I moved to Dubai by choice, but my Syrian friends fled war

The story of a 20-something Irish citizen moving to the Middle East is not a new one. In 1977 my parents made a huge decision and moved to Saudi Arabia, where my dad had been offered a job. They had a wonderful experience there and so, when the opportunity arose for me to work in Abu Dhabi, they encouraged me to take it. After three years I am now working in my dream job, having since moved to Dubai.

The story of a 20-something Irish citizen moving abroad and deciding not to come home, sadly, is not a new one either. The promise of more opportunities, better salary, better weather, and the chance to travel more are all reasons I have heard from Irish people living in the UAE for making this country their home.

Islamic State, multiple bombings a day, the threat of rape or murder and a full-blown war are not on the list of Irish people’s reasons to leave their home country. But for a number of my friends here in Dubai, they are. I have heard first-hand from a number of close Syrian friends how their lives have been affected by the crisis. Their houses have been destroyed by bombs, family members killed for no reason.

I have never felt guilty about booking my annual flights home for Christmas to see friends and family. But now, I can't help but think of my Syrian friends who no longer have that luxury. One of my friends booked a trip to Syria for two weeks and had to return after five days, fearing for his safety.

They may be safe here in the UAE, but they are haunted by what is happening in their home. They have family members to worry about every day. While I struggle to decide what to cook for dinner, my friends are wondering if their parents, cousins, friends and neighbours will live another day.

When you move abroad you tend to romanticise your country. You talk it up to people you meet, tell them what a wonderful place it is, how we’re famous for our friendliness and thousand welcomes. But I’m now realising how hollow that all is.

Read any comments online about the “migrant crisis” and you can see very clearly just how unfriendly and unwelcoming the Irish really are. “Look after our own first,” they say. But did the US “look after their own” during the Irish famine? Did Australia when thousands of Irish moved there over the past few years?

This is an old argument that is rehashed time and again, but it is one that is so relevant to our country. What would have happened to Ireland had other countries closed their doors to us during our time of need?

To think my countrymen can have such nasty thoughts and opinions about people who are fleeing a war zone is shocking to me. These “potential terrorists”, as some people are calling them, could easily be my friend’s family in search of a safe place. It may seem a dramatic comparison, but Hitler won over many by encouraging the thought that non-Aryians were less than human, and from what I can see, some people in Ireland are dangerously close to this line of thinking. They are not just migrants and refugees. And they are certainly not terrorists. They are people. Just like you or me.

There is an app you can install on your computer, which automatically changes the words “migrant” and “refugee” to “human” or “person”, and I think we could all benefit from installing it.

Whatever religion these people may be is irrelevant. I am a Catholic who has been warmly welcomed into a Muslim country and I’m sad to say that until Ireland is willing to offer the same warm welcome to people who are risking their lives to get to safety, I will not be returning.

Mum and Dad, my room will be empty for some time. Feel free to let any human who needs it stay there.