THERE is a thief among us. He walks and talks like me and may even look like me. But he isn't me.

I received a call the other day and was notified that some geezer had managed to get hold of my new credit card and then gone about using it at some shop or other.

Apparently it was one of those new cards they have been advertising that is supposed to improve safety.

It was sent through the post but it was hijacked on one of the back routes by some highwayman.

I can't remember the full story but there was definitely a stage coach involved.

Now his bloke then went about a shopping spree pretending to me, and the fraud squad at the bank clocked him almost immediately.

He made one monumental error in my opinion - he bought expensive items.

£90 for a pair of shoes - that's not our Shuiab. Those bank people aren't stupid you know.

£2.55 for some petrol. Who the hell puts £2.55 worth of petrol in a car? They should have locked him up in the petrol pump for even attempting.

By the time he'd bought some more stuff I think he reached the limit on the card.

You should have picked a rich man buddy because this brother is as skint as an Asian father at his daughter's wedding.

But it goes to show how easy it is for people to steal cards and your identity. So all be aware.

Talking of being skint the Muslim festival of Eid is due to take place over the weekend.

Having spent the last week trying to figure out what to wear I have to decided to go traditional this year and make an appearance in my jeans and T-shirt.

The Shalwar Kameez I had sent from Pakistan seems to be a bit baggy and with the wind picking up it is best not to take any chances.

And as is now customary at this time of year the roads will become gridlocked.

A pain for most of us.

But what can you do? Nothing.

A good old Saturday night out in the town centre but on wheels is the best way to describe it.

I will mostly be on foot patrol this Eid.

I suggest we all follow suit and make this year special.

And finally on a more sombre note if Yasser Arafat had been of any nationality other than Palestinian he would have been hailed as one the world's greatest freedom fighters.

A man who for forty years held together a population without a realistic hope of ever defeating one of the best equipped military machines in the world.

However, his demonisation in the west has meant the hopes of a peaceful solution have always backfired.

He was labelled a terrorist from day one.

And that label has remained in the minds of some who failed to see that Yasser Arafat was just as big a hero to his people as Robert the Bruce is to the Scots and Nelson Mandela to the South Africans.