Prior to his death, Um Abrar’s husband had a low-paying job at a private company. After his death, his company began supporting his family. The fact that she receives this money prevents her from qualifying for government welfare.
Um Abrar has found herself alone and uses the SR1,700 to take care of herself, her children and meet all day-to-day costs of running a home.
With little education, finding a job is a difficult. Um Abrar was previously helped by her landlord who decreased her rent and asked members of the public to help her.
“I used to go to mosques to get food from good people to feed my children. One day, some four years ago we received a telephone call saying that we had received a waqf apartment consisting of two rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen,” she said.
In Islamic law, a waqf is an inalienable religious endowment, typically denoting a building.
“When I first stood in front of the building I could not believe my eyes as it was. My only concern was not how many rooms were in the apartment, but that someday me and my children would be evicted,” said Um Abrar. She was not even asked to pay the electricity bill.
“However, things started to change last year,” said Um Abrar. “We received a document ordering us to empty the apartment. We’ve still not left and I really don’t know what will happen if they force us out. My children still go to school and I really don’t know what to do,” she said.
