Would you live in Dubai ?

[Lardlizard]

?

The Uzbekistan thread was about going there on holiday, though (and the OP was horrified at the mere idea) — this thread asks whether people would live in Dubai. Obviously tourism does also fund corrupt regimes, but frankly, one would expect someone to research a country to which they were going to emigrate rather more carefully than somewhere they were planning to spend ten days.

To whoever asked about media censorship, The National is one of the two main English-language newspapers in the UAE.

When the attempted escape and recapture of Sheikha Latifa by Sheikh Mohammed hit the world headlines, it made not a single mention of it. Nor has it mentioned the high-profile flight of Sheikh Mo’s wife to London shortly afterwards and her application in the high court for a non-forced marriage order for her young daughter. Similarly, no mention of the ‘trial’ for rape and torture of Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, half-brother of the ruler of Abu Dhabi (in which he was found not guilty, despite the fact he had himself filmed doing it).

Criticising or ‘damaging the reputation of the state’ is illegal. Mostly the newspapers self-censor and just report government press releases.

You don’t really have to “refuse to go there”, there’s no one forcing you to visit anywhere. It’s interesting though that there’s no interest in the history of the region or the frankly beautiful landscape. I think it would be interesting to understand WHY the UAE produces this feeling compared to other countries with draconian alien practices that you might find acceptable.

Not a chance. Have a dear friend working out there at the moment and she sticks close to other Brits, thinks of the money and takes the good with the bad but I could never fully relax there.

Look, I know how these threads always go and I could sit here and argue until I’m blue in the face but all the time people are reading things like the Daily Mail (notice how the reports about Princess Haya use lots of words like ‘allegedly’ and ‘reportedly’?!) there’s little point in trying to change people’s minds. You know what? If you don’t want to come to the UAE, then don’t. That’s ok.

I work in a senior role in the public sector. I am surrounded daily by Emirati women, the vast majority of whom are incredibly well educated, intelligent, articulate, confident and ambitious. I think most of them would find the idea that they are in some way repressed quite amusing.

The UAE has jumped 23 positions to 26th in the 2019 UNDP Gender Equality Index making it the highest ranked Arab country in the world.

This achievement was accomplished just four years after the establishment of the UAE Gender Balance Council in 2015, when the UAE was then ranked 49th in the world. The country is now just one spot away from achieving its goal of becoming one of the world’s top 25 countries in the Index by 2021.

There is so much utter shit spoken about the UAE on these threads that I am absolutely baffled by it. It’s common or garden racism by people who have never visited the country.

@IndieTara Egypt is in Africa not the Middle East

Canapés so you've lived there earned your money and are now moaning about the place.

I am surrounded daily by Emirati women, the vast majority of whom are incredibly well educated, intelligent, articulate, confident and ambitious.

What about their maids? Are they well educated?

Absolutely zero desire to visit there let alone live there.

@sashh - what has that got to do with anything? A maid is a maid - they don't need to have a PhD!!

Everybody is entitled to an education in a lot of countries, regardless of wealth. You can have a good education without having gone to university.

A maid is a maid

Maids aren't Emirati anyway, are cleaners in the UK well-educated?

I meant generally on MN as a whole including this thread. Perhaps should have been clearer but didn't think it was that difficult to understand tbh

What you meant was perfectly clear, just illogical. MN has lots of posters on it and isn't a hive mind. It isn't hypocritical if one set of people using the site have a particular view on human rights that mean they won't visit certain countries whereas another set don't hold that view. It would only be hypocritical if there were individuals saying they wouldn't visit UAE due to human rights concerns but Uzbekistan is just fine.

If what you actually mean is you wish there was more awareness and discussion on MN of human rights concerns in eg Uzbekistan, that's a perfectly reasonable point to make. One that can be made without making illogical accusations of hypocrisy or downplaying Dubai's very real issues.

I have family out there. They love it. I would never normally have gone but I went to visit them and thought it was lovely! Safe, clean, civilised and gorgeous clean white beaches and turquoise sea. Loads to do as well. We went to Oman for a couple of days and I lived that too.

I don’t know if I could live there though as it has such a murky underbelly and that wouldn’t sit right with me. I think the UK is corrupt and sexist enough these days as it is.

@futangirl Egypt is actually located in North Africa and West Asia.

Sorry that was for @fulanigirl

I loved working there great people, loads to do . Earned shit loads too.

@IndieTara Still Africa and not considered part of the Middle East.

@fulanigirl

No. Never.

@IndieTara It is still in Africa!

I think it’s just good old racism, xenophobia with a slug of anti-islam. To be honest those people are probably better off staying closer to home.

To be very blunt many maids ARE highly educated. They just make more money cleaning outside their home countries. So much crap is talked in these threads about situations people have little or no understanding of.

I think it’s just good old racism, xenophobia with a slug of anti-islam

Excuse me?!? My belief that EVERYONE regardless of nationality, colour, religion, sex, sexuality, age, ability, etc. should be treated equally is the reason I won’t go. I feel the same about lots of other countries but the OP asked about Dubai. I will not visit a country that does not extend equal rights to everyone if I do not have to. I’d quite like to leave the UK for this reason but currently can’t afford it.

I don't know anything about Dubai but the tea drinking story has stunned me!