South Asians Built the Gulf. They Can’t Escape the Missiles.
Migrant workers helped build the region’s glittering cities. Now, many fear for their lives and livelihoods.
Vikrant*, 28, a Dubai-based delivery worker, was on his way home when he heard the first explosions. “It was nothing like any sound I have heard before in my life,” he told The Juggernaut, recalling the thunder as Iranian drones struck the U.A.E. (He shared only his first name, fearing for his safety.)
After the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, the Gulf region — which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the U.A.E., and Saudi Arabia — plunged into war. But in between the resulting flurry of media coverage, one group of people was largely forgotten: the South Asian migrant workers who help drive the region’s economy. They also make up the majority of civilian casualties in the Gulf. The Juggernaut spoke to South Asian workers hailing from India, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who are working in the U.A.E., Bahrain, and Qatar. This is what they told us.