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Life Sentence for British Student Draws Criticism for U.A.E

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Re: Life Sentence for British Student Draws Criticism for U.A.E

#81
post #73

How is this relevant to HN? Isn't "most political stuff" explicitly off topic? Also, most people calling out UAE to be a "dangerous" place and make misinformed should really learn more before making blanket statements. I have lived there for half of my life and also lived in the world "largest democracy" and also in the US. I feel safer in the UAE as an immigrant than I do in either of those places. For context, in I…

Sorry but there are enough incidents coming out of UAE and the arab world (KSA), where it seems easy to run afoul of the law (alcohol, drugs, sex/rape, religion) and end up in big trouble You go after India but don’t reveal what country you hail from though. The US is so big though that it’s impractical to make such a blanket statement. There are mosques in every big city- no one seems to be opressed because of their…

I am from Indian occupied Kashmir.

I guess I would say there are other cultures in the world centered around other belief systems (not always religious) that are impossible to grasp as an outsider. As somebody who has lived in both KSA and UAE for a long time, I can tell you that people from the UAE are the most generous, kind, and honestly classy people you will come across (something that is not accounted for when generalizing them as a barbaric people like many do in this post)

I have never seen an Emirati as much as yell at somebody in the streets. Happiness of citizens is actively discussed and worked on, on a government level. Seeing the police makes me feel safe, not threatened.

Maybe that’s why there are so many expatriates there.

You should totally visit. It’s an amazing place.

Re: Life Sentence for British Student Draws Criticism for U.A.E

#82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A female friend who's a paediatrician was being courted by the Saudi government to come and start a programme there. Women's health - including pregnancy and childbirth - was dreadful because all doctors were male but they weren't allowed to touch or even view women's naked bodies. Breast cancer survival rates were horrific too, and probably still are - this was only a few years ago. The idea was to move there with h…

> when she discovered that any time she wanted to leave the country she'd have to have a letter signed by him giving his permission Does this clause apply to visitors / non-native citizens / non-muslims also? I thought it only applied to native saudi's from that Saud[1] dude's bloodline. Not trolling, really don't know. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Saud

That's what she said to me - she may have misinterpreted. There were other aspects of life in Saudi Arabia that she didn't like, so it wasn't her only consideration, but given that she thought it was the case it was a clear deal-breaker.

Re: Life Sentence for British Student Draws Criticism for U.A.E

#83
post #80

I don't know why anyone would visit a country with such insane laws, it's just too dangerous. Sure they seem to have a lot of interesting stuff going on and to see, but a big fat NOPE after you read anything about their rules and how they treat people!

I'd been to UAE and it is surprisingly lax country. In fact, if you ever want to experience culture of a country with Islam as state religion with all Western amenities, your safest bet might be UAE. They really really value their tourism and foreign investment business. Consequently they will look away most things that are outright violation of laws by foreigners. For example, their law bans sleeve less dress for wo…

I'd add Oman as a terrific Islamic country to visit. Men and women work alongside each other. Women walk and congregate after dark without male chaperones. It's all quite sane and immaculately kept. Jordan is relaxed too. Lots to see and do in both countries.

Re: Life Sentence for British Student Draws Criticism for U.A.E

#84
post #80

I don't know why anyone would visit a country with such insane laws, it's just too dangerous. Sure they seem to have a lot of interesting stuff going on and to see, but a big fat NOPE after you read anything about their rules and how they treat people!

I'd been to UAE and it is surprisingly lax country. In fact, if you ever want to experience culture of a country with Islam as state religion with all Western amenities, your safest bet might be UAE. They really really value their tourism and foreign investment business. Consequently they will look away most things that are outright violation of laws by foreigners. For example, their law bans sleeve less dress for wo…

Yeah, I'd love to visit there, but it's just too risky. Just because people are getting away with doing stuff that is against the law doesn't mean they can't just turn at a moments notice and say "NOPE" and you are suddenly in a huge pile of shit for something minor.

My "wife" of 12 years is common-law because we don't believe in marriage, I'm not going to risk our lives because they don't respect that.

I'm not saying don't travel to Islamic countries, I'm saying don't travel somewhere you can get royally fucked for something minor.

Re: Life Sentence for British Student Draws Criticism for U.A.E

#85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Look at Japan: 23-day police custody period. After that there’s a 99.99% confession rate. Carlos Ghosn, president of Nissan, seems to have just discovered it: He will be interrogated for 12 days. I would never go to such countries.

Japan is not going to torture him, keep him up without letting him sleep are they? They have the rule of law and generally treat people well. You can't seriously compare those countries, can you?

What I heard about treating foreigners in Japanese police stations qualifies indeed as torture. The rule of law applies when you confess.

Re: Life Sentence for British Student Draws Criticism for U.A.E

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A female friend who's a paediatrician was being courted by the Saudi government to come and start a programme there. Women's health - including pregnancy and childbirth - was dreadful because all doctors were male but they weren't allowed to touch or even view women's naked bodies. Breast cancer survival rates were horrific too, and probably still are - this was only a few years ago. The idea was to move there with h…

> when she discovered that any time she wanted to leave the country she'd have to have a letter signed by him giving his permission Does this clause apply to visitors / non-native citizens / non-muslims also? I thought it only applied to native saudi's from that Saud[1] dude's bloodline. Not trolling, really don't know. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Saud

I have heard a similar thing from friends who played the expat game for a few years. They lived in a compound where they could live as they wanted (within reason: no pork, no porn, etc), but the moment they stepped outside, the wives and daughters had to be chaperoned by a family male (father/husband or brother), or have written permission, wear a hijab, and be driven around by the male driver their company provided. They made a ton of money, but it seriously fucked up their kids who still resent them (the kids were teenagers at the time, that's possibly the worst time to live in such a messed up place)
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