing to Allah… it is a very physical reaction, a recoiling from your own past deeds.
Why Abu Dhabi is the best city to live in from a man who has been here all his life
Abu Dhabi was recently named the second-best city in the world to live and work in by Ipsos, a research firm based in France. As a born-and-bred “Abu Dhabian”, it’s great to see the city I call home get the global recognition it deserves. Abu Dhabi’s leaders, organisations and people seem to be working around the clock to develop a city on a par with global hubs around the world.
Life lessons: There's more to work than a fancy office
This week, the Middle East Public Relations Association hosted a majlis to discuss the new world and new approaches communications professionals find themselves facing in the ever-changing landscape of technology and digital communications. I had the honour of sitting on a panel that discussed the changing impact of regional influencers – I was coming from the perspective of sharing my journey on leaving a corporate job to follow a career in social media. I have long been a storyteller at heart.
Life lessons: Freelance plunge is tough but rewarding
I usually use this column to write about social issues and current affairs within the UAE. I try to focus on the changes and transformations that are happening in our rapidly evolving country, what we can do to embrace and be part of that change, and how it’s setting up the next generation for a brighter and more sustainable future.
Life lessons: Principles from former Dubai principal case
Mahatma Gandhi said that a journalist’s peculiar function is to read the mind of the country and to give definite and fearless expression to that mind. Journalism plays a critical role in the development of any society. It’s a driving force for social progress, thought and expression. It informs the public on important matters; it holds entities and people accountable for their actions and decisions; and it’s a strong platform for dialogue on topics and issues that impact people the most.
Life lessons: Time to change attitudes to manual work and worth
I read a quote that said: "If you think you’re too big for the small jobs, then maybe you are too small for the big jobs." The quote was a play on words to state that someone who thought certain types of work were below them didn’t have the mentality, maturity, or experience to earn a high-profile job. We have two problems in the Gulf countries when it comes to manual labour or blue-collar work.
Life lessons: How boardrooms stack up on gender diversity
‘Most of my team are women" were the words posted to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s Instagram account on International Women’s Day last month. He then called on leaders across the UAE to celebrate the women in their teams. It was then that I started thinking of the role women play at a leadership level in organisations across the country, more specifically the capital.
Life lessons: Water is one of life’s essentials, so why are we charged for it in the UAE?
We have two customs in our family when guests visit our home – one is offer them tea or coffee once they have sat down, and whether they take the beverage or not, we bring them a glass of water. It is a sign of hospitality and one which has deep roots in the UAE, both culturally and religiously. It is a way to make guests feel comfortable and more at home in an environment in which they may not be used to.
Life lessons: community service can help control crime
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department has issued its first community-service sentence to a young man for reckless driving, hitting a pedestrian by accident and putting the lives of bystanders in danger. This sentence was in line with a recent update to the UAE’s federal penal code. No specifics were given regarding the length of this specific sentence, but according to high-level details regarding community service, it will now be used to punish certain offences for no less than six months.
Life lessons: Taking the first step of a happiness journey
When Thomas Jefferson drafted the American Declaration of Independence, "the pursuit of happiness" was an inalienable right in his first article. Whenever I hear politicians or business leaders talk about happiness, I always wonder how they define it so easily. If the billions of people around the world are all different, then different things should make us happy.
Life lessons: Battle for against extremists and terrorists is waged online
‘I say to you that we are in a battle, and that more than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media." These were the words in a letter written in 2005 by Ayman Al Zawahiri, who was the deputy leader of Al Qaeda at the time. Al Zawahiri was concerned that the images of beheadings and cruelty in Iraq would turn Muslim people away from Al Qaeda and their vision for the future; that they would lose the battle for their hearts and minds.
Life lessons: Jobs rethink can help the country to grow
Every day when my dad would get home from work with his briefcase, he would put it down beside the TV, because that is where my brothers and I would be sitting, glued to the screen, waiting for him to come home. When we would visit my grandparents in Scotland, I remember my late grandfather walking in from work with a briefcase, then we would then sit down and talk before we got ready for an early evening meal.
Life lessons: Why we should strive for a more adult working day
Work, or the "real world" that our parents talked about as we grew up, is a pretty similar process throughout the world. We show up in masses in the morning, sit in our offices or cubicles for eight or more hours, then leave in the evening. From a cultural perspective in the UAE that is how work is defined, and if you do anything else, explaining it to others seems awkward because it doesn’t fit into a traditional definition we have of work.
Life lessons: Can the UAE skip public transport for driverless plan?
When I visited Kenya with my classmates for a global study trip, they had a mobile-phone payment platform called M-Pesa – the "M" stands for mobile; Pesa is Swahili for money. M-Pesa, launched in 2007, allows users to perform a range of financial transactions through their mobile phone, including deposits, withdrawals, transfers and paying for goods and services, and the phone doesn’t have to be a smartphone, either – transfers and payments can be made via SMS.
Life lessons: Prepare our youth to become leaders of tomorrow
The annual World Government Summit tagline is that it is a global platform dedicated to shaping the future of government worldwide. Political, business and social leaders from all over the world gather to share their knowledge and insights into the current affairs of the world and discuss how we can build a better tomorrow.
Life lessons: Proactive workers will soon overtake reactive rivals
I remember reading an article in which Minister of State for Youth Shamma Al Mazrui discussed her role and what she would like to achieve. What stood out was when she said her goal was to become "the voice of their aspirations before the leadership".
The significance of the new visa rules unpacked
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, says the Cabinet had agreed to a new visa system to attract exceptional talent to this country in sectors such as science, health care, research and technology. Although no details have been given as to what the new visa will look like, this initiative seems to go hand-in-hand with the UAE’s strategy to build a country at the cutting edge of economic and social development.
Life lessons: Special Abu Dhabi welcome for very special athletes
In 1962 Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of John F Kennedy, started a day camp for children with mental disabilities. The camp, which was named Camp Shriver, began operations on her own farm in Maryland, United States, to offer children an outlet to engage in physical activities and sports. As many health, emotional and psychological advantages can be gained through sports, she felt it was unfair that these advantages couldn’t be extended to children with intellectual challenges.
Life lessons: ‘My mother is British ... but I am 100 per cent Emirati’
What defines an Emirati? Interestingly, in a society where tribes and traditions still hold deep roots, a lot of what is used to identify an Emirati is based on what is seen on the surface. Your name, tribe, the way you look or the way you talk. Speak a little differently and you raise eyebrows. If your skin is a little too dark or a little too light, people start wondering what your story is.
Life lessons: Abu Dhabi is the best place for a new SeaWorld
The late Mahatma Gandhi said that "the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated". So when the President, Sheikh Khalifa, issued a Federal Law to directly address the issue of animal cruelty in the UAE we knew exactly where the country’s moral compass was pointing.
Life lessons: Brand prestige shouldn’t prevent private-sector work
On an episode of the popular television show House of Cards, the American president, played by Kevin Spacey, announces an initiative to create 10 million jobs in America, where anyone who’s unemployed and wants a job will get one. In a speech, he says: "Entitlements have crippled the country. Let me be clear, you are entitled to nothing; you build your future, it isn’t handed to you".
Life lessons: Let us - Emiratis and expats - join together as friends
I met a friend who was visiting for the holidays; he grew up in Abu Dhabi but went to the United States to study at university. He has lived and worked there ever since. We reminisced – we both studied in the US – and after arguing over which side of America is better (he studied on the East Coast, me on the West), we then discussed how much the UAE has changed since we were at high school. More importantly, we focused on the pace at which that change has come.
Life lessons: Students are never too young for work experience
As I was scrolling through my Instagram for the fifth time before I slept I saw a meme that was all too familiar. The meme was of an interviewer saying: "We are looking for someone between the ages of 22 and 26 with 30 years experience." It made me laugh as it brought back memories of job rejections after graduating from university due to my lack of experience. It made no sense. I will always remember thinking how I was supposed to get job experience if every job required job experience.
How the UAE’s generous spirit will rise to the ‘giving’ challenge
ABU DHABI // The President, Sheikh Khalifa, has decreed that 2017 will be the Year of Giving. This could be one of the most transformational experiences we will go through as citizens and residents of the UAE. Just last month I was given the opportunity to go on a mission with Dubai Cares to help build schools in Senegal, and it changed my life.
Life lessons: Unexpected roles can help to change perceptions
A Lebanese former colleague used to travel back to Lebanon at least once a month to visit family and friends. I remember him telling me that one of the things he loved most in his home country was being served by his compatriots. If he went to a restaurant, a Lebanese waiter served him. If he went to get his car fixed, a Lebanese mechanic fixed his car. If he went to get his hair cut, a Lebanese barber cut his hair. I wondered what the big deal was. His response was: "We just get each other.
Mental health in the UAE: Khalid Al Ameri on why it’s good to talk about your problems
I graduated from high school in 2001. In those days, the most popular graduating song was Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by punk-rock band Green Day. It includes the memorable lyrics: "It’s something unpredictable, but in the end is right, I hope you had the time of your life." Young, careless and hopeful for the future, we saw the song as a way to wish each other happiness wherever we may end up. We did not focus so much on the unpredictability and all that could go wrong.
Khalid Al Ameri: How ‘sharing economy’ can train Emiratis for future
Just over a year ago I conducted a social experiment as a taxi driver behind the wheel of a Careem taxi. Careem is a Dubai-based transportation company, founded in 2012, that allows customers to request a taxi via a smartphone app either immediately or for a later time. In a country where it is a battle to stand on the street under the summer sun for half an hour waiting for a taxi, this technology and service was greeted with a very warm welcome from citizens and residents alike.
Khalid Al Ameri: How the sharing economy can train Emiratis for future
Just over a year ago I conducted a social experiment as a taxi driver behind the wheel of a Careem taxi. Careem is a Dubai-based transportation company, founded in 2012, that allows customers to request a taxi via a smartphone app either immediately or for a later time. In a country where it is a battle to stand on the street under the summer sun for half an hour waiting for a taxi, this technology and service was greeted with a very warm welcome from citizens and residents alike.
Mental health in the UAE: Why do Emiratis face challenges in becoming psychologists?
When Sheikha Al Zaabi decided to switch her major from marketing to psychology, her parents initially opposed the idea. Their objection? The "negative stigma" many Emiratis associated with mental-health issues, says the 21-year-old, who graduated with a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Zayed University during the summer. "They soon turned around after they saw how well I was performing and how happy the subjects made me," says Al Zaabi, who lives in Abu Dhabi.
The majlis: Wearing national dress in the UAE can work for us all
When Steve Jobs was the chief executive of Apple, he was known for his black turtleneck, jeans and trainers during his public key notes. Mark Zuckerberg wears a grey T-shirt and jeans to work every day and one of America’s greatest inventors, Dean Kamen, who invented the Segway, always wears a denim shirt, jeans and work boots. Here in the UAE, we have the kandura and the abaya, our national attire that we wear proudly. We all wear the same thing every day.
Khalid Al Ameri: Mental health can be hard to treat if you don’t know what the problem is
I remember being in a supermarket and seeing a young boy crying beside his dad. The father kept saying to his son: "Stop crying, you’re a man." Now, we may think this is just a father asking his son to grow up, but what the child understands is pretty simple: crying is not good; if I cry, I am not a man.
Observing life: The powerful impact that words can have on a child
I remember being in a supermarket and seeing a young boy crying beside his dad. The father kept saying to his son: "Stop crying, you’re a man." Now, we may think this is just a father asking his son to grow up, but what the child understands is pretty simple: crying is not good; if I cry, I am not a man.
The majlis: What defines a social-media influencer?
It’s the latest craze that has taken over the Middle East. Companies are rethinking their marketing budgets while others are still trying to figure out what to make of it all. It has even become a popular career option for youth in the Arab world. Any young woman or man with access to a phone and decent internet has a fighting chance at it. Gone are the days when children wanted to become policeman, astronauts or doctors. Welcome, the "influencer".
The majlis: We can now enjoy a home away from home - at home
My 7-year old son Khalifa loves to travel. Every time he sees a plane in the sky, he will ask, without fail, when we’re going on our next adventure. It doesn’t help that we live in Khalifa City A, five minutes away from Abu Dhabi airport, so you can imagine how many planes he sees over the course of the day. My wife and I have a pretty good idea of what he’s going to be when he grows up: an international journalist travelling and telling stories from around the world.
Emirati youth must learn to value hard work
Recently Al Bayt Mitwahid (Arabic for, “Our House Is United”) conducted a survey on UAE youth about their views on issues surrounding well being, career and quality of life. The results were interesting and not that surprising on the high end where 80% of young Emiratis had national pride as a top value, and gave their happiness a score of 8.7 from 10. This is continued proof that the UAE has and continues to spare no effort in ensuring the prosperity and stability of its citizens.
It’s time UAE society valued character more highly than cars
A recent government survey showed that 83 per cent of Emiratis aged 18 to 24 who had taken out a loan did so primarily to buy a car, far outstripping those borrowing to buy a house. I know we are a country that likes cars, but the extent to which many of our youth would start their lives in debt is something I am still trying to wrap my head around.
Every Emirati who can, ought to teach
It was one of those moments when everything was clear – I could feel the drive in me as soon as I read the editorial Emiratisation in education must succeed in The National. It accelerated as I read statements such as “The lack of male educators is acute in the UAE because of a perception that teaching is not an appropriate profession for men”.
Let’s give our youth the same sense of purpose as the UAE
It’s a Saturday afternoon, my wife and two boys are dressed and ready to head out. It’s family day, a day dedicated purely to each other, no interruptions. As we stumble out the door trying to ensure our two- year-old doesn’t make a run for it, we do a check that we have everything, buckle up and head into Abu Dhabi for food, fun and everything in between. Our regular spot these days for lunch is The Galleria on Al Maryah Island, in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s upcoming business district.
In the UAE’s marriage debate, we have to stop looking back to the past
In 1982, my father, a young Emirati, married my mother, a young woman from Falkirk in Scotland, where he was completing his studies. They moved to Abu Dhabi a year later, my father to work as an accountant, my mother as a nurse. It was here they raised a family of three boys. My mother sometimes talks of the difficulties she encountered here in the 1980s. She would tell us stories of how she would always wait for my father to arrive home at night.
Ibolya Ryan is the real story, not social media chatter
For some, it was a day the UAE stood still. No one could make sense of teacher Ibolya Ryan’s murder in an Abu Dhabi shopping mall on Reem Island. Why Ibolya Ryan? Why this innocent life? We are starting to get some answers from the authorities, but the process of closure for family, friends and the community is hard.
We are a country striving to achieve so much more
When I used to dream as a child, my parents would always tell me “Khalid, for anything you want in life, work hard, be an example for others”. That reminder has pretty much shaped who I am as a husband, father, student and citizen of my country. Hard work has always been a large part of who I am – my dad made sure of that – but living abroad for two and a half years and recently returning to this country has given me a lot of time to reflect. What exactly is the example I am trying to set?
Good leadership is rooted in vision and transparency
In a recent article, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman outlined how Arabs elsewhere compared their struggling situations to the social and economic progress of the UAE and more specifically Dubai. In an article titled Did Dubai do it?, he outlines the growth of business, education and arts, the rise of government-backed ventures to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, and new global media companies shedding light on the success stories from within the UAE.
Living abroad broadens the mind and helps the UAE
During a recent gathering of family and friends the topic of our different experiences while living abroad came up. To be more specific, our experiences while studying in the US, the UK, Australia and Europe. Those experiences for the most part were filled with laughter, adventures and plenty of awkward moments.
Khalid Al Ameri | A Natural You
by Khalid Al Ameri Take a moment to think about the sheer diversity of the world, the different races, colors, cultures, languages and religions. The different things people do to make a living; the different ways people spend their time and how we all in our own unique way chose to share our lives with others.
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