Is the UAE the most depressing place in the world?

My experience of the gulf states like uae is that 80% of the people working there are not racist, those that serve you etc. However, the native gulf arabs at the airports and in administration are some of the racist people i have come across. They completely look down on black and asians, but love white european and americans.
Gulf arabs are mostly fat, lazy and rube people who have no compassion to darker skinned people.
Any muslim of asian decent will tell you how arrogant and racist they are. Dubai is just an artificial sand castle with no soul and it has nothing islamic at all.
I rich friend of mine purchased property there to settle, thinking it would be a good "muslim country" to live. He soon realised there was nothing islamic about the place and moved back to the u.k.
Avoid this depressed soulless place

Yes, I was depressed when talking to the emirati who work in Dubai post office. In fact, the moment I had a short conservation with an emirati lady at the airport, I knew that I had stepped into an awful place. I'm not exaggerating as I am absolutely right. All the information that you read about Dubai 'operating hours' from the google is unreliable and misleading. Even the metro closed earlier that what is stated in the google and the restaurant in Dubai Mall has been permanently closed (in google says it is open). Basically, the whole city is still handicap while the government is busy chasing by building as many tall building as possible. Like me, you would find it disturbing as you can only expect this in rural area.

It's funny how white people are complaining about labor conditions in middle eastern countries when you're the ones who have promoted actively to globalize the whole world. How do you think you get your fancy brands of clothing or shoes? You get it by enslaving millions upon millions of third world workers. What about all those Mexicans who work in your manufactures? Or the east Europeans in UK? You people are jealous that there are few countries in the middle east that are prospering. These workers who come to Gulf countries are doing that by their own will, they know about the rules and choose to come to have good salaries to go back and have a decent life. A poor person from south Asia or southeast Asia can work hard in their own countries for years and they will not have the same high salaries that they've it in GCC in a few months or two years. He can't have that at home or in white country like yours. You will hate it if your countries has more than 88% brown people. I bet you will do another Holocaust if something like that happened to your humane European countries or in USA but in GCC the local people are fine with it and there's no single 'nazi' groups here.

Beats bombing and destabilising other countries to steal resources. How many of your products do you think are derived from minerals in Africa or how important do you think securing supplies to oil are to preserving first world lifestyles? Globalisation is considered a good thing when rich countries benefit from trade but if foreign workers compete for first world jobs it's suddenly evil, eh? When being a civilised person or nation is costly out come the barbarians. In theory it's a right thing to do to shelter refugees fleeing for their lives but out come the wingnuts calling them invaders and terrorists.

Why are so many europeans and americans posting here bashing thr UAE and other middle eastern countries? I am sure these are all mainly white people and how does it matter to you what the living conditions of labour in Dubai are like? And how dare you lump all Indians into one category or slave labour? There are more Indian billionaires than anywhere in the middle east and Asia. The poor Indians who go to work in UAE know what thry are getting into and they are happy about it as they earn five times more and build homes back in India, in a way India is getting richer because these labour class send billions of dollars back home collectively each year. Most labour in dubai live in appalling conditions by their own choice, they can afford to live in better accomodation but they take the cheapest place to live just because they are in Dubai for only one reason - to work and save as much as they can and then build a better future back home. UAE is not an immigrant country, its a temporary work country. And what are all the whites here screaming about when your western countries are all super racist, and exploit everyone they can. Western countries claim to have strong human rights but go take a look at the ghettos in camden new jersey or south florida...or even the bronx and brooklyn, bad areas of chicago etc, they are worse much worse than the peaceful living condition in UAE. Europe has its only ghettos too, go to hackney in London and bradford and stratford and the Banelieus of Paris....its all sickening, there are such dangerous areas in these cities where even the police are scared to enter. At least the slaves in dubai arent fearing for their lives and are sleeping peacefully at night even in their bad little housing? Western countries are out of control with anti social behaviour, and no class, culture or dignity left, its all going to hell and the gap between rich and poor is also growing rapidly. London and UK have the widest gap in rich / poor, and the french claim to be all equals...but they only want to keep equality limited to the white middle classes of france, poverty in france is depressing and sickening, take the RER in paris sometime to go to any of the suburbs and u will see what dangerous horrible living conditions actually mean.

Dubai is a clean modern city, uae doesnt claim to be high in human rights but they live with dignity. Europeans have exploited the world for centuries and continue to do so, i dont even want to go near the european history of slavery and toruture, before giving lecutres to Arabs and Indians and others, europens should first look into their own backside.

This folks, is another case of communism ruining it's people. Kerela, other than Bengal is the most communist state in our country. It boasts an amazing HDI, far ahead of other states in the country, yet it can't build enough industries to keep it's relatively fairly small population employed. The labourers have two options. Migrate to the east or north to Tamil Nadu (where I live) or Karnataka where there are a lot of jobs available in agriculture and construction, but you need to compete with hordes of migrants from the Ganges belt so you're not going to get paid a lot, or make a leap of faith and go to the "gulf" where you're going to get treated like an indentured servant. Pretty depressing indeed, but unless the Keralites vote out the communists, they're not going to see anything different.

This terrible slave trade will never end till all those 3rd worlders are willing to accept shitty salaries, screwing de facto the jobs market.
In the end you're not only what there's written in your CV, but what you're able to negotiate.

Especially the qualified IT specialists from India, if really they're skilled enough to compete with western people, pack your stuff and try the move to EU or NA where there's such a dynamic market in the IT that they're throwing visas here and there to Msc degrees with 1/2 years of experience, and where you can get real money like the locals and integrate easily with the locals.

I feel exactly the same as the writer. Visited Dubai for two weeks. Thye are using these foreign workers like ants, once you are tired or dont have a job they kick you out of the country. Local arabs are lazy and have plenty of money. Only thing they can do is invest and then they call them selves "business" men. Locals don´t have skills, that´s why europeans and americans do all the engineering etc for them, 3rd country people do the serving and cleaning while arabs watch TV. Women walking heads covered every where, crazy. Arab men wont let women go alone with other girl friends to party etc. They must be watched all times! Very racist country in this way.

After having been about 10 times in Dubai and five times in Saudi-Arabia for work-related visits I have sworn to myself never to go there again. People from India, Bangladesh & other poorer countries are treated like sub-human beings. This starts already at immigration where all western looking travelers were allowed to use fast track lanes, whereas the less fortunate have to wait for ages and are treated badly by the locals. Pakistani working 12 hours in the sweltering heat and receive the equivalent of US $ 300 per month. In the meantime there are so many internet sites that may spread the truth banned in Dubai ( in the KSA there are probably more banned than allowed sites) that without a VPN you feel like cut off from the real world. The locals have wine-testings, sex parties and many are hardcore drug users, but everyone else gets punished severly for any of these "offenses" Gay people are blackmailed by locals and the NIgerian mafia, and you land in jail easier for "lewd acts" than for extortion. Human rights and common sense haven´t been heard of and the Islam is just used to keep a small, often uneducated clique in control. But still the dumb tourists from the so-called 1st world flock to this madhouse and make the Al Maktoums richer by the hour. If you don´t need to be there stay away, there are nicer, friendlier and definitely much better places on this planet !

I was working in Dubai for a couple of months and I noticed the working conditions. I used to work 11 hours a day as an engineer and thought that was bad. But when I saw the workers in the factory, they had bigger problems.slogging for 14 to 16 hours a day with a pay of 4 dhirams per hour which was really pathetic and most workers whom I met were under depression. One of the worker told me how he was promised 1000 dhirams /month in India. But after getting his visa stamped and starting his work, 200 was deducted from his pay(Food charge). Most of the times they used find cockroach in their food. Unfortunately no one took action. I have seen men in tears. denied annual leave despite working for 3 years without a break.

There is absolutly no value for human life. Looking at all this. I said good bye.
The thing that angered me was the pay scale for different nationalities..............

I lived in Dubai for 4.5 years & I often felt very sorry for the "workers" I come from an area that some in first world countries would categorise as lower socio economic so I never viewed a cleaner at the mall foodcourt or a waitress as a worker. Just as another human & thats where they worked. The term worker seems appropriate in Dubai because these people are there to do nothing but work. But in an ideal world, where noone is ever treated as less than another based on the country they happened to be born in... wait a minute we don't live in that world! So yes these people do only go there to work & quite often support a family living in poverty in the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh. And yes I do believe that the UAE locals as a minority being only 10% of thier own country, should definitely start to embrace "workers" as equal human beings if they don't want thier country to be a ghost town when the oil runs out, but the poverty in the workers home countries is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed first. Until then our somewhat guilty enjoyment of cheaper services like massage, taxis, dry cleaning & eating out is atleast paying the wages of these workers that have all come from countries with bigger problems. But do tip them even if it's not customary in your own country. These people deserve it.

Well, I have to agree with this article. My father, two brothers, in-law and I worked there, so trust me, I know what I am saying.

My father worked in a major telecom company for two decades. He dedicated his entire life away from us (still he sees us as children though we are already nearly 30 year olds) working for a company that would later leave him in the dust. When the "localization" in the UAE started, everyone else who are expats (especially those from the developing countries) were instantly terminated. My dad happens to be one of the very first technicians in the state he was assigned in by that company, but just like everyone else, he was disposed, got rid off, in just a snap of a finger, giving him a month to find a new job to sustain his visa to stay in that country. Luckily, my dad had to beg for the HR people (whom he is close with through the years of working together), to not cancel him immediately, since A.) No one wants to immediately hire him because he is already nearing the age of retirement and B.) I was under his visa. They did granted his request, being able to keep his visa for 8 months (living on canned foods and cheap biryanis) until he finally got a job that offered him meager salary just to keep our visa alive. It's just so sad how they did not even appreciate the people who help build this once barren land.

Same goes for us siblings, working 8-12 hours per day x 6 days per week. Heck, I am not even compensated for my extra hours, they view it as "inefficiency" on your part.

Sorry, this is long, but I just want to share the experiences I had with this country. Yes, it is a beautiful place to live in if you are earning a good 5-6 figures per month. But for ordinary employees, this is just a place to "work-save enough money-move back to your country".

Well! this is so confusing for me.. Guess that most of you people living in the 1st. world countries see the things from such a different perspective.

I my country they rob you, kill you for a cell phone, kidnapping is an everyday issue, much easier than working for 12 hours a day right?.

I'm glad there's so much work to do in the UAE so they don't die starving in their countries; and they have the option to go to another country to get food on their tables. Glad to know they are good, working people, that didn't choose the easy way (robbing and kidnaping me, to get the money I earn working 10 hours a day, 6 days a week).

I lived in Dubai for about 18 months, my husband for about 2 years, while we waited for his Aussie visa to clear (I'm Australian, he is Indian). We agree now that we wouldn't send a dog to live in the UAE. The large majority of Emiratis are revolting people, egomaniacs, horribly racist, completely self absorbed. They look down their noses at all others, and they only barely tolerate us Westeners because of the money that comes to the country from our countries with business, tourism etc. I'm a nurse (RN) and I worked at a very 'prestigious' private hospital when I was there. Some of the stories I could tell you would make your hair curl in regards to people's behavior, how emiratis treat others etc. Its all smoke and mirrors, there's nothing genuine about the place, including the people.

I have to throw my thoughts into this as well. Having visited the U.A.E. twice, I can relate to almost everyone here. To imagine the labour it took to build all those tall buildings and that almost all the people working in the "service" related jobs are from the outside such as Asia. I was never impressed at all. It's just too superficial, and it makes you wonder what's really going on inside. They can build build build all they want, but there's still that separation that was mentioned in an earlier post. Besides, it's still an area of Arabic and Islamic values, and you can't wear what you want on the streets, play loud music, dance where you want, and you've gotta be conservative at the beach. Laws are strict in regards to alcohol and conduct. I personally think it's a shame the U.A.E. doesn't do their own labour. Where's the pride? There is none. Spend all you want U.A.E. in order to lure people with money in. I'm not sold on all the hype.

In the UAE, its female citizens drive by themselves in cars which they own on their own, go to work, have their own bank and other financial accounts, travel the world by themselves and marry whom they want just as do its male citizens. The UAE, and Dubai in particular, are nothing like most of the GCC and certainly not like Saudi Arabia. In Dubai, open prostitution at hotel bars is rarely punished, unlike in most GCC and OECD countries.

Citizens in most every country -- democracy or not -- can have their assets taken by the government with little or no choice in the matter. [Asset forfeiture is part of state business in just about every jurisdiction of significance.] In the matter of individual's material assets and liabilities, the way in which the UAE is far worse than most countries is the following: defaulting on civil debts is a criminal violation. [Disputing a credit card charge or failing to make payments on a car or residence could come back to haunt you with time behind bars regardless of to whom the debt is owed in the UAE.]

The place certainly isn't a liberal representative democracy, but it is no worse than China or various other places on various matters which "the concerned" visit without as much if any comment about "rights" issues when the topic is tourism in those other places. Anti-Arab or anti-Muslim bias being part of the global picture, tourism-related or otherwise, is rationally undeniable for those able and willing to acknowledge reality and the neo-PCness that accepts or furthers prejudice of the anti-Arab or anti-Muslim sort. [And some of the anti-Muslim prejudice is peddled by Arabs who are not Muslim -- those includes neocon Arabs "concerned" about rights of persons in Dubai.]

As I said earlier, Dubai and the UAE doesn't do it for me, in terms of a tourist or lifestyle residence destination. That says nothing about not caring.

@wwk5d, "dumb and useless" doesn't apply to an accurate characterization. If you're not an Arab neo-con, just say so. People can believe it or not.

Bigots have a tendency to find pet topics to try to engage in delegitimization and even criminalization of whole peoples or states against which they are biased for reasons of political ideology, even if the bigots don't recognize and/or acknowledge that is what is they are doing..

@snic, of course your Ghanaian friend probably wouldn't -- he's not in the "Muslims and brown people" category that has seen rising levels of bigotry in the US and declining levels of the same in the UAE? The US has had a meaningful civil rights movement and a usefully litigious society that works to set things right in a way that has not happened in Europe. For women, the situation in the UAE is certainly not great but it is better than in the home countries from which the UAE gets most of its unskilled/low-skilled workforce. Women have rights in the UAE too. And for all the concern about women's rights in the workforce, Europe is no utopia. Even in "liberal" Scandinavia, sexual harassment at the workplace is not treated as seriously as in the US or even, in some cases, as seriously as in the UAE. The problem with rights' acknowledgement and protection of rights in the UAE is that, when wronged, justice is adjusted based on who you are and who you know; another problem with it is that publicly embarrassing situations for the country come with an official backlash for going public about incidents.. Then again justice systems in most countries are de facto slanted in favor of the rich/powerful/well-connected while being slanted against the poor and against some ethnic/religious minorities. For most of the people, male or female, who migrate to the UAE for work, the conditions are no worse in the UAE than they would be in their own home country; rather, most often the conditions in the UAE are a huge improvement for them. There are lot of women's rights failings in the UAE, and homophobia makes the UAE problematic for many tourists; however, a lot of countries have awful records in those or other areas too and yet rarely does it become a pet topic in the way it does when talking about some Muslim-majority state.

If anything, all the negative attention the UAE has gotten is a sign of the place having succeeded in a big enough way to have gotten much of the attention it craves that few would have expected in the 1970s or 1980s when the UAE was a much younger country.

@wwk5d, you clearly don't understand or appreciate the meaning of the word "amongst", which may explain your misdirected, misleading comment.

@snic, for many minority males in Europe -- including in some so-called liberal Nordic countries -- your description of the bigotry migrant workforce participants face in the UAE sounds much like the description of bigotry that migrant workers face in Europe and East Asia too -- even faced by professional migrant workers with advanced academic degrees. Getting viewed as second-class, treated as such to the point of being insulted or ignored; their domestically-born children having no right to citizenship in the country of birth and sometimes not even allowed an education without threat of removal from the school or country even if allowed to enroll in primary schools -- all of this takes place in Europe too with laws either half-heartedly enforced, if enforced, or set up so as to be a joke when it comes to protecting minorities from discrimination.

The UAE nationals include a rather bigoted lot which holds many negative stereotypes of various peoples, but their deepest reservoir of bigotry is directed at Persians and Shias; yet they love the business and educated labor they too provide.

It is not like bigotry and negative stereotypes of ethnic and religious minorities isn't present in the US, Canada and much of Europe too. The hatred espoused toward Muslims in many OECD countries and elsewhere has become neo-PC and is tolerated and accepted in a way it would not be if in the place of "muslims and brown people" other ethnic and/or religious minorities were targeted.

Ok, I was wrong, Singapore may be more dictatorial that I imagined. Mea Culpa. It does, however have a very very transparent government sector.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index#Rankings

I can immigrate to Singapore, get a PR and eventually become a Singaporean citizen. There is NO route for citizenship in the UAE. You can be born and raised in the Emirates and you will always be an expatriate. If your sponsor loses his job, then his visa is cancelled and he and his family has to leave the country. You will always be relegated to a second-class status. You will never be able to participate in civil society.

If I am a Singaporean citizen – atleast in theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_14_of_the_Constitution_of_Singapore#Restrictions_on_freedom_of_speech_and_assembly) - I am entitled to rights as a Singaporean citizen. I am entitled to subsidized housing and I can send my kids to a public school. You also have a voice and you can exercise it. Singapore is a relatively new country and it is still maturing. Atleast its constitution allows for a potential route for increased freedom of expression. No such avenue exists in the UAE.

The treatment of “guest workers” in Singapore still has room to improve under the way the government and country is set up. In the UAE, there is no incentive to give guest workers a fair share of the country’s success.

Lucky, I've been following your blog for a while. This is the first comment I’m making. My favourite part are your trip reports. I find them very to be well written and very entertaining. I’m a college student right now so I’m a bit “budget constrained” :P, but I hope that one day I can indulge myself. Having said that, sometimes you come across as a bit of a prude in my opinion. I am sure it’s not intentional but obviously when you say something like “I wish I could be addressed by name”, it can come across as a bit harsh.

I was born and raised in the UAE. I am Indian but I hold a Canadian citizenship and my family was fairly well settled so as you could imagine, we lived comfortably. 4 years ago, I moved to Canada to study and I have been living here since. I don’t want to go back.

As you have seen, the UAE is an extremely comfortable place for those who can afford it. Throughout my childhood, I never really looked at the Filipino behind the counter at McDonalds or the Indian toiling at the construction as people. Rather, I just perceived them as objects to serve my needs.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve begun to understand the price of the UAE’s blazing success. Some of these commenters have mentioned that these laborers would be paid a lot less in their home countries. That’s probably true.

These workers are also separated from the only life they have know back home in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India. They get to go home once every two years. The live in “labour camps” sharing their rooms and a toilet with 8 or 12 other men. The going rate for an unskilled laborer (after visa and agent costs are taken into account) is approximately 700-800 dhirhams or between 200-250 USD per month. For this “wage” as you pointed out, they work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.

It hurts me to say this because I was born and raised in the UAE. I love the UAE lifestyle. Here in Canada, I’m actually expected to do my laundry myself.

Some commenters above have mentioned that indentured servants exist in Singapore amongst other places. That is probably true. This does not for one moment justify denying a man his dignity. Singapore is a democracy. It is lauded all over the world for having one of the most transparent governments. Human rights for “guest workers” may be a weakness for the country but the fact that Singapore is a democracy and not a dictatorship means that its citizens can voice their concerns. As the country develops and matures, I am confident that the country will be more effective at enforcing the human rights of its labourers.

With regards to you Lucky, I am very excited, thrilled and impressed at how perceptive your comments in this post have been. As you have often mentioned in your blog, travelling broadens the mind. The fact that you have taken the time to speak to cab drivers, waiters, servers shows me that you can look beyond the superficial reality of wherever you travel and that now you are truly able to appreciate and understand the places you have traveled to. You have also pointed in some of your trip reports that you truly enjoy a flight when the flight attendants look like they love their job, and take pride in their word. That happiness passes on to the passenger as well.

@Sean M. I don't think I'm being naive at all. Of course, mistreatment of immigrant workers happens in UK; sometimes with horrific consequences, such as with the cockle pickers at Morecambe Bay. There is nothing like the widespread use of very very cheaply paid migrant labour from Asia. If you are greeted by a young Eastern European women at a hotel reception, she's very to be working legally, under the same conditions that British citizen would be. To claim any kind of equivalency between the UK and the UAE is absurd.

@GuWonder

Er, it's not fashionable. It's people suffering. Yes, some people benefit, but many do not.

@Sean M.

That's simply not true. Many Asian countries have lowered the number of visas allowed to their citizens, and in some cases, banned certain jobs for their citizens. The Philippines, Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia, among others, have voiced their concerns about how their citizens are being treated not just in the GCC but also many other Arab countries as well.

I felt the same way when I stayed in Cairo. Usually, I feel like I am helping someone when I spend big bucks for a nice hotel. But in Cairo, I felt they were oppressed (and I have never had that feeling before).

Regarding the cruise ship, we took a Mediterranean Cruise in June and our porter was from Singapore. We got to know him well and made sure we paid him well. And while it's hard for anyone to be away from their family, I did not have that sinking feeling about our steward that I had about the workers in Cairo.

@Sean M.

Yes, this exists everywhere, but people in Europe and the US have better legal resources in cases where they are being abused. Not so in the UAE or the rest of GGC. Local human rights grass root organizations are beginning to pop up, but they are few and far between.

The UAE doesn't have have a quite vibrant multi-cultural society on any level, much of it is shallow and sterile.

People from white countries and developed East Asian countries (Japan, S. Korea) tend to get treated better than other Arabs, Africans, and Asians. A German engineer, for example, will get paid more for the same job a Lebanese or Indian will do, even if they have the same experience.

Yes, it's true, millions of people were lifted out of poverty thanks to the jobs and wages in the GCC. But for every success story, there are 3 or 4 people for him they weren't as fortunate, and ended up returning home or in debt.

Without the employment opportunities provided by the GCC countries like the UAE, a lot of people from or in South Asia's poorest parts would be a lot, lot worse off. The money they earn is far better than they would make at home. And the working conditions they get in the UAE at least are actually generally better than the working conditions they would face for a fraction of the pay back in their own communities in South Asia. The GCC countries are far from perfect and have ugly human rights records but have led to the socio-economic upliftment of millions in South Asia. There are poor farming families whose children are now doctors and engineers and lawyers only because a father or uncle or sibling or cousin was able to get a job in the UAE or other GCC country, save a lot of money (relative to what they would save working in their home country), and build homes and pay for education for their families that they would otherwise not be able to do. Most wouldn't trade it for a life at home until after they meet their financial needs because there isn't as much indignity in their working lives in the UAE and GCC as they may have otherwise faced at home.

The tax free lure of the Gulf States is attractive indeed to those who are after a quick buck and are willing to work like slaves for a few years. It's sad that their lives at home are so bad that they feel compelled to do this, but money talks.

As to depressing, I don't think it can beat Las Vegas on that score. At least what Dubai and elsewhere offers has a veneer of solidity and sophistication. Las Vegas is simply tacky and depressing through and through. And people have moved to the desert to work there...

The UAE has a terrible human rights record. The brother of Abu Dhabi’s ruler was caught on video savagely torturing a man for cheating him out of a few sacks of rice. He was declared innocent in court, despite two hours of video footage showing otherwise. That says alot about these people’s disregard for human life.

The workers who built Burj Khalifa (among other projects) were paid as little as $7 per day. Most of this is the doing of the recruitment agencies and construction companies, but the government has clearly failed to do anything about the abuse.

On the other hand, the hotel workers I've spoken to had nothing but positive things to say. The lounge workers at the Hyatt Regency raved about getting a tax-free salary, free room, board, transportation, a ticket home every 6 months and other perks. One employee told me she doesn't know what to spend her salary on because everything is taken care of. I guess whether workers are treated well or not depends on who they work for (and probably where they come from).