Dubai/UAE - where did you think you were?

[WhyamIinahandcartandwherearewegoing]

I’ll preface this by saying I wish the best for anyone out there, working or holidaying. I hope you are and remain safe.

but do people go there with next to no concern for where in the world it’s located? Do they pay no attention to news or the general geopolitical situation, it’s hnot exactly a secret.

are we really that dense that most people don’t look past the bling, the weather, the tax perks, the bloody influencers?

That's not quite true.

As the National reported, this happened on Jan. 10, 2013, to a couple that was allegedly kissing on the Corniche in Abu Dhabi. A man was jailed, sentenced to 80 lashes for drunkenly kissing his girlfriend, and both man and woman were deported afterwards.

That's 13 years old.

Do you have a source showing the law has changed?

@Lemonfrost https://www.uaeexperthub.com/kissing-in-public-dubai-pda-laws/

I am sure you can find one yourself, as you have successfully managed to locate this current relic.

@Lemonfrostalready did, see my previous post.

and in America, they’ve just passed a law that a women who seeks an abortion can be put to death. And men can marry children because the senators know “many women (sic) who were married as 13 year olds are happy”
so honestly FUCK OFF with the white western ‘superiority’

I noticed. I remain very confident that not everyone "snogging" their boyfriend in public is thrown in jail. It's highly likely to attract disapproval though.

I was going to mention Turkiye and Egypt. Seriously a lot of nastiness about dubai today on MN.

Can't say I have ever fancied it, it looks like high rise, shops and a beach, is there any countryside to visit

My DH comes from Dubai, it’s just a city within the UAE. He was born in the UAE, grew up there and his family still live there. I’ve always been welcomed and never felt unsafe, we lived in Dubai for 9 years and I never felt oppressed or worried, 2 of our children were born there. My IL’s are wonderful and the most welcoming lovely people you’d ever wish to meet. Our children absolutely loved spending summer holidays in Dubai and we still visit every 6 weeks or so. I feel safer ambling around in Dubai than walking in Glasgow or Edinburgh tbh (we live in Scotland). Don't believe everything you hear or read online, a lot of it’s fabricated rubbish. People live there, it’s not about influencers, tax dodges, bling or the sunny climate for goodness sake - some people were born there. I seriously wonder about the intelligence of some posters on here…

There are plenty of western people who aren’t white. How racist if you to assume all western people on this thread are white.

I know op, I mind it odd people don’t research before going on holiday let alone moving to places, I perhaps over prepare, I have over 20 pages of notes so far for this summers holiday (admittedly it’s a month away and complex including likely being out of mobile phone range, also bought a lonely planet guide)

So I was right then. Why set foot in country where you have far less rights and freedoms than you’re used to at home? I’d never go anywhere near the ME, just like I wouldn’t go anywhere the U.S. in its current state.

I absolutely refuse to do Turkey, UAE, Saudi any of those countries they are vile. I have even avoided Cyprus recently having spent summers there in the 80s when my grandfather worked in the Listening Post.

Maybe people fully recognise all the things you expect them to about other parts of the world, and just make a different choice to you about whether to go to them.

Disagreeing with me doesn't automatically make you right. I was there a few weeks ago. Some people were being affectionate, albeit it in a low key way. Some people weren't adhering to the dress code. Nobody was being dragged off to custody.

I think if someone is going on holiday there then they know where they're going as they booked it. 🤔

I have to agree

I think that a lot of people have been lured there as a holiday destination. Lots of flights, good pr and generally safe. Also, whilst it is in a region that has historically a lot of tension, I don’t think that in recent times, ie past twenty years, has had anything to be concerned about, so just another hot, sunny place to visit.

I also am old enough to remember when London was getting bombed and people still went there on holiday.

It’s not a place that I personally would want to go to but can see how people see it as an attractive holiday destination.

There are still dumb “influencers” like the Ingham Family claiming right now that it’s all nonsense fake news and that Dubai is the safest place on earth.

Is that a joke? I know of a work colleague and a friend (2 separate people) who were sexually assaulted and when they reported it were told it wouldn’t be logged and they should leave the country. There’s no crime because it’s hidden. Do you really really think the Middle East is a safe haven for women?

No its highly polluted and creates about double the carbon footprint per capita than the UK

But you know, I'll just carry on washing out my yoghurt pots.