{"id":38772,"date":"2026-03-06T08:08:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/?p=38772"},"modified":"2026-03-06T08:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:08:13","slug":"why-these-expats-in-uae-choose-to-stay-calling-it-home-amid-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/2026\/03\/06\/why-these-expats-in-uae-choose-to-stay-calling-it-home-amid-uncertainty\/","title":{"rendered":"Why these expats in UAE choose to stay, calling it home amid uncertainty"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some residents who were stuck outside the country when the airspace closure came into effect chose to return to the UAE rather than go to their own countries<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Editor’s Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid\u00a0US-Israel-Iran war\u00a0<\/strong>for the latest regional developments.]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

UAE expats, ranging from celebrities to long-time residents, have overwhelmingly responded with love and admiration for the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messages of unity, a hashtag trend and praise for the country\u2019s leaders are just some of the ways they have responded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Natasha Hatherall, founder and CEO of TishTash Group, Dubai has been home for 16 years, and leaving is \u201cthe last resort\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said she was inundated with messages from her friends and family in the UK asking if she was evacuating or leaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve not even thought about it,\u201d she admitted. \u201cThe way the country\u2019s leadership has handled everything has really created trust, and this sense of security means residents feel confident staying, supporting their communities and continuing life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Natasha<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natasha Hatherall, Founder and CEO of TishTash Communications<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said that apart from owning homes, multiple businesses, and pets and building her entire life in this country, she had other reasons to want to stay back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat makes the UAE feel like home, even in uncertain moments, is the strength of the community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople genuinely look out for each other here. Neighbours check in, friends rally around and daily life continues with calm reassurance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We may not have our immediate family always here, but I have some of the best friends in Dubai, and we rally and support each other in the most fiercely loyal way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said that combined with the\u00a0country\u2019s sense of safety and leadership, this community feeling creates a sense of belonging that makes many residents choose to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Return to Dubai<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some residents who were stuck outside the country when the airspace closure came into effect\u00a0chose to return to the UAE rather than go to their own countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dubai expat Anne Mathew was in Georgia with her husband and daughter for a quick break with a tour group when the airspace closure began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After being stranded there for four days, the group was able to return to the UAE on Thursday. \u201cIt was a worrisome time, but the thought never even crossed our minds to return to our home country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was born and raised in the UAE, and this is the only home I have ever known. We have built our whole lives here. I want to stay in the country through every up and down, and I cannot even dream of living anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was not the only one. Previously, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov tweeted that he couldn\u2019t wait to get back to the country, pointing out that given Europe\u2019s crime rates, Dubai was \u201cstatistically safer even with missiles flying” \u2013 an observation that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk agreed with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indian expat Mohammad Rafeeq Siddiqui has been a UAE resident since 1979, and he said that he is very happy to continue staying here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor almost four decades, I have lived here, built my life and raised my family,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, my grandchildren are growing up here. Ever since the escalations began on Saturday, I did not even feel a glimmer of fear in my heart. Why should I? I know that the leaders of this country will take the best possible care of us. For me, it doesn\u2019t matter how long or how intense the escalation will go on; I want to stay put here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mohammad<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mohammad Rafeeq Siddiqui with his wife<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Social media<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some residents took to social media to post positive stories about the UAE. Kate Midttun, Founder and CEO of Acorn Strategy, took to LinkedIn to start a hashtag, #OurUAEStory. \u201cStatistically, it’s still safer to be in the UAE than in many other countries around the world,\u201d she wrote in her post. \u201cMaybe that should be a wake-up call for leaders elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She called on her followers to reclaim their story about living in the UAE by posting a selfie of their day and using the hashtag. \u201cLet’s hold the international media accountable for the inaccuracies and over-sensationalising of our reality; let’s show what it’s really like to be here right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several other UAE residents, including celebrities and other residents, have taken to social media to voice their support for their country and intent to stay here for now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Khaleej Times<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published: 6 March<\/strong> 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some residents who were stuck outside the country when the airspace closure came into effect chose to return to the UAE rather than go to their own countries [Editor’s Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid\u00a0US-Israel-Iran war\u00a0for the latest regional developments.] UAE expats, ranging from celebrities to long-time residents, have overwhelmingly responded with love and […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":38783,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6217,6156,1459,6215,6216],"class_list":["post-38772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-expats-in-uae","tag-living-in-uae","tag-uae-economy","tag-uae-expats","tag-uae-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38772"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38784,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38772\/revisions\/38784"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elite-bricks.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}