WATCH: Why we need to #EndTheBlockade and end it now!

On Wednesday, the illegal blockade of Qatar by its neighouring countries will enter its first full month. For someone like me, who has visited Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE before, these developments are still very hard to fathom.

The Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE I know are good neighbours, so unlike what we are seeing now. I have friends from all these countries and I know this is not what they need.

The illegal blockade has to go, and it has to go now. Here are some reasons why I feel it is so:

1. It tears apart families

The very social fabric of families in the GCC are being torn apart even as I type. Fathers who cannot see their wives and children, grandparents who are cut off from their grandchildren, brothers and sisters who are unable to travel to the other country to visit the loved ones… the list goes on endlessly.

Wounds are easier to heal when they are not deep. The emotional injuries caused due to the blockade is just superficial at the moment. But the longer this goes on, the deeper it gets and a comeback can be difficult.

End the blockade, let love prevail.

2. It jeopardises the future of younger generations

It is common knowledge that a country is only as strong as its younger generation. If they grow up to be fair and just, then the nation thrives, Otherwise, it descends into chaos and anarchy. Education creates good people, and denying them the right to study creates a frustrated generation. It is common knowledge that GCC’s youths move between neighbouring countries for higher education.

There have been instances where they were denied the right to exams and completion of courses. This is not good for anyone involved.

End the blockade, let knowledge prevail.

3. It destroys the region’s image as warm hosts to the world

Gulf nations, in the past, have thrived as dream tourism destinations. I personally know many people who have taken the consolidated ‘Tour of GCC’ packages as a way of learning about the region’s culture. But by putting up a fractured front, and blocking free movement between different countries, you are killing the spirit of travel and discovery.

Should the GCC get relegated to the background as a dangerous place for people to travel to? Shouldn’t the world learn about our cultures with rapt amazement?

End the blockade, let culture prevail. 

4. It harms businesses that have taken generations to build up

Anyway you look at it, there has been immense investments done between GCC countries. Family and private businesses have thrived across the region, thanks to dedicated work from several generations of people. Isn’t it sad when all that hard work comes to nought because GCC countries couldn’t sit down and talk out their differences?

End the blockade, let business sense prevail.