“We are not going back to Iraq, but you cannot tell anyone”.
I was 10 years old when I heard those words. I was staying in a hotel in Jeddah with my parents and sister, having come back from performing Umrah, the mini-pilgrimage in Makkah. We had packed up our home of only 10 months in Riyadh and were getting ready to head back to Baghdad. My parents decided on a stop in Makkah. The following day, October 9, 1990, we were due to fly to Amman and from there take a 12-hour drive to Baghdad. We would eventually make that journey, but not for many years.
My mother sat me down to tell me that our plans had changed. Going back to Baghdad was no longer possible. This came after a tumultuous two-month period, during which my parents’ lives had been turned upside down, as had the lives of millions of fellow Iraqis and Kuwaitis. The Iraqi regime had invaded Kuwait on August 2, upending the regional order – and with it all semblance of normality for the people of both countries.
From that day, our lives changed forever. A sense of fear of the unknown entered our lives and has yet to dissipate. We watched as Iraq became a pariah state, as all hopes of Saddam Hussein stepping back from the folly of the Kuwait invasion were dashed. Six months later, Iraq would retreat from Kuwait but only after great damage had been done to the two nations.
My father, a diplomat and consul in Iraq’s embassy in Riyadh, decided very soon after Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait that he could no longer represent the regime. My mother strongly agreed. A diplomat for more than 20 years and hailing from a family dedicated to public service, it was not an easy decision. But as a couple who opposed much of Saddam’s behaviour, there was no longer a way of carrying on. My parents had made a bold decision and had to find a way out. My father reached out secretly to Saudi authorities. The request for refuge was accepted and a plan was put into motion for our “disappearance”.
My sister, who was 12 at the time and had the maturity of someone twice her age, was informed in advance. I was too young – and too talkative – to be trusted with such a life or death decision. So I was only told the night before we were going to change course.
The following morning, we went to the airport to head to Iraq via Jordan. Being a diplomat, my father was escorted by colleagues in the Iraqi consulate at Jeddah airport, adding to the complication of trying to pull off an escape. When finally we were alone, at the gate, we were met by a Saudi officer who took us to another gate and another future.
The flight manifest of the Jeddah-Amman flight said that the Al-Oraibi family boarded the plane ... but they never landed in Amman. Instead, we were escorted to another aircraft that took us back to Riyadh, with new documents, new names and a new life. Upon our return to Riyadh, we moved into a safe house and didn’t step outside its front door for months. My sister and I did not go to school until the Iraqi embassy in Riyadh closed and we felt safer leaving home. Even then, we were enrolled under aliases.
My father had sought political asylum which meant going back to his homeland became an impossibility – along with many others who rejected Saddam’s crimes. And while he met with leaders of “the opposition”, he never formally joined them, sensing early on much of the angst they would later bring to Iraq.
And yet, we were lucky. We found safety in Saudi Arabia and the authorities delivered on their promise of protecting us and ensuring my sister and I had good schooling. We eventually settled in the UK and became British citizens, where my sister and I thrived. It took a decade for us to have our own travel documents and to this day I carry my British passport with me wherever I go.
Only as an adult did I begin to realise the magnitude of my parents’ decision. That night, 30 years ago, as a child I had only two concerns: what school would I go to? And when would I see my beloved extended family again? For the first, my mother explained it would take some time before my sister and I could go back to our school, Manarat Al Riyadh, as our family effectively went into hiding in Saudi Arabia. As for the second question, “only God knows”.
My parents had made the decision to defect without telling a single member of our family – it was the best protection for them when inevitably they would be questioned by the Iraqi intelligence services. My parents were cut off from their families by virtue of deciding to get out of government work. In Saddam’s Iraq, resigning from the government was not an option. Soon after we got word that all my father’s assets had been seized, including our beloved family home.
It ended up being 13 years until we could go back to Iraq. Years of exile and fear of the unknown were compounded by longing for our loved ones back in Iraq. Only when we returned to Baghdad in December 2003 did I realise how much had been lost. From 1990 to 2003 we lived our lives waiting for the day we could “go back”. It turns out there is no “going back”.
Saddam eventually withdrew from Kuwait after a 42-day war known as “Operation Desert Storm” led by the US that left Baghdad weaker than ever before. The sanctions that followed crippled Iraqi society, particularly its middle class, but did little to weaken Saddam’s regime. Iraq has still not recovered from the breakdown of the state’s institutions, healthcare, and education services, compounded by ensuing years of conflict.
Around 2.7 million claims with a total value of $352.5 billion (Dh1.294 trillion) were made against the Iraqi state for the invasion of Kuwait with the United Nations Compensation Commission. It was only in 2005 that the commission announced it had concluded processing claims, amounting to $52.4bn for 1.5 million successful claims. However, no money or entity in the world can compensate those who lost loved ones or for the years of their lives paying for the fall-out from that terrible invasion.
As for my family, my father went back to serve Iraq in 2003, as a non-political civil servant, among a number of diplomats in exile who were encouraged to return to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and re-establish Iraq’s diplomatic presence around the world.
How Iraq could have fared, had it not been for the disastrous 1990 invasion, we will never know. But with Saddam at the helm, it would have been just a matter of time before another aggression hit Iraq. The political ramifications of the invasion of Kuwait are rarely mentioned in Iraq today, as so much devastation has occurred in the last three decades.
As for the young people on the streets of Baghdad, Najaf, Sulaimania or Basra today, most were born after the occupation – the 2003 American one of Iraq, rather than the 1990 occupation of Kuwait. And so, this 30-year anniversary passes without much notice in Iraq, as people struggle with a broken economy, militia rule and a pandemic.
But for older generations, it is a sombre moment to mark how much we have lost since that fateful day of the Kuwait invasion that cost Iraq dearly and destroyed its future. So much potential lost in one of the world's richest nations, both in natural and human resource. And that is why the young protesters’ chants of "nureed watan" (we want a homeland) resonate across generations, especially those displaced over the past decades.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2 (Heaton (og) 42', Lindelof 64')
Aston Villa 2 (Grealish 11', Mings 66')
ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Gurm, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Al Nafece, Al Muatasm Al Balushi, Mohammed Ramadan
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adrie de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Ottoman, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Liwa Oasis – Group 2 (PA) 300,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeemat Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ganbaru, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support
Chip: Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 64/256GB storage; 8GB RAM
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, Smart HDR
Video: 4K @ 25/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR, Centre Stage; full HD @ 25/30/60fps
Audio: Stereo speakers
Biometrics: Touch ID
I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)
Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours on cellular
Finish: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue
Price: Wi-Fi – Dh2,499 (64GB) / Dh3,099 (256GB); cellular – Dh3,099 (64GB) / Dh3,699 (256GB)
Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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The%20specs
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
if you go
Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
The%20specs
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'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
