A reader wrote to the GDN recently that Canada granted citizenship to an applicant after just three years, while he, despite having worked in Bahrain for many years, is still waiting.
This comparison, however, must be viewed in context.
Just as nature creates different fruits in different regions, and people vary in physical structure across geographies, countries too have laws shaped by their own circumstances.
Countries such as Canada, the United States, and Australia have vast land with relatively small populations, allowing them to accommodate large numbers of immigrants.
Bahrain, by contrast, has limited space and resources.
Saudi Arabia follows policies different from those of Portugal, which grants citizenship within two years through investment.
Each nation frames its nationality laws to suit its demographic, economic, and social realities.
Historically, Bahrain has stood out as a welfare state and a place of harmony where people live in peace without discrimination, enjoying freedom and security.
My family has lived here for 40 years, and not once has anyone been stopped on the street to prove their identity.
Until the late 1970s, Saudi businessmen from the Eastern Province relied on Bahraini banks for their letters of credit, and many Europeans working in Saudi Arabia chose Bahrain as their place of residence, a testament to the country’s openness and stability.
Bahrain also earned distinction by recognising the service and contributions of expatriates.
With generosity, His Majesty King Hamad has granted citizenship to hundreds of expatriates, honouring them as members of the Bahraini community.
His Majesty, in recognition of my sincere and honest service, graciously granted me Bahraini citizenship.
This honour is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.
I am now 80 years old. After contracting Covid-19, my health has continuously deteriorated.
Recently, I was admitted to Salmaniya Hospital in very serious condition and placed in isolation.
In that loneliness, more frightening than my illness was the thought of what would happen to my elderly wife if I did not survive.
During my hospital stay, it was natural for my mind to wander.
After two weeks, I returned home with what felt like an unexpected new lease on life.
My wife, now 70, confided that her greatest fear was not my sickness, but the possibility that if I passed away, she would be forced to leave Bahrain.
With both of our parents long deceased and no home elsewhere, she has nowhere to go.
Despite my 43 years of government service, the only tangible benefit I received from citizenship has been the honour itself.
At the age of 80, I receive no monthly pension, have no entitlement to apply for a housing unit, and do not even qualify for a housing allowance.
According to prevailing rules, a foreign wife of a Bahraini husband is expected to be granted citizenship after five years.
I submitted my wife’s application and was advised to follow up on February 11, 2018, upon completion of the five-year period.
Today, it has been 15 years since the application, with eight years having passed since the maturity date.
My daughter arrived in Bahrain when she was just three months old and has lived here continuously ever since.
She completed her education, including her university degree, in Bahrain. She is married to a
Bahraini and has three young children who are all Bahraini citizens.
Yet, her mother remains without nationality, leaving the family divided.
I constantly worry about her future and the emotional and legal consequences of this separation.
While it is understood that countries must limit and regulate nationality based on their circumstances, and that citizenship is not a right to be claimed, principles of natural justice demand priority for family unity.
A person long deprived and separated from immediate family surely deserves preference over new applicants.
Natural justice calls for reuniting families who have waited for years, rather than extending honours elsewhere.
I recall an expatriate friend who had returned home after retirement and was later granted nationality, while my wife, who continues to live here, was not.
Muhammad
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