Hundreds of Lebanese Shias have been expelled from the United Arab Emirates in the past three months after refusing to spy on their compatriots and militant group Hezbollah, some of those deported said on Thursday. "Dozens among us were summoned by the security services in the UAE before being expelled and were asked to spy on fellow Lebanese in the Emirates as well as Hezbollah members or face deportation," Hassan Alayan, a spokesman for the group, told a Beirut press conference.
Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have also been forced to leave the UAE in recent months for security reasons, he said. The UAE embassy in Beirut as well as officials in Abu Dhabi declined comment on Thursday. Alayan said the expelled people initially hoped to resolve the issue quietly but were publicising their plight given the lack of action by Lebanese and UAE officials. He said the group plans to take legal action and will ask for compensation.
"This is inhuman, illegal, uncivilised and is counter to UN rules," said Ali Faour, a physician deported from Sharjah, one of the seven city states that make up the UAE, which is mainly Sunni Muslim. "I was summoned at the end of July and told I had two weeks to leave town," added Faour, who earned between 40,000 and 50,000 dollars (27,500 and 34,500 euros) a month in Sharjah.
"Most of those expelled were top businessmen and have major investments in the Emirates." Rania, 19, said she still could not get over her sudden change of life. "I was born and raised in the Emirates and all my friends are from there," she said, refusing to give her last name. "We were given 20 days to leave Abu Dhabi." The expulsees have been meeting with top Hezbollah officials and participants in Thursday's press conference included two legislators from the Shiite militant group, which fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006.