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The Al-Mujadilah Centre and Mosque for Women opened its doors in January this year with an ambitious vision: to be a brave and dynamic place for Muslim women to learn, connect, and engage in public debate. Now, just six months later, thanks to the leadership of executive director Dr Sohaira Siddiqui, the center is already achieving its goals.Founded by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, the center aims to strengthen Islamic identity among Muslim women of all ages and backgrounds and to enrich contemporary Islamic discourse. Integral to executing the project is Dr Siddiqui, an associate professor of Islamic Studies and Theology at Georgetown University in Qatar.The centre honours the rich history of Muslim women as leaders and thinkers, focusing on research projects in Islamic texts, law, and ethics; Muslim women’s lives; and Muslim women’s health and well-being. “When I was first approached about Al-Mujadilah, I saw it as an exceptional opportunity to create a unique space for learning and discussion,” says Dr Siddiqui. The role allowed her to bridge her academic life and her deep understanding of the profound gap that remains in the study of Muslim women’s lives, past and present.Dr Siddiqui’s work at Al-Mujadilah is deeply connected to her academic pursuits. An accomplished scholar, Dr Siddiqui has published several books on the history of Islamic law. Her forthcoming book, Contesting Colonial Power: Refashioning Islamic Law in British India, explores how British colonial rule couldn’t wholly erase Islamic law. Starting from 1757, the book traces how Islamic law adapted and persisted within the common-law framework when the British East India Company attempted to replace Mughal authority and reshape the legal system to suit their administrative needs.At Al-Mujadilah, Dr Siddiqui's extensive research experience shapes the centre’s initiatives. The centre’s research and programming theme for the coming year, Muslim Women in Public Life: Possibilities and Challenges, explores how Muslim women have engaged in and contributed to society and public life from the inception of Islam to the present day. The centre will explore the various dimensions of women’s public involvement—as scholars, economic actors, patrons, or political agents—and how this has been shaped by cultural, religious, and political factors in diverse historical and contemporary contexts.

As part of the preparations for the 30th Anniversary of The International Year of The Family global conference, Qatar Foundation’s Doha International Family Institute (Difi) collaborated with the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva to lead a side event at the 56th session of the Human Rights Council.The event, which focused on the contribution of family-oriented policies in the promotion and protection of human rights, explored how the policies can address the impacts of megatrends – trends that have an effect on a global scale, such as technological change, urbanisation, migration, demographic change, and climate change – on the functioning and well-being of the family.Jawhara bint Abdulaziz al-Suwaidi, deputy permanent representative of Qatar in Geneva, stressed the role of the family in protecting its members and ensuring their human rights, noting Qatar’s investment in building strong and cohesive families.Nada al-Nashif, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said: “Families should be protected and assisted to provide an environment conducive to the growth and well-being of their members, given their role in promoting development, cohesion, and social integration.”Dr Sharifa al-Emadi, executive director of Difi, highlighted the pivotal role that the institute plays in developing and implementing family policies in Qatar and the Arab region, and discussed the preparations for the upcoming 30th Anniversary of The International Year of the Family.Dr al-Emadi added: “This global conference, which is taking place in Qatar in October 2024, will provide an interactive platform for leaders, policymakers, academics, experts, youths, NGOs, and relevant stakeholders to participate and discuss the impact of megatrends on families and their accompanying challenges.”

Katara Hospitality (KH) garnered widespread positive feedback from retired citizens on its new benefits package and sets a potential model for other companies and organisations in the country.KH’s initiative, which provides retirees with a 25% discount on all its properties in Qatar and globally, was designed to recognise their years of service and foster a stronger connection with the community.According to KH, retirees expressed their appreciation for the recognition shown by the company for their years of service. They are also excited for the opportunities to travel to new destinations and experience the hospitality industry firsthand, both in Qatar and internationally.“This initiative reflects our commitment to corporate social responsibility and community engagement. By recognising the contributions of our retired citizens, we aim to foster stronger community relations and support their well-being”, KH said.According to KH, the programme’s implementation has been smooth, working closely with the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority. It tapped local news outlets, government media channels, and its website and social media to ensure effective communication. A dedicated call centre team has been established to handle inquiries and provide support to retirees.Beyond the discounted rates, KH said it is actively exploring additional benefits and offerings to further enhance the experience for retirees. This includes initiatives designed to encourage them to explore Qatar’s diverse tourism offerings, further invigorating domestic tourism and showcasing the country’s unique assets to its citizens.“We believe that by creating exclusive discounts and benefits for retirees, we can not only boost domestic tourism in Qatar but also provide our retirees with the opportunity to discover our unique assets globally,” KH said, noting that this initiative is seen as a significant step towards establishing Qatar as a premier destination for both domestic and international travellers.KH added that the programme sets a high standard for corporate social responsibility and envisions it as a model for other companies and organisations in Qatar to follow.“We aspire to see other entities and companies within Qatar adopt similar benefits packages to retired citizens,” KH said. “The potential benefits are far-reaching, from increased customer loyalty, enhanced community relations and supporting retirees”.KH reiterated its broader vision for the hospitality sector in Qatar and internationally: to enhance the guest experience while contributing to the country’s tourism growth.“As Qatar’s flagship hospitality organisation, we are committed to our role in developing the country’s tourism sector in line with the Qatar Vision 2030, that leads the country on the path of economic diversification and recognises the hospitality industry as one of the strategic drivers in implementing this vision.“Some of our key initiatives are developing our assets in Qatar and abroad and enhancing the experience in our hotels. By focusing on these initiatives, we aim to create an exceptional hospitality experience that attracts visitors around the world while also showcasing Qatar’s rich culture and heritage,” KH said.

CrowdStrike’s recent technical glitch, which caused a massive global IT outage, has highlighted the importance of localising proprietary solutions in Qatar, offering a significant opportunity for the country’s tech startup ecosystem.Sofiane el-Abdi, cybersecurity practice leader at KPMG Qatar, also said Qatar’s approach to data sovereignty and localisation had minimised the impact of the incident.CrowdStrike’s software update glitch had brought about havoc on computer systems worldwide, affecting banks, airlines, and other service-oriented sectors.He noted that Qatar, including other countries, “is not yet open” to export the country’s data or utilise the cloud beyond its borders. “This strategy helped ensure that most of the operations in Qatar continued smoothly, even as systems elsewhere were affected,” el-Abdi told Gulf Times in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.El-Abdi emphasised that there is potential for startups in Qatar to capitalise on this strategy, citing most solutions are being offered by the US and other countries in the region. “But you don’t have any Qatar security solutions, which presents a clear opportunity for local startups to develop and offer security solutions tailored to the needs of Qatari organisations,” el-Abdi pointed out.“CrowdStrike has handled the incident well. But at the same time, it’s also an opportunity for Qatar to invest in their own solutions,” el-Abdi stated, adding that this investment could attract new startups and drive innovation within Qatar, reducing dependency on international vendors.El-Abdi also emphasised the role of the Qatari government in providing support to tech startups in the country. At the same time, he also acknowledged the need to bring in expertise from outside the country to develop these technologies.According to el-Abdi, the ability to market these solutions internationally is crucial for their success. “Even if Qatar serves as an initial market, these solutions need a lot of research and development (R&D). And this R&D will need investments from companies,” explained el-Abdi, who also emphasised that a healthy company needs access to international markets to sustain growth and development.Asked about the impact of the CrowdStrike incident on future discussions during upcoming Web Summit Qatar conferences, el-Abdi said the summit is “a good opportunity” to focus on resiliency.“What happened earlier was an IT incident and not a cyberattack,” clarified el-Abdi, who emphasised that focusing on resiliency could help prepare organisations for future incidents, ensuring continuity of operations even in the face of IT outages or cyberattacks.Some of the key lessons from the CrowdStrike incident to enhance Qatar’s resilience against similar threats include enhanced testing, including local developer testing and fault injections, el-Abdi further explained, adding that “we need to have local testing with some on-site developers when it is needed.”He also recommended improving deployment strategies to avoid widespread impact and ensuring robust monitoring and error-handling processes. El-Abdi also underscored the importance of user involvement in cybersecurity measures. “The users also need to be involved in those controls,” stated el-Abdi, who also called for validation checks and customer controls to ensure that updates do not negatively affect individual systems.For supporting the digitalisation of Qatar’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), el-Abdi called for strategic platform development to ensure segregation between companies.“We need to ensure that we differentiate the platforms and to differentiate the architecture to keep some kind of isolation between all companies and all SMEs,” el-Abdi explained, adding that this approach would prevent widespread impact from any single incident affecting the entire ecosystem.

Wealth management in the Middle East has long been synonymous with a conservative, almost monolithic approach to preserving and growing family fortunes. Traditionally, this has meant a classic distribution of equities, bonds, and real estate investments. However, in an era marked by rapid technological advancements, shifting global economic powers, and unpredictable markets, the age-old playbook for wealth preservation is showing its limitations. Vivium, under Founder Elie Khouri’s leadership, is challenging the status quo and redefining what it means to manage family wealth in the Middle East.Vivium presents a clear vision: wealth management and legacy-building ventures are ripe for innovation. With his keen eye for opportunity and a deep-rooted passion for entrepreneurship, Elie Khouri saw the evolving challenges as a call to action. He recognized that long-term value creation goes beyond traditional asset allocation. It’s about building businesses that endure and thrive through changing times.“Long-term value creation and building businesses that stand the test of time is what we should be striving for,” Khouri reiterates. Vivium embraces this ethos in its pursuit of diversity in investment, venturing boldly into traditional and alternative assets. Their approach stands out as well. Agility, collaboration with top-tier talent, and investments that resonate with personal interests and passions mark the cornerstones of its strategy. This dynamic approach reflects a broader trend among regional family offices, which increasingly adopt more active roles in their investment strategies, exploring new horizons beyond the familiar terrain of stocks and bonds.Despite always keeping up with the investment sphere, for nearly three past decades the main focus of Elie Khouri’s career was marketing. He followed a path from an advertising subsidiary of Omnicom in Cyprus to CEO of Omnicom Media Group MENA, now holding a title of a non-executive Chairman. After accumulating profound business experience, Elie reflects that it was only a natural move for him to set up Vivium in 2017, allowing him to build on previous achievements along with leaving a lasting foundation for his team and family. This move has also highlighted a distinct shift towards creating a business model that transcends traditional wealth management. Under Khouri’s leadership, Vivium focuses on more than just securing financial returns; it’s about identifying and nurturing game-changers that redefine industries.A notable aspect of Vivium’s forward-thinking approach is its partnership with Cassina, an authentic Italian luxury furniture outlet, as a venture that extends beyond business into personal passion. Khouri’s longstanding appreciation for Cassina’s design ethos is expressed in a unique collaboration that brings some of the finest luxury furniture and design offers to Dubai. Beyond investments, this partnership also bridges cultures, tastes, and histories, resulting in the curated spaces of Cassina’s Dubai store.“Cassina has been part of my life for over two decades,” Khouri explains. “Connecting with the Cassina team meant a lot to me personally and I wanted to share my passion with as many people as possible.” The Dubai-exclusive store has emerged after a foundational revamp of an old villa on Jumeirah Beach Road, with over 750 square meters of residence being transformed into contemporary space featuring designer furniture pieces. The interiors were curated by Patricia Urquiola, an Art Director of Cassina, creating an alignment between Cassina’s vision and Vivium’s values.Vivium footprint extends well beyond the Middle East, with strategic forays into European luxury real estate and partnerships with global design brands. The acquisition of VIVA Sotheby’s International Realty in Spain is a case in point, marking Vivium’s ambitious entry into the European market. The Spanish branch sets steady goals for growth with a planned expansion within the most exclusive locations in the country, with a special focus on Andalucía and Madrid, and the developments in the Balearic Islands and Costa Blanca regions. This move diversifies Vivium’s portfolio and enhances its global influence and capacity to shape luxury living standards.As Vivium continues to redefine the contours of family wealth management, it sets an example how Single-Family Offices can navigate the complexities of the modern financial world. Vivium is not just managing wealth; it is crafting the future of family legacy in the Middle East, turning visionary ideas into tangible realities that resonate with innovation, excellence, and a profound understanding of the value of design in our lives.

Vladimir Putin met Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in Moscow to discuss what the Russian leader described as an "escalation" in the Middle East, images on television showed Thursday.The meeting late Wednesday comes at a time when Russia, which saved Assad's government through its military intervention in 2015 during a civil war, could mediate to defuse tensions between Syria and Turkey.The first meeting of the two men since March last year comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan evoked the possibility of the three leaders meeting to try and normalise ties between Ankara and Damascus."Now we have come to such a point that as soon as Bashar al-Assad takes a step towards improving relations with Turkey, we will show him the same approach," Erdogan said.Turkey originally aimed to topple Assad's regime when the Syrian conflict erupted with the violent suppression of peaceful protesters in 2011 and backed rebels calling for his ouster.But more recently, Ankara has shifted focus to preventing what Erdogan in 2019 dubbed a "terror corridor" from opening up in northern Syria.Erdogan has long said he could reconsider ties with Assad as his government is working to ensure safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees.Turkey has launched a string of offensives in Syria since 2016 targeting Kurdish militias, Islamic State group jihadists and forces loyal to Assad.Pro-Turkish forces in Syria now control two vast strips of territory along the border.

Israeli forces retrieved the bodies of five Israelis held in the Gaza Strip after they were killed during Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, the military said Thursday.It said the bodies of Maya Goren as well as soldiers Tomer Ahimas and Kiril Brodski, along with Ravid Aryeh Katz and Oren Goldin -- military reservists -- had been returned to Israel following a rescue operation.The five had been previously announced dead, and the military and an Israeli campaign group, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, said that they all had been killed by Palestinian militants on the day of the attack.The military said the soldiers were killed in combat while fighting the militants on October 7.The attack by Hamas militants on that day resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Militants also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom remain in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.The bodies were recovered on Wednesday during an operation in Khan Yunis, the main city in the south of the Gaza Strip, the military said, more than nine months into the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas.Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, in a statement praising the rescue mission, said the military "will continue fighting Hamas until its defeat"."We are committed to returning the hostages home."The recovery of the bodies came days after the military launched a new assault on Khan Yunis. Israel said it was pulling troops from the city in April, after months of fierce fighting in the area.- Call for ceasefire deal -The Hostages and Missing Families Forum insisted that the Israeli government agree to a ceasefire deal that could help return the remaining captives.It said the recovery of the five bodies "is a crucial and decisive military action that provides their families with important closure and eternal rest for the murdered".In a statement on Thursday, the group added, "It is Israel's duty to return all the murdered for honourable burial and all living hostages for rehabilitation."Thursday's military announcement came after two Israeli communities, Nir Oz and Nir Yitzhak, said in separate statements late on Wednesday that the army had recovered the bodies of Goren and Goldin."Last night, we were informed that in a military rescue operation, the body of the late Maya Goren was recovered," the Nir Oz kibbutz community said, adding that her family had been informed and more information would follow.Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak said the army had returned Goldin's body."This evening, we were informed about the rescue operation for the late Oren Goldin, a member of the kibbutz emergency team, who fell on October 7" during the attack by Hamas militants, Nir Yitzhak said.Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,145 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), in collaboration with the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau, and the Ministry of Labor, has begun interviews for scholarship students for university studies for the academic year 2024- 2025, with all participating authorities from public and private sectors.Running until mid-August, the interviews primarily aim to introduce scholarship students to employers, ensure scholarship process is linked to market's needs.Acting Director of the Scholarships Department at MoEHE, Noura Mohamed Al Ansari, confirmed that the interviews are intended to help students, highlighting that MoEHE organizes orientation sessions that gather stakeholders and representatives from scholarship departments to imbue students with an overall information about these authorities, along with the nature of their work.Al Ansari added that MoEHE has expanded its efforts this year to guide and advise scholarship students and created committees within the scholarship administration to assist students who might need clarification about selecting the appropriate institution for their preferences.She stressed the importance of students' commitment to attending these interviews, primarily for their best interests, highlighting that MoEHE has offered essential facilitation for them, such as the possibility of attending online interviews for those who live abroad, and always seeks to address potential challenges that could face students.Human Resources Specialist at the Ministry of Finance, Nouf Al Suwaidi commended the Ministry's initiative to interview scholarship students, in collaboration with all state authorities, highlighting that it enhances cooperation among the authorities concerned with students' scholarships and perfectly determines their interests, in addition to setting appropriate plans to accomplish their educational goals.She pointed out that scholarship students at the Ministry of Finance have the priority in the field training, affirming that MoEHE is committed to effectively engaging with scholarship students to address any potential problems that might face them, in addition to helping them achieve their academic and career ambitions.For his part, Director of the Cybersecurity Policy Strategies Department at the National Cybersecurity Agency (NCSA), Abdulrahman Mohamed Al Shafi, affirmed that the NCSA has cooperated with MoEHE to hold interviews a with scholarship students so as to get them familiarized with the NCSA's job vacancies and include them in computing disciplines.He underlined that NCSA is committed to briefing scholarship students on training and career programs during their academic season, along with all updates in cybersecurity, affirming that the agency has launched initiatives to train them in preparation for joining the labor market, something that would shorten the career training process.Noteworthy, the participating authorities in the interviews of scholarship students represent sectors in critical need of qualified national cadres in various majors such as education, medicine, nursing, engineering, and technology. This would definitely achieve development plans and workforce planning in the public and private sectors. (QNA) K H M/M B QNA 1939 GMT 2024/07/24

Air traffic at Germany's Frankfurt airport has been temporarily suspended after activists from the climate group Last Generation managed to gain access to the airport grounds, police said on Thursday morning.According to dpa, several protesters entered through a fence in the early hours and glued themselves to the tarmac at Germany's biggest airport."All security authorities are currently working to resolve disruptions as quickly as possible," a spokesman for federal police stationed at the airport said.Six Last Generation activists had gained access to the airport's runways, calling for an end to fossil fuel use by 2030.

The 38th Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts, kicked off at the Jordanian Archaeological Site of Jerash, on Wednesday, proclaiming the launch of a special edition of cultural and art demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people. And Art, cultural, intellectual and folklore shows will commence at noon on Thursday.Jordanian Minister of Culture and head of the festival's supreme committee, Haifa Al Najjar, affirmed that this year's event comes to confirm solidarity for Arab causes, foremost of which, is the Palestinian question.CEO of the festival, Ayman Samawi, so far, emphasized that the current edition would not feature a concert for the first time in four decades, in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, highlighting that a fundraising program would be held, while 40 Jordanian, Arab, and foreign artists have donated the revenues of their art paintings to children in Gaza.The festival comprises an intellectual and cultural program that features a combination of poems during evening times, with the participations of poets from Jordan and Arab world, along with a conference on renaissance thought renewal, and short story transformations forum, in addition to hosting wide-ranging Palestinian events.

Weather inshore until 6:00 pm on Thursday will be very hot daytime with slight dust and some clouds at times, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report.Offshore, it will see some clouds at times, the report added.Wind inshore will be southwesterly to northwesterly 8 - 18 KT, gusting to 28 KT at places daytime.Offshore, it will be mainly southwesterly to northwesterly 5 - 15 KT, gusting to 21 KT at places at times.Sea state inshore will be 1 - 3 ft, rises to 4 ft at times.Offshore will be 2 - 4 ft, rises to 6 ft at times.Visibility inshore will be 4 - 10 km, while offshore, it will be 5 - 10 km.Area High Tide Low Tide Max------------------------------------------------------------------Doha 06:11 - 19:17 02:40 - 13:45 46Mesaieed 08:18 - 21:16 04:20 - 13:50 47Wakrah 07:25 - 20:23 03:26 - 13:24 45Al Khor 19:23 - 07:57 12:01 - 02:07 46Ruwais 07:57 - 19:54 02:07 - 14:01 38Dukhan 00:28 - 13:01 06:53 - 18:59 43Abu Samra 00:04 - 12:24 06:59 - 18:42 43Sunrise: 04:58 LTSunset: 18:22 LT----------------

Qatari innovator and entrepreneur, engineer Abdulrahman Saleh Khamis, has won the Arab Youth Excellence Award 2023 in the artificial intelligence sector. The prestigious award came for his innovative smart educational prayer rug “Sajdah”.Khamis received the award from Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy at a function, held at the headquarters of the League of Arab States (LAS) in Cairo.“The Arab Youth Excellence Award 2023 in the field of Artificial Intelligence aims to highlight the distinguished efforts of Arab youth to achieve leadership in all different fields, demonstrate the distinguished performance of Arab youth, enhance competitiveness among them, frame it scientifically, share their success stories, encourage their distinguished initiatives and honour the creative and distinguished among them,” Khamis told GulfTimes in a statement thanking everyone who supported him. Khamis is the CEO and co-founder of Qatari startup Thakaa Technologies, the company that markets Sajdah.Described as the first of its kind, the rug helps new Muslims and children learn to pray with the help of technology while guiding prayer training and helping recite the Holy Qur’an. With a built-in LED display, Sajdah supports Arabic, English, and transliterated Arabic.The text of the Holy Qur’an is displayed while a speaker helps the worshipper hear the voice of recitation and prayer while guiding him to the next action. Through the Sajdah mobile app the rug could be paired with smartphones and Apple Watch. Parts of the Holy Qur’an that the worshipper wants to display during the prayer could be set.Khamis conceptualised the idea as he was driven by the desire to help worshippers easily and fairly perform prayers. The idea was selected by Qatar Foundation (QF)’s Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) which supported Khamis to materialise his dream. It was displayed on QF’s edutainment TV show Stars of Science. Khamis was one of the finalists of the show.Also, Sajdah has so far several awards. These include Best Mobile App of the Year 2021 by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and gold medals in the International Invention Fair in the Middle East in Kuwait 2023, International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva 2023 and ITEX 2024 in Malaysia.