To everyone who has been swept up in the events of the past two weeks: I hope you and your families are well and safe. I can only imagine what recent events feel like for those of you who have never experienced anything similar.
The events unfolding in the UAE are unprecedented not only for this beautiful nation and the wider GCC, but for many of us.
Recent events have reminded me of something that happened many years ago, when I was still a child.
At the start of the first Gulf War, my parents and I were on a holiday in Italy. The moment my father learned that war had broken out, he immediately booked a flight and returned to Abu Dhabi. His priority was to make sure his team was looked after and that their end-of-service benefits were settled amid the uncertainty.
Once everything was in order, he came back to Italy to continue the holiday with us. When it ended, we returned together to Abu Dhabi.
In the weeks and months that followed, there was real fear that Saddam’s forces might advance all the way to the UAE. Several countries organised evacuations of their citizens. Some even distributed chemical protection suits and gas masks.
Our firm was the legal adviser to the embassy of one such country. As a result, we too received a set - including a child-sized one for me.
Around that time, he was offered evacuation.
I will never forget his response.
“Years ago, I made a choice to leave my country of origin. I will not make that choice again. I will not leave my adopted home.”
Today, some nations have been organising repatriations, not only for tourists that had been stranded here but also for their citizens who are residents. I see many around us who have evacuated or are preparing to.
Like my father before me, I am not evacuating. The thought has not even crossed my mind. This is my home. I was born here. I was raised here. My boys were born here. The firm my father built, our team, and our clients are here.
But I am angry. Furious.
As a parent of young children, I wanted my boys to grow up never having to experience war. Like all parents everywhere in the world.
I am also angered because my home, the UAE, has become embroiled in a mess that was not of its making, the repercussions of which will likely reverberate for generations on the world stage.
But I am also deeply grateful. I have so much to be thankful for.
To the many friends, colleagues, and even long-lost contacts from around the world who have reached out and continue to reach out to check on me and my family - thank you. Your messages mean so much more than you know.
We are safe. Just as importantly, we feel safe.
Like many families here, we have heard loud booms, felt them shake our homes, and seen trails across the sky, or a column of black smoke rising up from the ground. Some attacks have caused damage, and some have caused injury or loss of life.
Thankfully, such incidents have been rare and, fingers crossed, will be increasingly so. Social media, and sometimes even traditional news outlets, amplify these events to capture attention and generate revenue.
But this experience has shown me how much children take their cues from their parents. When we remained calm, so did they. Our boys have been remarkably resilient, unaffected, and insatiably curious.
Which is why I am deeply grateful to the UAE. I am in awe of how prepared the UAE has consistently shown itself to be in times of crisis. COVID. This war. We are incredibly blessed to be in a country that takes care of its citizens and residents. I am thankful not only for the protections and preparedness we benefit from, but also for the leadership and restraint they have shown in recent days.
To the members of the armed forces carrying the immense responsibility of defending the country in real time, where decisions must be made in seconds, and the margin for error is non-existent: Thank you. Your service deserves our deepest respect.
The unfortunate reality is that the world is more uncertain than it once was. I will not allow fear and uncertainty to interrupt our way of life any more than it absolutely has to.
Perhaps this resilience too is part of the duty we owe to the country we call home.
As a lawyer, part of that duty is to continue advocating for the importance of the rule of law, where all are equal before the law, and for the peaceful resolution of disputes.
As a firm, we at Salloum & Partners LLC are carrying on as usual. Of course, we are adapting and taking precautions where needed.
We have faith: this too shall pass.
Every night since the attacks began, the Zayed National Museum, like many other landmarks around the country, has been lit up in the colours of the UAE flag - a beacon of hope and optimism in the face of adversity.
The UAE will bounce back from this. Like it has weathered every prior crisis. Changed, perhaps, but stronger.
Meanwhile, we will remain steady, prepared, and supportive of one another.
Much love to you all.
To everyone who has been swept up in the events of the past two weeks: I hope you and your families are well and safe. I can only imagine what recent events feel like for those of you who have never experienced anything similar.
The events unfolding in the UAE are unprecedented not only for this beautiful nation and the wider GCC, but for many of us.
Recent events have reminded me of something that happened many years ago, when I was still a child.
At the start of the first Gulf War, my parents and I were on a holiday in Italy. The moment my father learned that war had broken out, he immediately booked a flight and returned to Abu Dhabi. His priority was to make sure his team was looked after and that their end-of-service benefits were settled amid the uncertainty.
Once everything was in order, he came back to Italy to continue the holiday with us. When it ended, we returned together to Abu Dhabi.
In the weeks and months that followed, there was real fear that Saddam’s forces might advance all the way to the UAE. Several countries organised evacuations of their citizens. Some even distributed chemical protection suits and gas masks.
Our firm was the legal adviser to the embassy of one such country. As a result, we too received a set - including a child-sized one for me.
Around that time, he was offered evacuation.
I will never forget his response.
“Years ago, I made a choice to leave my country of origin. I will not make that choice again. I will not leave my adopted home.”
Today, some nations have been organising repatriations, not only for tourists that had been stranded here but also for their citizens who are residents. I see many around us who have evacuated or are preparing to.
Like my father before me, I am not evacuating. The thought has not even crossed my mind. This is my home. I was born here. I was raised here. My boys were born here. The firm my father built, our team, and our clients are here.
But I am angry. Furious.
As a parent of young children, I wanted my boys to grow up never having to experience war. Like all parents everywhere in the world.
I am also angered because my home, the UAE, has become embroiled in a mess that was not of its making, the repercussions of which will likely reverberate for generations on the world stage.
But I am also deeply grateful. I have so much to be thankful for.
To the many friends, colleagues, and even long-lost contacts from around the world who have reached out and continue to reach out to check on me and my family - thank you. Your messages mean so much more than you know.
We are safe. Just as importantly, we feel safe.
Like many families here, we have heard loud booms, felt them shake our homes, and seen trails across the sky, or a column of black smoke rising up from the ground. Some attacks have caused damage, and some have caused injury or loss of life.
Thankfully, such incidents have been rare and, fingers crossed, will be increasingly so. Social media, and sometimes even traditional news outlets, amplify these events to capture attention and generate revenue.
But this experience has shown me how much children take their cues from their parents. When we remained calm, so did they. Our boys have been remarkably resilient, unaffected, and insatiably curious.
Which is why I am deeply grateful to the UAE. I am in awe of how prepared the UAE has consistently shown itself to be in times of crisis. COVID. This war. We are incredibly blessed to be in a country that takes care of its citizens and residents. I am thankful not only for the protections and preparedness we benefit from, but also for the leadership and restraint they have shown in recent days.
To the members of the armed forces carrying the immense responsibility of defending the country in real time, where decisions must be made in seconds, and the margin for error is non-existent: Thank you. Your service deserves our deepest respect.
The unfortunate reality is that the world is more uncertain than it once was. I will not allow fear and uncertainty to interrupt our way of life any more than it absolutely has to.
Perhaps this resilience too is part of the duty we owe to the country we call home.
As a lawyer, part of that duty is to continue advocating for the importance of the rule of law, where all are equal before the law, and for the peaceful resolution of disputes.
As a firm, we at Salloum & Partners LLC are carrying on as usual. Of course, we are adapting and taking precautions where needed.
We have faith: this too shall pass.
Every night since the attacks began, the Zayed National Museum, like many other landmarks around the country, has been lit up in the colours of the UAE flag - a beacon of hope and optimism in the face of adversity.
The UAE will bounce back from this. Like it has weathered every prior crisis. Changed, perhaps, but stronger.
Meanwhile, we will remain steady, prepared, and supportive of one another.
Much love to you all.
