Dubai, a Mirage or a Dream Come True?
I have been reading an old article in The Independent dated back to April 2009. It's a very interesting read aimed to portray the dark side of Dubai as experienced by the writer, the side that most people are apparently afraid to discuss publicly. The writer discusses issues like indentured servitude, construction slaves, mistreatment of the poor, debt, different lifestyles, abandoned projects and many more...
Have any of you been living there recently and willing to share his or her side of the story?
The article URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-s...
God help them
I have lived in Dubai in the early 90's and it was same then but a little more human to the bonded slaves. Now it has become the worst place to work for the laborers. I left Dubai after a year and moved back home.
Now the same trend seems to spread to Qatar where there is a high suicide rate among the Nepalese and the living conditions of the laborers is pathetic.
It's a shame for so called the richest countries of the world and their Governments not to take notice of these attrocities, and it's a shame that we help them build cities that only care about the money that is invested here and don't care about the humans.
I think ultimately there's a price for growing at such rapid pace. Unfortunately a big part of this price lies in completely neglecting basic human rights for the sake of building a city from scratch.
Don't get me wrong here... If Dubai is like how you mentioned, Qatar is not far different. Atleast in Dubai you can travel freely without exit permits or whatsoever, move jobs without the painful process one experience in Qatar, stay in a much better living atmosphere for a better value to name few. I have lived in both countries for a good long time... believe me that article is far too stretched and exaggerated...
nice
........I ask the girl behind the counter if she likes it here. "It's OK," she says cautiously. Really? I say. I can't stand it. She sighs with relief and says: "This is the most terrible place! I hate it! I was here for months before I realised – everything in Dubai is fake. Everything you see. The trees are fake, the workers' contracts are fake, the islands are fake, the smiles are fake – even the water is fake!""I think Dubai is like an oasis. It is an illusion, not real. You think you have seen water in the distance, but you get close and you only get a mouthful of sand."As she says this, another customer enters. She forces her face into the broad, empty Dubai smile and says: "And how may I help you tonight, sir?"