Children of Zayed, I salute you

I am writing to you from the skies, aboard an airplane, headed for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — the pioneering emirates. I would have sent formal messages of gratitude and appreciation, if possible, in response to the countless greetings and well-wishes Kuwaitis received on mobile phones in the dawn of our national anniversaries.

‘Greetings from my heart to the people of Kuwait, wishing the Amir, the Amir of Humanity, a glorious national day … your brother Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum’.

This short message, by its glamorous sprinkle, refreshed the spirits of Kuwaitis and deepened joy in the hearts of each citizen, because it came from a leader who has been amazing to the world with his exemplary leadership that transformed his city to become a global amazement.

The leader did not limit himself to protocol by only sending messages to official counterparts in Kuwait; instead, he went to the streets to congratulate Kuwaitis on their National Days festivities, alongside many lovely video clips posted by the people of the Emirates wishing their Kuwaiti brothers and sisters happy anniversaries.

The gesture adopted by the leader and his people shows that citizens of the Emirates are wonderful indeed, as the tallest building in their country was even arrayed with the colors of my national flag, not forgetting the million gifts that awaited Kuwaiti passengers. This article is not enough to express every bit of joy the children of Zayed made in the hearts of Kuwaitis. Whatever the Emirates did for us in our anniversary was beyond expectation.

I wish I was a dove spreading my wings in the skies of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Bahrain and Sultanate of Oman, and I would not have landed on my nation, Kuwait, until I fulfilled the duty of expressing gratitude and appreciation on behalf of my people to every GCC nationals who participated in our national days, which was not limited within the borders of Kuwait. Other people worldwide also joined us to celebrate the two anniversaries by raising the flag of my country with honor.

Frankly, the celebration of our National and Liberation Days on an individual or government level remains the source of our joy, because the coalition forces waged war against aggression 26 years ago for Kuwait to be returned to its people. The Arab and foreign forces did not disappoint Kuwait, as they fought with sincere men.

I will not revive the dark days Kuwait and its people went through during the invasion; today, I am writing to salute each person that celebrated our joyous festival with us. I am also sending a direct message to the greedy ones who think Kuwait is alone. Thanks to the world and the Gulf countries. We salute the children of Zayed!

By Intisar Al-Matouq