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Never Ceased To Be Amazed
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 3500
Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...
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 Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Mia Xanthi wrote: |
| Ummm... aren't you guys forgetting that at least two (maybe three, I forget) of the 9/11 hijackers were from the UAE? From RAK, in fact. When is the last time you were in the heart of Baniyas? There is poverty, and there is anger, and there is loss of identity in the UAE. All of those things breed "terror" or revolution or freedom fighting or whatever you want to call it. |
MX! (Wasn't there a missle named after you way back in the 80's!  )  You are, in fact, correct. I'm a personal friend of a cousin of Marwan al-Shehhi, who was one of the terrorists. He reports, as others who knew him as well, that he was astounded by his (Marwan's) involvement. I believe him.
Were you ever here on the ground in the U.A.E.? You seem to be posting from Saudi from a "random compound"...altho I could be wrong, I'm too lazy to search a poster's earlier posts, but I lived on two of those not-so-randomly-chosen compounds that were attacked in 2003. Also, 9/11 has a special significance in MY life. Yet, I'm still here. Why? I think that these folk, altho nearly 180 degrees culturally-wise are good people. You talk of Bani Yas. If what you say is true, it's a small pocket stuck out in the desert. Go one block in from Mattar Street in Riyadh or any other street ANYWHERE in S.A. and you'll find poverty. When was it (?), in 1998, when then-Crown Prince Abdullah announced with great fanfare that the al-Sauds would begin to pay their PHONE BILLS!!! How magnanimous!
Bottom line: the al-Sauds believe that THEY own the oil and the Sheikhs of the U.A.E. feel that it is a resource for the people. I'll fall in line with the sheikhs any day!
NCTBA |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Never Ceased To Be Amazed wrote: |
[Don't forget, only two countries offically recognized the Taliban government: Pakistan and Guess Who
NCTBA |
Well, NCTBA, I never ceased to be amazed about NCTBA !!
Just to refresh your memory, the Taliban regime, or "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," gained diplomatic recognition from only three states: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, and all of them are allied to Uncle S! So, guess for yourself!
I never ceased to be amazed how the Gulf States are running their oil business! |
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Mia Xanthi
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 955
Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Were you ever here on the ground in the U.A.E.? |
Suffice it to say that I am quite familiar with the UAE. In fact, I also know relatives of Marwan Al Shehhi. One of them wrote me a tearful, apologetic letter right after 9/11 that I will never forget. Her grief was as strong as as any of ours.
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| Yet, I'm still here. Why? I think that these folk, altho nearly 180 degrees culturally-wise are good people. |
Yes, very good people. It's what draws me to this region as well.
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| You talk of Bani Yas. If what you say is true, it's a small pocket stuck out in the desert. Go one block in from Mattar Street in Riyadh or any other street ANYWHERE in S.A. and you'll find poverty. |
The poverty was the biggest shock for me upon coming to KSA. I expected the population to be more visibly wealthy, as they are in the UAE. While it is true that there are many wealthy Saudis, the average shaab on the street is struggling to get by. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Mia Xanthi wrote: |
The poverty was the biggest shock for me upon coming to KSA. I expected the population to be more visibly wealthy, as they are in the UAE. While it is true that there are many wealthy Saudis, the average shaab on the street is struggling to get by. |
Well, Teta Mia, you cannot compare poverty and wealth of UAE, which has a population of about 4.5M, with the magic kingdom which has a population of 27.6M (6 times than UAE!). So, I guess the poverty in the magic kingdom is much higher than in UAE. |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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As 007 says, it's the numbers. Remember that at least 70% of the population of the Emirates are foreigners, so the oil wealth only has to go round a million and a half emiratis, and in Kuwait less than a million Kuwaitis.
There are around 18 million Saudis. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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mishmumkin
Joined: 01 Sep 2007
Posts: 929
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| Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 2:31 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah-I about fell out of my chair when I first read that article. What a joke...embassy issues terror warning based on drunken conversation allegedly overheard in a pub by two drunken men. "Arab" men, speaking English to one another, no less. |
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lyndalorient
Joined: 10 May 2007
Posts: 58
Location: Dublin
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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| On the whole, Emiratis are not as fanatical as some of their neighbours. I am guessing, like someone suggested above, that this has something to do w/ that prison escape in Afghanistan, the UK's freeze on Bank Melli Iran, and the like |
I would agree. To my surprise Emiratis or at least the ones I ve talked to didn t tend to have strong political opinions. I remember when George Bush came to Dubai the reaction of my Emirati and Arab collegues was one of indifference and resignation much to my surprise. Yet when I made the mistake of visiting Rome when Bush was scheduled to visit in June 2007 the streets were taken over by thousands of angry Italian protesters and anti riot police. I would say 100% of the Italian people I spoke to opposed his visit
The different reactions of Bush's 2 separate visits were interesting for me to compare.
Former soldiers of the Iraq war that I met, worked happily in Kuwait, UAE and Bahrain much to my surprise. Of course (as my friend explained) these countries were terrified of an Iraqi invasion (like what happened in kuwait) and although no one would ever like to admit it, the war in Iraq didn t ruffle too many feathers in the UAE. Unlike in Europe where massive protests where held. |
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mishmumkin
Joined: 01 Sep 2007
Posts: 929
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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I do think that Emiratis couldn't protest if they wanted to. I asked a class of adult learners about political dissent. My students said that even if you didn't agree w/ the leadership that you kept those comments for closed conversations. It was a few years ago that a protest that began in a local Dubai mosque (I think it was in Dubai), and that was shut down VERY quietly.
But I do agree w/ Lyndaorient that they are not as politically charged as other Arabs. Egyptians always wanted to talk politics: from the taxi driver to the shop owner. My students who engaged me in political conversation often came from Syria, Palestine, etc. The Emiratis-not so much. |
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helenl
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 1202
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 5:04 am Post subject: |
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According to various news articles in the Gulf News over the years, the government keeps track of what is being said in the mosques and sends out "reminders" every so often that sermons should keep to "appropriate topics/tones"
There was a street protest after 9/11 in Dubai. Mostly Pakistani and other expat labourers. All the police did was examine their papers and arrest those who were in the country illegally or had absconded or didn't have correct papers. That took care of that. |
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