AL SILA // Mariam Juma, an Emirati citizen, says she lives in fear of being thrown out of her home because her husband is one of the stateless.
The couple, who live in Al Sila, in the far west of Abu Dhabi, married in 1995 but Mrs Juma's husband Ibrahim, originally from Iran, has not been able to resolve his status.
His lack of paperwork, they say, means he has been unable to get regular employment to support his four children, with a fifth on the way.
A house, too, is beyond them. For their entire married life the Jumas have been renting two rooms. Now, they say, they face eviction because their building is being reclaimed for the use of Emirati citizens.
Mrs Juma says if her husband were to be granted citizenship it would change everything. His application is to be considered on Nov 12.
"I am living in fear of the day we are evicted," she says. "Where else do they expect us to live? We have been married for more than 10 years and he is still being treated as a bidoon. We want to feel settled with our children; we need to feel secure."
If he gets citizenship, says Mr Juma, "everything will open up in front of me for myself and my children. I will have job security and a decent place to live."
Mr Juma works as a security guard, although the work is infrequent and poorly paid. He has been unable to renew his driving licence since it expired a year ago - another result, he says, of his stateless status.
The family cannot even consider moving closer to Abu Dhabi in search of work and a better home; in their current economic state, they simply could not afford the rent.
"We just want to feel secure in our home and have a sense of belonging," says Mrs Juma.
Mr Juma's brother-in-law, Abdullah, lives nearby with his wife and three children in a single room in his father-in-law's rundown home.
The young family say they have repeatedly visited the municipality to try to improve their situation but have been told that as they are stateless the state owes them nothing.
"We came here as Arabs from Iran because the Emirates had a good reputation and we wanted to be with our Arab brothers," says Mohammed Ali, 55, Mr Juma's uncle and Abdullah's father-in-law.
To make a living, he washes dead people before burial in Al Sila's cemetery. His six girls and two boys still live with him and his wife and, although his eldest son is 27 years old and holds a high-school degree, he can find no work.
Mr Ali came to the Emirates in 1985 with his mother, Mariam Omran Issa, who shares the small, crowded home. She is the only one of the family who can boast Emirati citizenship. "It's just luck that I got it and they didn't," she says.
Despite the problems, Mrs Issa does not regret her decision to come to the Emirates to create a new life. "Back in the islands where we lived, life was hard," she says. "We were very poor and there was no food or work. We wanted a better life."
Whatever happens, the UAE is now her home: "If you have lived somewhere for 22 years and never left, it is your country. What other country would you say is our country?"
kattwood@thenational.ae
hkalaf@thenational.ae
Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Abu Dhabi racecard
5pm: Maiden (Purebred Arabians); Dh80,000; 1,400m.
5.30pm: Maiden (PA); Dh80,00; 1,400m.
6pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (PA); Group 3; Dh500,000; 1,600m.
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (Thoroughbred); Listed; Dh380,000; 1,600m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Handicap (PA); Dh70,000; 1,400m.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA); Dh80,000; 1,600m
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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