"Youths and Knives, Extraneous Phenomenon and a Possible Crime"

 As usual, I was checking my daily emails on that day at early morning, and on a coincidence, one email caught my attention. It was a received email in my inbox from the Community Development Authority, inviting DWC students to attend an open panel discussion under the title "Youths and knives, Extraneous Phenomenon and a Possible Crime" in the InterContinental hotel in Dubai. All in a sudden, I felt super lucky to be given such a chance as me and my classmate Rawdha were working during the same time on a CSR awareness campaign in social media platforms under the same title “ minors and weapons”. Thus, we both agreed on taking advantage of this great coincidence, and decided to attend the event in order to have a bigger picture and knowledge of our in process campaign.

Therefore, On 19 April 2011 at 11 morning the panel discussion was kicked off, and were very excited to start. More than 100 participants were seated there, and they all were experts, professionals, and doctors in the field of the addressed issue of knifes and youths. The panel discussion was moderated by HE Dhaen Shaheen, Executive Director, and editor of AlBayan newspaper. The panelists were Khalid AlKamda General Manager of Community Development Authority, HE Ahmed Butti Dubai Customs Director General / CEO of Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone, the General Khalil Ibrahim Mohammed Al Mansouri, Director General Administration of Inquiries and Criminal Investigation Department at Dubai Police, HE Fatma Al Marri, CEO of Dubai Education Organization in the knowledge and human development Authority in Dubai plus Dr.Sheikh Ahmed Kubaisi.The event hall was full with a big number of wide range social specialist, psychologists and representatives of federal agencies and local communities from various ministries and government departments such as the Interior Ministry and the Executive Council of Dubai and AD Police, as well as a number of role officials and directors from the Ministry of education, Ministry of Social Affairs, Community Development Authority and representatives of media .

The panel discussion highlighted the significant and major elements of the social problem by rising meaningful and constructive conversations between the seated guests and participants to accomplish one main target, which is to cooperate with government and agencies within the UAE to agree on a common strategy and an effective program of actions to address the phenomenon of the usage of bladed weapons by Emirate youth and adolescents in fights.

Hence, to achieve that aim the panelists and the participants discussed the key factors and the root causes that enforce minors to be overly aggressive to the point of lending knives and other sharp metals to revenges or attack brutality in street melees, which something we as citizens have never seen before in the UAE. It just started to breach our society’s boundaries from 2006, and within only 6 years it shifted our well-known peaceful alleys to risky wrestling circuit with bladed weapons. Tens of dead bodies, hundreds of serious injures and wailing families and much more statistics were mentioned at the panel discussion proved the seriousness and disastrousness of the current spreading extraneous habit. 

 Experts started to analyze the reasons behind that, and they all concluded with an endless list of factors that vary from the surrounded environment effects, the living atmosphere conditions, family collapses, psychological illnesses, friends affects, absenteeism of the educational role in schools and the addiction on violence video games and movies.

However, I personally believe deep in heart that there is only major reason beyond Emirati youth and usage of knives; it is acting with immoral behaviors and the lack of the rooted ethical principles within their conscience. If an individual does not believe in respect to humanity, have no sense of responsibility and lack of self-awareness; it will surely lead to criminalizing. Some people claim that the Immaturity of the young criminal is the reason behind that, well I reply and say that this not an excuse anymore. People should understand that if it’s about Immaturity of youths and the uncontrollable anger they face, it just means one thing which is we will all be excused to hold knives when we feel angry in the future! Everyone will start blaming their anger, their Immaturity and other illogical justifications when they kill an innocent victim. Thus we need to recognize that the real reason exists within our souls, and the solution should be implanted in our children’s mind long time ago, but not when it’s too late. Punishment and penalty’s sentences will never heal the problem when people's lives are gone. We are the only ones, who have the key solution to erase that extraneous phenomenon in our society, but not police and courts nor prisons.

Deep thank and appreciation goes to Community of Development and all the participants of the event for taking such initiatives toward the society of the UAE. One thing I should point out here is that panel discussion opened my eye on one thing, which is the existence of such conscientious and trustworthy minds in our community that feels guilty if they didn’t cooperate in social protection and cohesion. We are truly gifted to have them.