time expats in the Kingdom have expressed their great love for the country and say they consider it their home now. Darine Chakra, a Lebanese national, was born in Saudi Arabia and has been living here for 27 years. She says she celebrates the National Day, as she considers herself a Saudi. “I spent all my life here. This is my country. Saudi Arabia has always supported us and now is the time to celebrate the historic National Day with my Saudi brothers and sisters,” she said. Darine, who is expecting a child soon, says she will name her son Abdullah. Ali Hashmi, a 17-year-old Indian national who was born in Jeddah, said Sept. 23 is an important day for him. “I believe there can be no other occasion like this to express our love and respect for this wonderful country. I am glad that I was born here,” Hashmi said. He said he has been living with his family in a country that has accepted everyone with open arms. Though many expatriates here may not be considered officially part of the country, they say their hearts are full of love for the country. Iman Souissi, a Tunisian girl who was born in Jeddah, says she has similar feelings as Saudis on this great occasion. “You only need to spend very short period of time to fall in love with this country,” she said. Souissi told the Saudi Gazette that the National Day is a good opportunity to learn more about Saudi tradition and heritage. Saudi Arabia is not only a country for Arabs, but also for all Muslims, say many non-Arab Muslims. Ehtecham Hanif, a Pakistani man who was born and brought up here, said anyone will find comfort in living here as it's an Islamic country that applies and follows the religion. “I am a Pakistani who spent his entire life here. I can say I feel a belonging to the Kingdom, as I feel it's my home,” he said. “I am glad I was brought up in a place full of good values”, he added. __
