Trouble in Dubai!!!

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Originally Posted by christianxxx

your numbers are absolutely fucking hilarious. i love your stories haahaha.

just to be clear the prince of dubai was bringing over famous porn stars for 3-4 days at a time and they weren't making what you claim. you gotta invent lower numbers. good lord.

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....and here you go again.....just because something sounds absolutely ridiculous and improbable can't you just suspend your disbelief for a moment and just accept it as fact!? C'mon man, the world would be a dull place without fictional accounts of experiences in far-flung places ;)

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Originally Posted by christianxxx

you are joking right....let me say this one more time....those 2 are 100 percent escorts. are you for real?

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Are you for real? First, I only went by what the article said...second, there's no way the Dubai police lets them go after 2 days and then allows them to give interviews...and my point anyway was that there were numerous inconsistencies in the article.

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Originally Posted by asianphoenixx

why?

It's obviously money.

Actually it's not only money. Middle East, Dubai in particular, is a good place to transit, from North America to Asia.

It has everything from good food, food shopping, night life to gorgeous boys. Perfect place to spend for few days.

So while transiting, why not working at the same time?

I've been there 4 times. A week each time. the first three visits earning between 15-20 K. It's good, but i can earn that money too here in USA.

Then, i have some reviews in Arabic, and this is one of key factors for the upscale Arabs men to see good quality escorts, similar to here in USA.

And boom...I earn 80K in 4.5 days before getting arrested.
Most probably the highest earning escort in the country at the time.

My website was popular in the country, and the government detected it, and did some further research and finally found me working.

All the money was taken, so it's completely waste.

It's an experience.
80K is a lot of money, but at the end of the day, I prefer my freedom rather than staying in jail for almost 4 months.

A lesson to remember

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Of course, they likely followed you the whole time...it's easy for them to hack your phone and your computer and then set you up to steal your money.

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Originally Posted by Stavros

Not at all like North Korea. There are quite a few British people who have a second home in Dubai for the winter; Dubai hosts sporting events through the year (Tennis, Formula 1) and it also provides work for hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who would probably be unemployed at home.

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So because there's some money there, it's not at all an autocratic society? And the "work" you speak of for Filipinos, Indians, and Malays has routinely been exposed as little more than indentured servitude, whre the managers of these migrant works confiscate their passports, delay wage payments by months or years at a time, cram them into living quarters where it's 12 to a room with hotbunking, and then have complicit police harass, beat, and arrest any worker who tries to complain or escape. It is de facto slavery. Dubai, like North Korea, is evil to it's core, and no amount of Formula 1 racing or five star hotels is going to change that.

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Originally Posted by tsmirandameadows

So because there's some money there, it's not at all an autocratic society? And the "work" you speak of for Filipinos, Indians, and Malays has routinely been exposed as little more than indentured servitude, whre the managers of these migrant works confiscate their passports, delay wage payments by months or years at a time, cram them into living quarters where it's 12 to a room with hotbunking, and then have complicit police harass, beat, and arrest any worker who tries to complain or escape. It is de facto slavery. Dubai, like North Korea, is evil to it's core, and no amount of Formula 1 racing or five star hotels is going to change that.

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My sentiments exactly. Unfortunately too many Westerners are blinded by the Chanel perfume, Gucci handbags, Rolex watches, and Hermes scarves which have been used to mask the underlying shit that is the Middle East. The people who run things over there understand perfectly well what appeals the most to Westerners in general and Europeans in particular: Fashion, Football, and F1. If those things exist in an autocratic, repressive country then it becomes more palatable as a place of 'culture' worthy of high praise and vacation recommendations.

My fiancee happens to be a Filipina who worked in Jordan and Lebanon and I can relate stories from her about the treatment she and dozens of her compatriots experienced over there that would shock most of the Middle East sympathizers here. Rape is common. Physical abuse is common. Mental and emotional abuse is the norm. And worse, even if they complain to local police they are guaranteed to be mistreated by the police and later the employer.

But hey, if you throw in the 3Fs all is well.

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Originally Posted by tsmirandameadows

So because there's some money there, it's not at all an autocratic society? And the "work" you speak of for Filipinos, Indians, and Malays has routinely been exposed as little more than indentured servitude, whre the managers of these migrant works confiscate their passports, delay wage payments by months or years at a time, cram them into living quarters where it's 12 to a room with hotbunking, and then have complicit police harass, beat, and arrest any worker who tries to complain or escape. It is de facto slavery. Dubai, like North Korea, is evil to it's core, and no amount of Formula 1 racing or five star hotels is going to change that.

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Welcome to N.America.
Glass houses and all that.

I'm not saying Dubai is as bad as some places, but when it comes to transphobia and homophobia, I imagine it is far worse than most Western countries. They have banned books with gay characters (The Gulf Between Us) and their openness to outsiders also leaves something to be desired. In 2009, Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer was not allowed to compete there.

When asked about it, the tournament director said that her presence there would incite anger. The next year she was allowed to play, but was not allowed to socialize with other players under the pretext of security. The implication was that even allowing her to go about her business could get her killed!

I'm not saying that Dubai doesn't have tense relations (in fact no diplomatic relations) with Israel, but I think it's extremely disingenuous to pretend that a professional tennis player's mere presence will antagonize people simply because of where she's from. Only a very nasty prejudice would allow someone to make that argument and expect it to be taken at face value.

Of course, banning books with gay characters, and banning athletes because of where they are form does not bode well for anyone who might violate some of their cultural norms.

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Originally Posted by broncofan

I'm not saying Dubai is as bad as some places, but when it comes to transphobia and homophobia, I imagine it is far worse than most Western countries. They have banned books with gay characters (The Gulf Between Us) and their openness to outsiders also leaves something to be desired. In 2009, Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer was not allowed to compete there.

When asked about it, the tournament director said that her presence there would incite anger. The next year she was allowed to play, but was not allowed to socialize with other players under the pretext of security. The implication was that even allowing her to go about her business could get her killed!

I'm not saying that Dubai doesn't have tense relations (in fact no diplomatic relations) with Israel, but I think it's extremely disingenuous to pretend that a professional tennis player's mere presence will antagonize people simply because of where she's from. Only a very nasty prejudice would allow someone to make that argument and expect it to be taken at face value.

Of course, banning books with gay characters, and banning athletes because of where they are form does not bode well for anyone who might violate some of their cultural norms.

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I like your last statement.

I don't think Europe or North America should be the moral police of the rest of the world. We don't have to like the norms of any given culture but we should respect it when visiting. Along with that though, I think it's important that we acknowledge where 'their' culture differs from 'our' culture and the dangers inherent for 'us' visiting 'them'. I think any gay or trans-person choosing to visit a Muslim country is taking a foolish risk in the same way a woman form North America is taking a risk by exposing any part of her body when visiting Saudi Arabia. What pisses me off are the apologists who constantly try to affirm that the Middle East is no different than Europe or North America because they have money or the trappings of wealth.

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Originally Posted by GroobySteven

Welcome to N.America.
Glass houses and all that.

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America where the libraries are full of tears
where houses sit empty foreclosed on by banks while the homeless wander the streets in rags or naked and freezing
Where we convince ourselves that freedom is right around the corner just so long as we dont speak the truth
Where we have the police force watching the people and its ok to protest against love and marriage but you better not protest against the banks
Where politicians brag of our great work ethic and trot out a 70 year old grand mother who is proud to still work 3 jobs

But no one bothers to ask why she has to...

Welcome to America

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Originally Posted by runningdownthatdream

I think any gay or trans-person choosing to visit a Muslim country is taking a foolish risk in the same way a woman form North America is taking a risk by exposing any part of her body when visiting Saudi Arabia. What pisses me off are the apologists who constantly try to affirm that the Middle East is no different than Europe or North America because they have money or the trappings of wealth.

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I agree. I am not sure what the risk is from country to country in the Middle East, but if you can be arrested for "impersonating a male", and you are transgendered, the risk of going to the country is too great. I would not visit a country where homosexuality is illegal or books are banned because of subversive cultural content.

I know we do have our problems in the United States, and there is still homophobia embedded in the culture, but not to that degree. We have a great cultural divide over this issue, but the U.S Supreme Court has actually said that criminalizing sex acts between consenting adults is unconstitutional. So, not only is it not illegal, but there is some guarantee that there won't be a reversion to that bygone era.

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Originally Posted by tsmirandameadows

So because there's some money there, it's not at all an autocratic society? And the "work" you speak of for Filipinos, Indians, and Malays has routinely been exposed as little more than indentured servitude, whre the managers of these migrant works confiscate their passports, delay wage payments by months or years at a time, cram them into living quarters where it's 12 to a room with hotbunking, and then have complicit police harass, beat, and arrest any worker who tries to complain or escape. It is de facto slavery. Dubai, like North Korea, is evil to it's core, and no amount of Formula 1 racing or five star hotels is going to change that.

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There are differences between North Korea and Dubai.

1) I can get on a plane tomorrow and visit Dubai, no visa required -not so with North Korea.

2) When I get to Dubai I can stay in any hotel I want -something I cannot do in North Korea where a) there aren't that many hotels, and b) foreign tourists are assigned a specific hotel.

3) I am free to travel around Dubai whenever I want, by foot, by car, by taxi, by subway, presumably by donkey, horse or camel but I can't confirm the latter three. I am not free to travel around North Korea and will be escorted wherever I want to go, having been given permission to go which in many cases is not given.

4) I can go to Dubai and shop till I drop; I can go to Dubai and not shop at all. I am not sure if there are shops in North Korea.

5) There are night clubs in Dubai, I don't believe there are any in North Korea.

6) Ask someone from the Philippines if they would like to work in Dubai and I reckon 80 out of 100 would say yes. According to the Consul General of the Philippines in Dubai:

"...the number of applications for passport renewals and similar activity at the consulate in Dubai itself has increased by about 200 per cent since December 2012.
“These are signs that the employment opportunity in the UAE and especially in Dubai is growing. There is a demand for more manpower and, fortunately, our nationals are the ones who are benefited,” he says.
The UAE, he says, has become the most preferred country in the GCC and the Middle East for Philippines nationals travelling abroad for employment.
“This country provides a safe and vibrant lifestyle which is unique,” he says.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/emir...06-03-1.508899

-The opportunities for foreign workers in North Korea is =0.

Of the Filipino transexuals I know, 100% would love to visit Dubai for a holiday.

7) Working conditions in the UAE and in Dubai are not ideal, living conditions in the UAE and Dubai are not ideal, but the key point is that the Filipinos, the Indians and Pakistanis, the Bangadeshi and Sri Lankan and Nepalese workers will trade creature comforts for a wage that supports the family back home -that is the bottom line. There can be no comparison with North Korea because there are no comparable foreign working communities there.
-I once worked a low-wage job in the rural South of France and was given living quarters with no running water or toilet. Water was collected from a well in the boss's yard across the way, the fields were my toilet. I did not complain. I was broke and glad for the work.

7) Slavery does not offer its workers any rights, least of all the right to resign from a job and 'go home'. As far as I know, most foreign workers in the UAE and Dubai can resign and go home any time they want, so the comparison with slavery is wrong.

Dubai is not heaven on earth, neither is North Korea; are both autocracies? Yes in their own way, with degrees of flexibility for people who behave themselves. If you know Muslims do not drink alcohol then adapt, and don't expect to have wine with your meals, or retire to a lounge for whisky and cigars, even though that can be done. Comparing the UAE and Dubai to life in Europe or North America is unfair, neither country even pretends to be similar. As long as you know what to expect in either Dubai or North Korea you need not be outraged or surprised, if neither place holds any interest for you, then don't go. I know one transgendered Filipino who will not set foot in Australia, for obvious reasons.