Hidayath Addoor re-elected as UAE BCCI president; Mushtaq Kadri named general secretary
Dubai: Hidayath Addoor has been re-elected as president of the UAE unit of the Bearys Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) for the 2026–2028 term. The decision was taken at the organisation’s annual general body meeting held on Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Jumeirah, Dubai.
The meeting was held under the patronage of Dr Thumbay Moideen, founder chairman of the Thumbay Group and chief patron of BCCI. This marks Hidayath Addoor’s second consecutive term as president. During his previous tenure, BCCI had organised the ‘Beary Sammelana’ in Dubai in February 2025, which was widely described as a landmark event for the community’s business network.
At the same meeting, Mushtaq Kadri was elected as general secretary, while Hamza A. Khader was chosen as treasurer. Ashraf Shah Mantur was elected as convener.
Basheer Kinningar and Abdul Rauf (Abu Dhabi) were elected as vice-presidents, while Ansaf was chosen as secretary. Altaf M. was appointed in charge of media and communication. Mohammed Ali Uchil and Ashraf Balehonnur were named advisors.
Anwar Hussain Addoor, Saleem Moodbidri, Sufi Anwar and Shoaib were elected to the executive committee of the UAE unit of BCCI.
The meeting began with a recitation from the Quran by Ashraf, following which Ashraf Shah Mantur welcomed the members. Anwar Hussain Addoor presented the annual report, and Hamza A. Khader tabled the statement of accounts.
During the meeting, BCCI announced that entrepreneurs from the Beary community who are doing business in the UAE can register with the organisation. Interested business owners can contact BCCI and apply for membership by writing to bcciemirates@gmail.com.
BCCI said it will support newly registered members through business empowerment initiatives, networking events, seminars, business promotion activities and guidance for new start-ups. The organisation also plans to help entrepreneurs adopt new technologies, including artificial intelligence-based business tools, and provide guidance on dealing with present-day business challenges. BCCI has appealed to Beary entrepreneurs in the UAE to extend their cooperation and support to strengthen the platform.
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“Ghar Wapsi” VHP reacts to AR Rahman’s remarks on lack of work in Bollywood
New Delhi: The A. R. Rahman’s recent comments about not getting work in Bollywood have drawn a strong reaction from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal on Saturday said that if Rahman wanted to get work again, he should “ghar wapsi”. His comments came after Rahman suggested that he may have lost work in the Hindi film industry over the past eight years, possibly due to communal reasons.
Reacting to this, Bansal alleged that Rahman had come to be identified with a particular group. He also claimed that Rahman appeared to be following the line of former Vice President Hamid Ansari, alleging that Ansari had enjoyed benefits and constitutional positions for ten years but later made statements that, according to him, insulted India.
Continuing his criticism, Bansal said that Rahman was once admired by Indians, including Hindus, but instead of reflecting on why he was not getting work, he was making remarks against the system and bringing disrepute to the film industry. He further claimed that Rahman was once a Hindu and questioned why he converted to Islam, adding that “ghar wapsi” could help him get work again. Such statements, he said, may suit politicians but not artists.
Rahman had made the remarks during an interview to the BBC Asian Network. In the interview, he said that for several years he had felt like an outsider in Bollywood and that he had not received work for the past eight years. Speaking about possible reasons, he said it could be communalism, though he added that it was not something directly in front of him.
Rahman also said he was not chasing work and that everything was fine. He added that he now had more time to spend with his family and believed that work should come to him based on honesty and merit, and that he would get what was meant for him.
