Today's Edition
Dr Yousef Abdullah Al Obaidli*
A video I came across on social media, on my phone, caught my attention. In it, a man spoke about the inner conflict a person may experience when weighing the benefits of emigrating – above all the job opportunities and the promise of a comfortable life – and the bitterness of leaving behind family, loved ones, and the homeland, with all the emotion, longing, and memories it holds.
I paused for a long while, reflecting on his words, on the choices, and on the hardships along both paths. A memory flashed through my mind: a conversation with a friend who worked at a church in Abu Dhabi. It was in the very midst of the Covid storm, when we were all changing the way we lived and keeping our distance from those we love out of concern for them. He called and asked to see me urgently. We met that evening at a café where we usually met, and I noticed a distance and a sadness in his eyes. He said: “I need to open up. I want to talk to you about something personal.”
He went on: “My assignment in Abu Dhabi has ended, and I must return to my country.” I was moved, not least because he was a man of fine character, and we had shared moments of real humanity. He said: “I have grown used to living in the UAE. The way of life here has become part of who I am, and an important part of how I built my family. My children are on the verge of independence and of going to university, and I was happy for them to continue their studies here in the Emirates. Life here means they can stay with me, under my roof. I do not know how things will turn out if we go back.”
The blessing of a homeland is beyond price – all the more so a secure homeland in which the greatest of blessings are made manifest, as our Prophet, the best of creation, may the finest prayers and peace be upon him, indicated: “Whoever among you wakes up secure in his home, sound in his body, with his food for the day, it is as though the whole world has been gathered for him.”
More than that, it is a homeland that safeguards a person’s dignity, family, faith, and identity, and that has enacted laws and established systems to ensure the UAE is the best place in the world to live and work. In 2026, the UAE ranked first globally for career development opportunities and the essentials of expatriate life, and fourth among the best destinations for expatriates, according to the Expat Insider 2026 ranking.
Has it ever occurred to you, dear Emirati reader, why you do not face this inner conflict between leaving and staying? Do I remain where my family and memories are, or go where the opportunities and work are? You should recognise that this is a blessing God has bestowed upon you. Many peoples endure the bitterest of hardships, and some are strangers even in their own land.
Here I recall the brutal attack on my beloved homeland during last Ramadan, when I happened to be abroad. The moment I heard the news, I rushed to an ATM to withdraw enough cash to help me return to the UAE should conditions worsen. With no flights available, I tried more than one route home. I found no peace of mind, and no reassurance, until my feet touched the soil of my dear homeland.
In truth, I will never forget the support and care I received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the UAE Embassy in that country, before I reached home. They made me feel that my homeland had not left me on my own. This, in short, is the security a homeland gives: we do not feel it until we lose it.
My conversation with my friend, whose assignment in the UAE had come to an end, touched on many themes, especially the way of life in the UAE and the respect every individual enjoys, whatever their culture, nationality or faith. This respect is the fruit of an Emirati model built on a firm principle: diversity is no threat so long as it rests on justice. Indeed, difference is a source of strength and richness for society. Here, the sense of being far from home fades, and the need to choose disappears.
The UAE is not merely a country that has provided its own people with a decent life; it is a homeland that has provided everything in one place. And as the world’s migration maps change year after year, the message remains the same: a homeland that brings families together and provides security and opportunity is never abandoned – it is the one people move to.
*Dr Yousef Abdullah Al Obaidli is an Emirati researcher.
