i wish i could remember more of the arabic i was supposed to have learned in egypt. i've had some interesting convos with people here; the immigrants are interesting people.
there are slaves in dubai. don't think people actually owned by others - thank goodness those days are behind us - rather laborers who are promised a good life and living if they come - only to have their passports taken away by their employer when they arrive and forced to toil in far less than ideal conditions for many years simply to earn enough to pay their employer back for their ticket and visa to come. for a very informative, albeit long perspective on some of dubai's problems, read this: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html
surely dubai is far from perfect. just wanted you human rights advocates out there to know that i know that. the human rights violations are often terrible and atrocious. on the other hand, the oft-held perspective that every laborer is a slave of sorts seems a little on the pessimistic side after walking the generally happy streets of the rougher parts of town - everyone is not depressed and oppressed and, after all, people choose to come to dubai for a reason - a lack of opportunity where they came from. there are people in america and canada too that are trapped in cycles of hardship - and alot of the time its not any one person's fault. i think we would all do well to pray for the oppressed in this world, whether they are in dubai or anywhere else, and be thankful that we are lucky enough to have our freedom.
there are slaves in dubai. don't think people actually owned by others - thank goodness those days are behind us - rather laborers who are promised a good life and living if they come - only to have their passports taken away by their employer when they arrive and forced to toil in far less than ideal conditions for many years simply to earn enough to pay their employer back for their ticket and visa to come. for a very informative, albeit long perspective on some of dubai's problems, read this: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html
surely dubai is far from perfect. just wanted you human rights advocates out there to know that i know that. the human rights violations are often terrible and atrocious. on the other hand, the oft-held perspective that every laborer is a slave of sorts seems a little on the pessimistic side after walking the generally happy streets of the rougher parts of town - everyone is not depressed and oppressed and, after all, people choose to come to dubai for a reason - a lack of opportunity where they came from. there are people in america and canada too that are trapped in cycles of hardship - and alot of the time its not any one person's fault. i think we would all do well to pray for the oppressed in this world, whether they are in dubai or anywhere else, and be thankful that we are lucky enough to have our freedom.
