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Dreams Are Made Of This

Reader comment on item: Dubai's Dramatic Drop

Submitted by Abu Nuwas (Netherlands), Feb 25, 2009 at 23:38

Those of us Westerners who have lived in the Gulf area for years (30 in my case), all along saw the whole "Gulf Wealth Explosion" as a complete myth. We foresaw what was coming since it began.

You can't just "build Malls", have a national airline and expect that that's all there is to "becoming modern".

That is, you can't have the "product without the culture", something that the Arabs have been trying to do unsuccessfully for decades. Yes, we want the proceeds from your culture, they said, but of course, we don't want your ACTUAL culture at the same time.

Sorry, it doesn't work that way. Briefly, you can't have a spanking modern Mall while down the block an enraged father performs a "mercy killing" with no one even noticing it.

I've said all along: there is no such thing as "modern Islamic civilization": what you have today is a remnant of a civilization that died centuries ago.

The entire Middle East is a vast swamp-land populated largely by peasants that have a peasant culture. Just look at any picture from the Middle East and look closely at the people......they're all dressed like impovrished gypsies with little cognizance of the outside world, living in pathetic hovels that remind one of an 8th century village somewhere in Europe.

The "new generation" is all hot air too. Modernism to them is trying to look like Michael Jackson (and what's worse, talking like him).

Any Middle Easterner that has something going for him looks to the West, both for himself and his children. They are all desperately trying to get out of the swampland of Arabia Felix (an oxymoron if I ever heard one).

Bonne chance.....They need it.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (45) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
3000 cars [99 words]Peter NorgaardAug 26, 2009 07:03160649
Cars [15 words]BMSep 22, 2009 13:07160649
Re: Johann Hari's Article [58 words]Aymenn JawadMay 21, 2009 14:33155925
Johans Views - wonder how you feel about Johans other articles? [61 words]YedJul 12, 2010 21:27155925
1The balloon of greed about to pop ? Goody, goody ! [156 words]DeniseMar 6, 2009 20:44151784
had to happen [11 words]joseph scarfMar 6, 2009 19:35151781
Hypocritical [50 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
GaryMar 4, 2009 09:01151608
Sheer ignorance and bias! [104 words]saraMar 4, 2009 16:48151608
Hypocritical by Gary [78 words]studer3500Mar 7, 2009 03:57151608
sara shows how angry Jews get once Isreal is criticized [22 words]John BMar 7, 2009 08:01151608
How can you agree with a 'statement' that is patently false, FACTually false? [762 words]saraMar 7, 2009 22:21151608
sara: who is making these Muslims Radicals ? [50 words]John BMar 12, 2009 23:21151608
John B- Blaming the victim [364 words]saraMar 13, 2009 20:19151608
John B- Here is a sermon proving that Muslims hate Jews regardless of Israel [276 words]saraMar 17, 2009 23:55151608
Der Spiegel reports "Jews are strictly banned" from Dubai - so I'll be boycotting it, too. [29 words]John PMar 3, 2009 09:04151523
boycott dubai good so you should . We don' t partiularly care. [21 words]unknownJun 12, 2009 19:38151523
Old article and not true [35 words]NDJan 3, 2010 15:11151523
We are not insulated in USA [45 words]OccidentalistFeb 28, 2009 05:59151329
Dubai's drop -NOT----> JUST A REALIGNMENT WITH THE OTHER ANTISEMITES/ANTI-ISRAEL STATES... [773 words]JKFFeb 27, 2009 22:19151314
Dubai is Islamic state ! [115 words]Anne-Marie DelcambreFeb 27, 2009 13:11151294
Re: Dubai is an Islamic State [186 words]khalidFeb 26, 2010 17:52151294
Same old story [76 words]Shawn CohenFeb 27, 2009 08:26151283
Dubai's Dramatic Drop [28 words]Dr. Carmen WaggonerFeb 26, 2009 21:07151268
Athletes [64 words]DonFeb 26, 2009 19:51151266
Foreign workers in a foreign land [139 words]Richard B.Feb 26, 2009 15:23151244
Dubai [13 words]Jon PurizhanskyFeb 26, 2009 13:34151234
A small correction/addition [58 words]huckFeb 26, 2009 09:20151223
Not updated on over a year? [21 words]Ernest LaneFeb 26, 2009 09:04151222
Andy Ram [45 words]Joel KatzFeb 26, 2009 08:23151217
What a pity [23 words]JenniferFeb 26, 2009 07:02151215
Dubai now [36 words]firozali A. MullaFeb 26, 2009 00:49151202
1Not Quite That Bad [237 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Ken WiseFeb 25, 2009 23:53151196
Ken Wise is a journalist? [36 words]Jan McDanielMar 1, 2009 15:08151196
Dubai [76 words]MonaMar 3, 2009 01:32151196
Ken Wise - you are wrong [98 words]B.K. NambiarMar 18, 2009 06:31151196
Abandoned Truth [862 words]B.K. NambiarMar 19, 2009 01:46151196
Facts and Impressions [239 words]Ken WiseMar 21, 2009 07:50151196
8Dubai is where the Dajjal (anti-christ) will come from [62 words]Deen MuhammedFeb 25, 2009 23:51151195
I thought it was an Iranian well.. [84 words]donvanMar 2, 2009 12:46151195
Dreams Are Made Of This [286 words]Abu NuwasFeb 25, 2009 23:38151194
Are Dubai' problems the destiny of all oil-rich Islamic countries? [283 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Stuart FaginFeb 25, 2009 23:07151193
3000 fictititous cars [72 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Clifton ChadwickFeb 25, 2009 23:02151192
Fictitious Remarks [576 words]B.K. NambiarMar 19, 2009 01:32151192
Wealth with all its glamor and glitz is exposed as being irrelevant [38 words]vigilantFeb 25, 2009 19:14151178
Loved this article [13 words]SvetlanatchkahFeb 25, 2009 18:56151176

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