Through the Eyes of a 7 Year Old: My Memory of the Gulf War in Abu Dhabi

 

In 1990, I was 7 years old living in Abu Dhabi. I didn’t understand politics. I had not heard about Saddam Hussain before that. But I knew something was wrong the moment my mother told me there will be no school from today till further notice.

At first, I thought it was the best news ever. Which kid doesn’t want a break from school? But that feeling didn’t last long. I started noticing strange things. Grown-ups whispering. The TV only telecasted CNN, no cartoons, no shows, no camel race, no Dubai Sailing club events. And my parents contemplating to move to India or wait and see. They told me not to worry, but I was old enough to notice when something was off.

We were told to stock up on water, biscuits, and canned food. I remember watching my dad and other families stacking cartons of water bottles, biscuits what not. I didn’t know what we were preparing for, but I could feel it was serious. People were scared. Not screaming or panicking, just this heavy, silent kind of fear that sat in every room. The scariest thing I overheard was that if Iran helped Iraq, then UAE might be next. I remember lying awake at night thinking, Will we have to leave? Will something happen to our building?

And yet, despite the fear, something beautiful happened. No one turned against each other. We didn’t hear hate on the news. There was no social media at that time, and neither was news blaming people or pointing fingers. Everyone—Emiratis, Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos just looked out for each other. We shared food. We checked on our neighbors. We were just trying to get through.

Fast forward to now, when I’m grown up and watching the tension between India and Pakistan, I found myself going back to that 7 year old version of me. This time we weren’t stuck at home because of a war but because of uncertainty. And this time the world was louder. Social media was flooded with arguments, accusations, and too many opinions. Back in 1990, we had one news channel—CNN and other channels were suspended till further notice. Now there are hundreds of channels, thousands of tweets, millions of voices. And somehow more information we have, the harder it is to know what’s real. In 1990, I was scared but surrounded by calm. In today’s world, even grown-ups can’t stay calm. It feels like everyone is trying to win an argument instead of solving a problem.

What I learned as a kid during the Gulf War still stays with me: when something goes wrong, don’t panic, don’t hate, and stick together. Sometimes silence, kindness, and biscuits in the cupboard are all you need to feel safe.