Regional conflicts stimulate culture of ‘martyrdom’ in the UAE


Issue 1001 - 02 Oct 2015 | 5 minute read

Even before the many coffins were unloaded from military aircraft at Al-Bateen Executive Airport in central Abu Dhabi in early September, the creation on 19 August of a national Martyrs’ Day had established another focus for growing themes of nationalism and memorialisation of war dead in the UAE. No official death toll is available, but open-source monitoring of funerals and sheikhs’ visits to grieving families suggest that, as of mid-September, some 76 Emirati personnel had been killed abroad since the first casualty was sustained in Bahrain 18 months ago.

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