[Post 745] This Syrian Moved To Singapore For Love: His Journey From War To HDB | On The Red Dot

Summary

Why do foreigners want to call Singapore home? And what does it truly entail to become Singaporean? For Hadi Al Saadi, who fled from war-torn Syria, Singapore is the home country of his wife and their three children who were born here, so it makes perfect sense for him to want to go from being Permanent Resident to Singapore Citizen. 

But Singapore’s reputation of being a “Fine City” has preceded it! After a five-year stay in Malaysia where he was comfortable, there were things about Singapore that took some getting used to for Hadi who moved here in 2020. 

And having left his home country at age 16, it is clear that Hadi’s booming Syrian food business is his commitment to holding on to his Syrian culture. So will Singapore be the forever home for Hadi? Can he adopt the Singaporean identity without losing his Syrian roots? Theatre and TV actress Oon Shu An, a born-and-bred Singaporean, seeks out these answers and explores this newcomer’s journey in becoming Singaporean.