UAE = SHIT

People in the West seem to be under the mistaken impression that the United Arab Emirates (especially Dubai) is the Las Vegas of the Middle East, and is just a safe joyous place. People go there to vacation or to earn lots of tax free dollars in this oil rich country.

But I would not go there if I had the best suite at the 'seven star' Burj Al Arab hotel comped and all the spending money I could spend.

There are many reasons why, many of which include injustice and oppression of women.

I read a story today that typifies why I think the place is so shit. It doesn't matter how 'progressive' they think they are, or how much less oppressive they are than some places in the Middle East. The fact is they are still horribly oppressive and sexist, with a nice mix of religious fanaticism thrown in.

In the story I read an Australian nurse who worked in a hospital there was heading home from a 13 hour shift. He got stuck behind a driver who was driving erratically while talking on his mobile phone.

He finally overtook the bad driver and out of stress and frustration gave a one finger salute to the other driver, expecting this to be the end of the matter.

The other driver proceeded to re-overtake, slam his brakes on nearly causing an accident, before following the Australian nurse home to his apartment. After a minor verbal altercation, he called the police and pressed charges against the nurse. Despite making a full confession and apology, the Aussie was jailed for 24 days before being deported.

It's stories like this, and the one about a year ago where a guy was jailed because they found some weed (about the same amount as a grain of sugar) on the sole of his shoe, that makes me think that the UAE is just a nasty hole that would be nothing were it not for their oil.

People in the West need to wise up, become independent of Middle Eastern oil, and leave countries like this to evolve into something that is acceptable and reasonable in this century.