Dubai: They stopped watching the news in 2013.
With headlines bringing tragic news from countries ravaged by the Arab Spring, residents said watching their home countries in turmoil has left them feeling helpless.
Looking back, 2013 witnessed a continuation of conflicts that impacted the daily lives of thousands of people in the UAE and the region.
Death tolls this year have reached more than 126,000 in Syria and thousands in Egypt, Yemen and Palestine in 2013.
Recalling the recent attack on Yemen’s Defence Ministry that killed at least 52 people, Yemeni expatriate Mohammad Samir, who lives in Dubai, said watching the news this year has been especially nerve-wracking for him. With events in Yemen making the headlines on an almost daily basis, Samir said the year has been difficult as many of his family and friends experienced turbulent and occasionally life-threatening times in the country’s capital, Sana’a.
“Every time I see a headline about an explosion or a shooting I rush to call home to check if everyone is safe — especially as many of these events have taken place in close proximity to my family’s home or workplace in Sana’a,” said Samir.
Another expatriate, thirty-two year-old Suha Naaman from Syria, told Gulf News that the continuous bombings in her home country have left her anxious about her family’s safety.
“I’ve been living with the constant worry that I am not able to live a normal life without thinking about what is happening back home — so I’ve decided to stopped watching the news,” said Suha.
The Syrian national who has lived in Dubai for the past eight years prays that the New Year will bring peace to the Syrian people and the Arab region.
The constant conflict and scenes of bombing in Lebanon has left another Dubai resident numb. Anthony Mattar, a restaurant manager, said there has been more than seven years of constant violence in his home country, Lebanon, and he prefers not to watch the news.
“I receive updates about the situation from my family so that I have peace of mind that they are safe,” he said.
Residents looked back at their year with grief — but Samir, like many others are hoping that 2014 is a year with less conflict and more peace, less division and more unity, less poverty and more prosperity.
