NEXT time someone asks what makes Bahrain so special, tell them it’s our people, our unity and our sense of national duty.
Bahrain came together over the weekend in the truest sense of the word to answer a fundraising call made by Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa in support of national efforts to combat Covid-19.
Millions of dinars in financial and in-kind contributions have been made by private corporations, family businesses and philanthropic foundations.
But to me the figure that towered majestically over the rest was the collective amount donated by Bahraini citizens.
Every time I think my people can’t possibly make me any prouder they go and contribute over BD1.2 million.
These are regular working-class citizens who like many others have been financially impacted in one form or another by the coronavirus outbreak. And, yet, they felt a deep sense of unity, responsibility and loyalty towards this land to help in any way possible.
Our community is made up of our shared humanity, our actions towards one another and our mutual belonging to this country.
These attributes have always been synonymous with the Bahraini society – they carried us through some of the most difficult crises in the past and will once again help us overcome this one.
In today’s reality, only three things matter – health, home and food. And while some countries and cities around the world are struggling to safeguard these basic human necessities for their people, our government is moving mountains to ensure we survive this pandemic with minimal impact.
Authorities are pumping money into the economy, paying the wages of Bahrainis in the private sector, introducing financial reprieves and, above all, testing and treating citizens and residents for free.
This loyalty and commitment towards us are the reason more than 30,000 volunteers have come forward to join the national task force.
It is this ‘for love of country’ spirit that has prompted hundreds of others to take to the streets to clean and disinfect neighbourhoods, and encouraged countless citizens and residents to unite to cook meals and pack thousands of boxes of essentials for communities affected by the outbreak.
It is this same patriotism that lifts our healthcare workers as they fight on the frontlines every day to keep the rest of the nation safe.
If there’s only one thing that’s constant about our community, then it’s that we’ll find a way to get through this together.
So, today, I salute my people. And tomorrow I will remain in awe of their strength, generosity, social unity and national loyalty.

** Noor Toorani is GDN Deputy Editor and can be contacted at noort@gdn.com.bh