To think that no-one should go to Dubai

[Sallyingforth]

while they treat women like this...

Jailed for being raped.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23381448

I suppose it depends on what you're reporting, Parker, and against whom your complaint is

no i did not have an amazing time

i can not understand why when i was staying in a suite in a 5* hotel and everything was so bling

something obviously very wrong with me

But I've never heard or read anything anywhere that portrays Dubai in a good light apart from holidaymakers in their sealed, air-conditioned bubbles spouting holiday brochure wonderment. Surely ALL second-hand info can't be wrong?

That was to Parker at 16.09...

Yanbu of course but I'm encouraged by threads like this that I'm not the only one who finds Dubai quite a disturbing concept
I have no wish to go there. It's extreme capitalism with an extreme human price

Daydream - can you not "splash the cash and party" most other places?

If shopping is your thing then perhaps a holiday in Edinburgh or Manchester or London. Dubai has no better a shopping experience than any major city.

Party? I don't think so - unless you count expat parties and you can have them anywhere.

YANBU. Obviously.

Full of expats who can't afford a lifestyle here so think its ok to get at immense human cost to others.

Another thing about Arab states if you have white skin or ethnic and very fair like some Arabs are they love you easy to get a job. If you hav dark skin and an academic background harder to get work. Even today in Dubai and other Arab countries local ads i. Papers will say no blacks. I had an Africa Arabic teacher he lectures in uk universities he told me this as e experienced it.

Wouldn't set foot in the place. Morally corrupt, and that's a nice way of putting it.

YANBU

Add the Maldives to the boycott list for still giving women lashings in public.

Have you not noticed workers who do the apparently lowly jobs are often south Asian, philipinos etc? How many white skinned workers do you see in Dubai or Saudi? They are seen as a lower class of people because of the jobs they're willing to do and their colour sad sad world

I interviewed a woman who had worked there. People are paid according to their gender and race. Literally - different specified, published pay scales for exactly the same work/jobs.

And, obviously, that's not the worst of it.

These threads always make me laugh - so many people spouting off about stuff they have no real knowledge or understanding of.

But yes, OP I agree the story about the rape is very disturbing.

shuffle that's why I wouldn't go. I'm not going to suggest drastic regime change, just that as a woman I wouldn't feel the laws protected what I consider to be reasonable behaviour and protect me from harm.

Of course people are free to go there, but it is going to a city which is currently using slavery (as opposed to one which used it 200+ years ago) and that's also something I don't want to support.

But its mostly about my own safety and liberty.

hermioneweasley - there is still a female pay gap in the uk too.

I'm not sure I would judge others for not going or going.

A friend of ours who is gay and works for a UK company refused a transfer to Dubai (I thought it was pretty obvious) but his firm got really narcy about it and eventually made him redundant.

Awful story. Fascinating place. I only spent a few days three en route to SE Asia. The local papers are interesting, jib adverts specifically for German receptionists under 25 for example.

Certainly doesn't have to be a splash the cash kind of place. We spent a lot of our time there in the souks and backstreets, eating in obscure little places which were delicious. Never set for in a mall or anything blingy. It's an old, interesting place, way before the malls and theme parks and sky scrapers.

Female, not GermAn

I was there recently for a short holiday (not my choice by the way).

I didn't like it because everything is so artificial. I thought the shopping was a bit disappointing actually - none of the shops/labels that I like.

But more importantly it's all a bit morally repugnant - the whole place has been made possible only through the blood and sweat of workers from some of the poorest nations in the world.

I will probably visit one day, don't think it's totally fair to base all your views on others opinions (many haven't been either) and what you read in the papers.

I have been to Dubai and wouldn't bother going back. I found it soulless and air conditioned.

Motownmover, thanks for explaining that there's a gender pay gap in the UK. I am aware of that, but it's not caused by there being different gender specific pay scales. And there is legal protection for equal pay and discrimination based on protected characteristics.

Dubai, is somewhat different,I find it extraordinary that you would try and compare the 2 situations.

Felt anything but soulless at sundown near a mosque with the call to prayer booming through the narrow streets of the spice market with all the aromas surrounding us. Was magical.

I've never understood why people bother going on holiday just to walk around she conditioned malls.

I'd think if you looked beyond the shopping malls and expat bars it could be quite interesting.

MrsKeithRichards - we took our kids down to the creek to watch the cargo being loaded - they loved spotting the labels for different countries. Then pile onto the little boats to go to the souks with the locals travelling home from work.

We were on those boats! Sweltering hot, perched on a plank of wood and covered in diesel fumes but much more of an experience than the air con ones further up the creek.