DIPLOMATIC CRISIS SPLITS FAMILIES, DASHES DREAMS

Doha, Aug. 9: For Qataris affected by the diplomatic crisis rocking the Gulf, the reality of politics is stark: families divided, assets frozen and dreams put on hold. Sara, a 29-year-old Qatari, had been poised to start her senior year in business school in Dubai when on June 5, a bloc of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia abruptly cut ties with her country.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain ordered all Qataris to leave their territories within two weeks, recalled their ambassadors and citizens from the emirate and banned Qatari carriers from their ports and airspace. “We were suddenly told that we were no longer permitted to attend classes and had to go back to Doha,” Ms Sara she said. Qatari authorities have committed schools and universities to enrolling repatriated students.

As the standoff drags into its third month, the uncertainty is causing agony, particularly for families of mixed nationality. Ms Sara has an Emirati mother and a Qatari father.

One Saudi mother who has been based in Qatar for years and asked to remain anonymous said she was terrified. She and her two adult daughters are caught between fear of their own government and uncertainty about their future in Qatar. “We feel trapped,” she told AFP by phone. “We will have to renew our visas in a year. It’s frightening — we don’t know what will happen.”