Abu Dhabi: UK’s biggest cycling magazine, Cycling Weekly, recently published an article by world-famous Dutch cyclist, Theo Bos, praising the noble manners and ethics of the UAE people.
Bos told the magazine about his personal experience after suffering a minor accident while participating in the recent Abu Dhabi Tour.
The 32-year-old athlete explained that he fell off his bike in stage two of the race, and was transferred by ambulance to an Abu Dhabi hospital for treatment. “After receiving the proper treatment, I went to the pharmacy so that I could buy the prescribed medicine. When I reached out to pay, I remembered that I had no money because I was wearing my sports suit. An Emirati lady who was waiting in line with her son understood my dilemma and insisted on paying the bill, saving me from an embarrassing situation,” he said.
“I took the medicine and waited in front of the hospital for my teammates to pick me up and drive me back to the hotel where we were staying, but nobody came for me. I was trying to get a taxi when the same lady, Afraa Al Muhairi, who turned out to be an employee at Abu Dhabi Police, insisted on taking me to the hotel in Yas Island in her private car.”
“At first I felt a bit embarrassed, but again she insisted. There was an empty seat next to the driver, and I needed to get back to my teammates, so I accepted her help. More surprisingly, she insisted on giving me her mobile phone to call my mother in Holland and reassure her. On top of it all, she told the driver to stop at a restaurant and bought me food and water. This kind of gesture reflects the noble humanitarian values of the welcoming people of the UAE, and their high sense of ethics that we rarely see in other countries.”
Bos told security media officials that he had fully recovered and that he was planning to visit the UAE again to acquaint his fiancée with this generous country and its noble and kind people. He also confirmed his wish to meet Al Muhairi to thank her for her generous gesture, and said that she represents what all women around the world should be like.
Colonel Mubarak Awadh Mubarak Bin Muhairom, director-general of Community Protection and Crime Prevention at Abu Dhabi Police, said: “Such noble gestures are no stranger to the sons and daughters of [Shaikh] Zayed [Bin Sultan Al Nahyan], or to the police staff members. Such incidents are a common occurrence, only a few come under the spotlight. The UAE people are used to doing good deeds, but they don’t try to show off. This reflects their genuine Arab ethics and values, and their goodwill to do what they consider a natural duty towards others.”
For her part, Afraa, who works at the Finance and Support Services at Abu Dhabi Police, stressed that any Emirati woman would do the same in a similar situation, driven by the values and ethics that she had inculcated. “These ethics stem from our traditions and religion, which call for helping the needy and being generous to our guests,” she added. She also expressed her happiness and pride at the Dutch cyclist’s reaction, which mirrored a fraction of the genuine ethics and behaviour of the Emirati people.
