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?

In that vein then we should not travel to

Dominican republic
Thailand
Cambodia
India
Morocco
Any country in Eastern Europe
America USA
Mexico
Cuba
Anywhere in Africa, notth south east or west
Nearly all of South America
China
Turkey
Cyrprus
Northern ireland

Because they either have conflict or border conflict zones..

Oh yes you’re right, women don’t matter at all. Neither does the fact that Dubai was built by slaves.

Jeeze. I'll admit that I've never been tempted by Dubai, but the sanctimony on this thread is pretty nauseous.

This is not true.

You wouldn't go to Cyprus because of Gaza? How strange! And it's not just across the water - it's 350 miles away. You make it sound as if it's within spitting distance!

Cyprus is beautiful. You missed out.

And on the other threads, too. The topic has brought out all the pristine holier-than-thou halo-polishers. Heaven must be empty tonight, because all the angels are on Mumsnet! 🤣🤣🤣

Yes but a lot of us wouldn't go to the US either . . ..

I travel a lot and there are some areas and regions I wont go near, the middle east over the last 10 years or so is one of them although I've travelled there extensively before.

My husband wanted to go to Cyprus last year until I made him look where it was on a map. I couldn't in good faith sot there drinking a cocktail whilst just over the water Gazans were being anilihated.

😂
You couldn't make it up. Seriously, this should go down in the annals of the most ridiculous posts on Mumsnet.

somanychristmaslights · Yesterday 19:42
How far do you go then? Plenty of people go to Turkey and that’s next to Syria, Egypt is next to Israel. Canada is next to America. The list goes on and on!

Sometimes it's very pleasant not being next to anyone. We might be the arse end of the world, but it has its advantages. Sometimes.

I know!

All the fun sponges are out in force today!

Yeah. It’s not like Iran will bomb the UK (3100 miles) before they bomb Dubai (345 miles).
I think they’re mad at Israel though. Netanyahu.
And at Donald Trump.

You never know what crazy people will do. Crazy people will do crazy stuff. They don’t care about living. That’s the thing about the crazies.

Not true im California.

Where I live it’s calm and pleasant. We all get along and there’s no nonsense 13 year olds getting married or anything else.
I’ve not heard the putting a woman to death one.
Ir seems as though people who have never been here
I AM horrified and embarrassed by our president..A great many of us are.
He and his pal Ben are doing some pretty outrageous things.
Somebody needs to put grandpa in a home.
And as an American, I apologise for his behaviour.
In my defense, I never voted for the SOB. And while I’m in the subject of voting, I have a sick feeling that Rlon Musk and his Starlink did a little monkey business that helped Donald win.
Nobody wins ALL the swing states.
Especially him.

You can sit safely in front of your TV/device and feel clever for finding reasons why every country and activity might be too dangerous and scary or you can go out into the world and experience it.

I think most people depend on the travel advice issued by the government. I’ve been to the UAE a few times and was always acutely aware of how close we were to Iran. But you have to live your life. There’s a danger in most countries you travel to, I’m sure people have traveled to Cyprus blissfully unaware how close they were to Syria and the conflict there.

😂😂😂😂😂

Well I'm currently in Asia, have travelled all over the world, and I have not been to the middle east for the last 10 years, and the last time I transited the us the border police were aggressive and rude. As long s Trump is there I won't go near the US and judging by their own tourism figures I'm not alone in that.

The GCC has been very stable for a long time, this is a bit of a silly point really. The last GCC country to be outright attacked was Kuwait in the gulf war which was a little while ago.

Whether you will be arrested for breeching local laws is a different point to people unexpectedly getting stuck in a war zone. Most GCC arabs have never ever experienced war.

NB It would have been safe if Iran had not been bombed by US and Israel first.

If people want to holiday or live in Dubai, that’s up to them. I don’t especially care.

I’ve always said that I wouldn’t visit Dubai because I don’t want to be in a country with such a poor record on human rights, and where women don’t really have any rights of our own. And it’s not just women, the treatment of local workers, gay couples, etc.

There are a lot of fairly understandable reasons why some people won’t visit Dubai on ethical grounds. I think the glossy brochures and glamorous holiday resorts have persuaded other people to turn a blind eye.

If you feel ok with that, it’s your choice. We all have our own red lines and I’m sure others will disagree with some of mine.

But I do find it incredible that those who want to visit Dubai scoff and joke about others who are uncomfortable with the laws and ethical practices out there. It’s not “snobby” to avoid a country that treats a female rape victim as having committed a crime herself.

It’s not about “bashing” Dubai. There are very good reasons why it’s such a controversial place to visit. It’s always going to invite quite strong opinions because of this. Pretending facts and laws aren’t true doesn’t change the reality.

Having said all of that, I hope everyone who is out there on holiday right now manages to get back safely. Having watched the coverage, it sounds pretty terrifying. Things seem to have escalated quite quickly, it’s an absolute shitshow - as per usual with anything Trump gets involved with. I see tonight he’s talking airily about the fact that more Americans will probably get killed. Mentions it casually as if he’s discussing what he’s going to have for dinner. He’s a poor excuse for a human.

Except every one of those countries is needed for long haul flights, and all long haul flights to places like Australia have been grounded. It's thousands and thousands of people. Yes we know those are bad areas but there's no other way across the world! (Except America, where you can end up detained anyway)

Yes I think a lot of people do. As a PP said, I also would not go to Dubai, Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus etc

That is us. We are currently on holiday somewhere east of the Middle East and have flights home later in the week, changing in Qatar. There are loads of people who are affected. More importantly it is not just us holiday makers but the local people who make their living from the tourist industry. Here the season is short and the locals have to make their money while they can. Already people are nor flying out. I feel so sorry for the locals affected.

If you lived your life on this basis you’d never go anywhere.

The immediate difference that springs to mind is that if you are raped in the uk, you aren’t thrown in jail yourself if you report it.

I think for women living in Dubai and other countries in the UAE it’s perfectly safe with “freedom” providing they toe the line. Similar to an abusive relationship really. It’s not real freedom.

Asia, the place of benevolent regimes, racial equality and outstanding women's rights. Also the continent that includes Dubai and Iran. I hope you have done a thorough risk assessment.