DUBAI // Lubna is a 38-year-old mother who fears she will soon be forced to live on the streets, along with her three-year-old son.
She lives in a rented flat paid for by a benefactor. “It’s paid for until the middle the month but then I am on the streets,” she says.
Lubna wasn’t always living with the threat of homelessness. She came to Dubai seven years ago from Syria with her husband, Khalid Al Shoufi, 44.
Her husband was hired to work for a Dubai magazine and was earning enough money to support them both. Their life was stable until her husband was forced to resign in 2015.
“Khalid was put under a lot of pressure at work and asked to give in his resignation,” she says.
Once her husband left his job, the bills starts piling in. “We had to pay our rent and we had a loan of Dh50,000, which we had paid half of.”
The couple were unable to pay their dues and evicted.
“On the same day, he booked me a ticket back to Syria in spite of the situation being very dangerous in our town.”
Lubna’s son was almost a year old.
“Khalid moved in with his friends and started looking for a job so that he could bring us back,” she says.
But a month later, Lubna received a call from a hospital. They informed her that her husband had suffered a stroke and was in a coma.
“I came back on the first plane I could get,” she says. “I am still in shock. Khalid was never ill or complained of anything.
“He called me a day before his stroke and was very happy. He said that he had found a job and would send for us soon.”
Mr Al Shoufi has been in a coma for more than a year and doctors told Lubna that the chances that he will come out of it are very low. They have no relative in the UAE or any financial support.
“I went back to Syria for a few months to collect money from friends,” she says.
Now, however, she has run out of the little she had.
“I can’t leave my husband here alone and it’s too dangerous for me to go back to Syria with my son. There is a war going on and it’s not safe for anyone.”
When the situation got to the point where she had no food to eat or a place to stay, Lubna says she thought of taking her husband to Syria.
“No hospital in Syria agreed to take him in,” she says. Her husband is on life support and will not survive without it.
In a few days, Lubna says, she will be homeless.
“I just need a roof over my head for my son and I,” she says.
Lubna has a degree in communications and says she is looking “every day” for a job.
At one point, she says, she worked rolling vine leaves to make enough to buy food.
Hisham Al Zahrani, manager of zakat and social services at Dar Al Ber, says Lubna needs help.
“Even if going back to Syria is an option, her husband is on his deathbed and has no one to support him. They have a three-year-old son who is at risk of starving,” he said.
“Dar Al Ber has supported as much as possible but they need a roof over their head and a steady income.”
• To help, call the hotline on 0502955999, or send a WhatsApp message to the same number. Donations can be made by depositing money in Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank account, Iban number AE9805 000 000 000 11530734 or Dubai Islamic Bank account, Iban number AE8002 4000 352 0443 1952 01.
salnuwais@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
England 2
Cahill (3'), Kane (39')
Nigeria 1
Iwobi (47')
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
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
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.