Another Dubai hellhole story

stickyfiddle

mellowsun said:

MattBanshee said:

The article is hugely misleading. She was detained at immigration as she had declared her intention to work, but had no work permit or visa. 

Interesting, sounds like you know more about this than is being reported - what’s your source for the fact that it was a work visa?

The Grauniad article only mentions that it was a 5 day trip to visit friends.

The obvious thing would be that if she had literally walked up to the desk, handed over her passport and said literally nothing, they'd have given her a tourist visa and let her in without comment. Something doesn't add up.

usedtobe

I still wouldn’t go there.

heavyrocker

mellowsun said:

heavyrocker said:

MattBanshee said:

The article is hugely misleading. She was detained at immigration as she had declared her intention to work, but had no work permit or visa. (Edit: it also looks like she attempted to bribe immigration officials by asking to "buy" a work visa from them). Her child was detained with her because she had nobody else with her to care for it, and could have been deported at any time.

She was only asked about, and tested for, the alcohol consumption during a medical assessment whilst already detained for what was, essentially, illegal entry into the country.

Don't fall for the Islamophobic spin that the media are trying to create. Illegal immigrants are treated far, far worse in the USA, where in fact people are petitioning to ensure that children are never seperated from their parents when detained.

Now the story is making sense. I hate how supposedly reputable media don’t give the full story even when the facts are available.

All the media are reporting the same story so where are the true facts available about this? 

They’re reporting the same story but not in the same way. Some are giving the impression that she was detained solely for innocently drinking a complimentary glass of wine on the plane, which is plainly false.

77ric

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/mother-jailed-in-dubai-after-one-glass-of-wine-filmed-airport-officials/news-story/61b46d38e7817c72bef103b3c9e9560d

the glass of wine is incidental, but it is what the media and detained in Dubai people are clutching too.

thecolourbox

The original story linked in the story above hints that the problem was more with the visa problems, that they simply occurred after she had drank a glass of wine, and that as a result of her protestation and trying to buy a visa from the immigration official she was asked if she had drank alcohol. Assumption yes but so is the outrage about the story being based on a glass of wine being drank.

I've just checked their visa rules and if you're from the UK you can just get a free 30 day tourist visa upon arrival, which if she was just visiting friends for five days would be perfectly fine. So how could she have got that so wrong?

The story just doesn't add up on this reporting. I'm not a fan of the place myself but have only been through the airport on the way to other places so can't really judge. But it does seem to be one of those outrage stories like they often run about Muslim countries, the EU, or killer animals in Australia. I bet there wouldn't be as much fuss if something like this had happened going into Israel...

scrumhalf

heavyrocker said:

. If it had been a businessman in a suit I’m sure they would have turned a blind eye.

Or a Russian hooker. They should have their own immigration queue at Dubai airport.

thecolourbox

77ric said:

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/mother-jailed-in-dubai-after-one-glass-of-wine-filmed-airport-officials/news-story/61b46d38e7817c72bef103b3c9e9560d

the glass of wine is incidental, but it is what the media and detained in Dubai people are clutching too.

Just read this one. If true, then I'm not sure anybody would expect to be waved straight through of you have one Swedish passport out of date, then you whip out another Iranian one to see if that works instead - or is that normal for people with multiple citizenship?

octatonic

scrumhalf said:

heavyrocker said:

. If it had been a businessman in a suit I’m sure they would have turned a blind eye.

Or a Russian hooker. They should have their own immigration queue at Dubai airport.

You don't know nothing about a Russian hooker.
Some bloke broke in and straight up took her.

MattBanshee

mellowsun said:

MattBanshee said:

The article is hugely misleading. She was detained at immigration as she had declared her intention to work, but had no work permit or visa. 

Interesting, sounds like you know more about this than is being reported - what’s your source for the fact that it was a work visa?

The Grauniad article only mentions that it was a 5 day trip to visit friends.

I had read about this thoroughly due to challenging someone on Facebook who was spouting Islamophobic nonsense.

I can't find the original source I had seen, but to quote the news.com.au link posted further up in this thread:

"She is also said to regularly fly over for weeks at a time to carry out beauty procedures such as Botox."

proggy

It's a bit much banging her up for having 1 glass of wine, I heard that women are often getting stoned over there.

Snap

Dubai IMO is a horrible place, but they have no issue with alcohol consumption in the allocated places - hotels and bars, airports and planes.

Not a place I would recommend for a holiday. I'd sooner go to Blackpool.

Garthy

Snap said:

Dubai IMO is a horrible place, but they have no issue with alcohol consumption in the allocated places - hotels and bars, airports and planes.

Not a place I would recommend for a holiday. I'd sooner go to Blackpool.

I wouldn’t go anywhere where the rules are so fluid that you could end up in prison for drinking alcohol or wearing the wrong thing in the wrong place. It is also concerning how many people turn a blind eye to rampant slavery in the UAE.

skunkwerx

They have rules such as no dancing or hugging in public... 

If I went, I’d have to be constantly telling myself not to be myself.. 

Sounds like a shit life. 

Snap

Dubai is a monument to fakery. hypocrisy and braggarts. Its just not a nice place. Heck, even the beaches are fake.

Where people can get into trouble is when you forget that it is actually a strict muslim society that tolerates western social elements in order to bring in money.

And yes, the treatment of lower skill immigrant workers is bad, but that's true of several middle eastern countries.

No, I've never understood the appeal of holidays in Dubai. If its about the heat, there are plenty of places that are sunny and warm outside of our summer months that are much more relaxed, cultured, genuine and interesting.

Depends what you like I suppose. However, the prospect of staying in a gawdy hotel on a purpose built resort, surrounded by flash harries and wannabes does not appeal in the slightest.

stickyfiddle

Snap said:

Dubai is a monument to fakery. hypocrisy and braggarts. Its just not a nice place. Heck, even the beaches are fake.

Where people can get into trouble is when you forget that it is actually a strict muslim society that tolerates western social elements in order to bring in money.

And yes, the treatment of lower skill immigrant workers is bad, but that's true of several middle eastern countries.

No, I've never understood the appeal of holidays in Dubai. If its about the heat, there are plenty of places that are sunny and warm outside of our summer months that are much more relaxed, cultured, genuine and interesting.

Depends what you like I suppose. However, the prospect of staying in a gawdy hotel on a purpose built resort, surrounded by flash harries and wannabes does not appeal in the slightest.

You sound like you never left your hotel. Dubai is a melting pot of cultures - FAR more than anywhere else I've been. If you step outside the shiny fake nonsense there is a whole world of great people, amazing food and loads of stuff to do. It's also extremely safe - you can leave your phone or wallet somewhere and it will almost never be stolen, and usually either safely kept. 

Dubai is not actually a strict muslim society for the most part. Sharjah is far more strict, and KSA is another level above that. 

It's not perfect but it's not the hellhole you seem to think it is. 

skunkwerx said:

They have rules such as no dancing or hugging in public... 

If I went, I’d have to be constantly telling myself not to be myself.. 

Sounds like a shit life. 

No they don't. There is a general "no PDAs" rule, but that doesn't mean no hugging - just no prolonged kissing (or anything worse!). Noone gets arrested for giving someone else a peck on the cheek. And have you ever seen arabs dance? It's amazing and terrifying and glorious. They love it. 

Garthy said:

Snap said:

Dubai IMO is a horrible place, but they have no issue with alcohol consumption in the allocated places - hotels and bars, airports and planes.

Not a place I would recommend for a holiday. I'd sooner go to Blackpool.

I wouldn’t go anywhere where the rules are so fluid that you could end up in prison for drinking alcohol or wearing the wrong thing in the wrong place. It is also concerning how many people turn a blind eye to rampant slavery in the UAE.

You don't go to jail for drinking. You go to jail for doing something really fucking stupid *while drinking*, and they add a drinking charge on top. I have never heard of anyone being arrested simply for drinking alcohol. It just doesn't happen.

On top of that, I have (and all residents can get) an alcohol licence which basically means I won't get arrested for drinking. But i'm still able to arrested for doing stupid shit while drunk, just like everyone else everywhere else. 

Snap

@stickyfiddle yeah, I don't doubt there are plenty of restaurants and that, but there is little culture to be had, come on! I didn't just stick to the hotel either, was working there for a bit, not long though.

Man, there is not a lot to it apart from the bling. Certainly not compared to say Muscat. Its an Emirate, they are built on cash and they put on a tolerant front, provide tax breaks to attract money and foreign investment etc. You go a few miles inland from the skycrapers and you're in miles of desert. The "old" bit is small and pretty limited.

Of course its strict - you can get done, badly done, for displays of affection, being drunk, huggin your mates, or posting the "wrong" stuff on social media! Yes, I know most people come and go without incident, but my point is, its got a tricky underbelly and you can get into trouble with the authorities relatively easily. And once you are in trouble, you are on your own. Sure, its no Saudi Arabia, but its certainly not a liberal place.

goldtop

I lived there for 2.5 years. It's a shithole. Racism is so deeply entrenched in everyday society that you have to find a way of ignoring it, or else leave. Some there (and here) defend it with complex moral acrobatics. I'll dig out a link to teh last time we did this...

goldtop

Found it: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/114813/reasons-to-stay-away-from-dubai/p1

thecolourbox

goldtop said:

I lived there for 2.5 years. It's a shithole. Racism is so deeply entrenched in everyday society that you have to find a way of ignoring it, or else leave. Some there (and here) defend it with complex moral acrobatics. I'll dig out a link to teh last time we did this...

Are you taking about Dubai or the UK there?

I still don't think that people's views and criticisms of the place as a holiday destination justify outrage at somebody doing something wrong and getting into trouble for it. 

EricTheWeary

I used to work with people who had holidays in Dubai ( I’ve only been to the airport - the air outside the plane was incredibly hot and I had an incredibly expensive cup of coffee ) and as far as I could work out they never left the hotel. Amazing value, amazing service, amazing food,etc. Sounded incredibly dull to me but their money. These were British Sikhs  - I think every Sikh I've ever had a conversation about travel/ holidays always love hotels. But Dubai was somewhere they also felt comfortable to be which wasn't necessarily true of some British/ European destinations.