A Time of Mourning - 5 January 2006

5 January 2006 11:08 AM
A Time of Mourning

Dear Newsletter Readers,

Early on Wednesday morning, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE and ruler of Dubai Emirate, died. He was 62 years old and was visiting in Australia at the time of his unexpected death. The government of the UAE has declared a 40-day mourning period including the closing of government offices and institutions for seven days.

Offices and businesses closed at about mid-day on Wednesday. We had been already been scheduled to have Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off for the Muslim Eid holiday but now the preceeding Saturday and Sunday will also be vacation days for mourning, for a total of seven days.

In offering condolences, US Ambassador to the UAE, Michele J. Sison, said in part, "His vision, his humanity and commitment, as well as his remarkably kind and generous nature, will be greatly missed". (--Source: The Emirates News Agency, WAM, at the URL mentioned below.)

If you are interested in reading more about Sheikh Maktoum and his life and accomplishments as well as condolences from around the world, one good source is at URL http://www.uaeinteract.com/.

I hope you will take a moment to reflect on the life of a man, an Arab, who accomplished much good.

I will take this opportunity to answer for all of you a question asked of me before I came here.
The question: "Aren't all Arabs terrorists?"
The answer: No.
An expanded answer: No, and not all terrorists are Arabs.
A complete answer would include: Some terrorists are Americans (think of Timothy McVey, etc.).

"Judge not that ye be not judged."

Sincerely,
Pat