1.17 PM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

Sara pays dearly for becoming Yousuf

Published

When Sara of Egypt became a man called Yousuf following a sex correction operation, she had thought she would be gradually accepted by society. A few years after the operation, Yousuf is on the verge of despair.

The operation had cost him his family and job while he has no more friends.

When he left Dubai as Sara and returned as Yousuf, he was arrested. While in custody, confused jailers finally decided to lock him up in a solitary confinement.

As a result, Yousuf is now undergoing psychological treatment at Sheikh Khalifa hospital in Abu Dhabi but he also needs financial help for further surgeries.

Before change, Sara came to Dubai with her father in 1999 and got several jobs before she returned to Egypt in 2008. At home, doctors told her she needs to undergo a gender correction operation as she had inter-sex symptoms.

After the operation, Sara became a man called Yousuf with male looks and a moustache. Upon his return to Dubai after a few months, the officer at the emirate’s airport was stunned when Yousuf submitted two passports-one as Sara with the UAE visa stamp and one as Yousuf.

Unable to believe Yousuf’s explanation, the officer had him arrested on charges of passport forgery. He was later acquitted by the prosecutor, who verified that Yousuf was Sara and there was no forgery involved.

“I faced a funny incident while in custody…the police guards who had my two passports were confused as to where I should be kept-in the men or women’s prison….finally, they decided to place me in a solitary confinement,” Yousuf, in his 30s, told the Dubai-based Arabic language daily 'Emarat Al Youm'.

Yousuf said he had lost his job in Dubai because of the sex change while his father and step-mother flew to Qatar and abandoned him.

“They do not want to contact me or help me any more…the reason is that my step-mother has a son, who became eligible for the military service in Egypt when he turned 19 years old,” he said.

“But since I was a girl, her son was exempted from military service on the grounds he is the only son in the family…when I became a man, he was no longer the only son and was called up for military service.”

Yousuf said he needs further treatment in Canada while he owes nearly Dh40,000 for banks following the loss of his job.

“I now work in animal trade but I am not earning enough to pay for psychological treatment and further operations…I cannot afford to settle my debt, which has accumulated because of treatment costs…for this reason, I appeal for all benevolent people to help me out of this ordeal.”

ALSO READ:

127 illegal residents nabbed from Satwa
 



Saudi Prince drives 'simple' car in Dubai… to emerge as 'Knight of Le Mans'




Man cuts off hands to stop stealing