ABU DHABI // For AS, the pressure to marry is on. At 23, the Emirati from Dubai says he withstands daily lectures from his parents about the importance of establishing a family. But he says he has witnessed too much to risk repeating the mistakes of his parents.
"If having a family is so important, how come you weren't able to pull it together," he says he thinks to himself when he is on the receiving end of one of his mother's lectures.
However, even if AS had a desire to marry, it would not be an easy task.
"When the girl's family finds out my parents are divorced, you can immediately sense the worry on their faces," he says. "They think, 'Oh, this man is from a broken home, what is he going to bring into our daughter's life'?"
And although he thinks it is an unfair judgement, he says it is not a completely invalid concern.
"I am scared. I've seen the problems and I don't want to relive them through my own marriage," he says.
However, not all children of divorce have had such negative experiences.
Only six-years-old when his parents divorced, IK, a 17-year-old from Sharjah, is performing quite well in school and is loved by his peers.
"I've always been very lucky," he says. "From the time my parents split up, I never felt loved any less. In fact, I consider my childhood very spoiled. It was almost like a competition between my parents of who could spoil me more."
The teenager says he completely understood his parents' decision.
"They just didn't see eye-to-eye and I get that. They only knew each other three months before they married. Better to be apart and happy rather than together and miserable. It's less of a headache for me as well."
mismail@thenational.ae
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.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Company%C2%A0profile
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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
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now