This summer saw us travel to Dubai. Our hopes of Uganda were quashed by the high flight prices, then we missed out on all the package holidays because we left it so late to book (in the hope the prices to Uganda would reduce) and so we ended up on the first part of the flight we hoped to be on, Birmingham to Dubai. It would have been lovely to get off that plane and head straight for the Entebbe bound plane but this year, it just wasn’t meant to be.
Dubai is a crazy place: rich in so many ways as well as financially. The thing is though, that I kind of love the whole way the country is set up. We booked on the city sightseeing tour so that we would see the whole of the sights and hear the commentary. I’d very much recommend this trip. It opened my eyes.
I love how Dubai is a proud country. They declare themselves as a Muslim country and the mosques; stand extravagant and proud amidst the landscapes. They root themselves in their faith and beliefs. They know what they stand for and expect every visitor to respect that. The government even subsidise the building costs of Mosques so that people have a place of worship nearby. I love that. I love the saying, ‘if you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything’, and I think Dubai gets that! I think of my church struggling to raise the funds to make repairs on the tower and make the building more accessible for all the community to use. We seem a country who is almost ashamed to say what faith, morals and beliefs we stand for in fear of discriminating against others. There are churches in Dubai, there aren’t many but they are there, but overall they are a Muslim country and are proud to spread this faith so publicly across the nation.
The Emirate people walk proudly around the most expensive and elaborate shopping malls in the world in their traditional Arab costumes. Men wear white, women black. Women are covered by their hijabs and whether I agree with this or not, it doesn’t matter because this is their country, their ways, their beliefs, not mine. I am a visitor here. This country benefits from the tourism industry greatly. Visitors pay tax direct to the government for every night they stay in the country. Couldn’t we learn something from this, Britain?
No one pays tax in Dubai. It means that people flock from around the world to work here and reap the benefits. They don’t feel this is their home; they are simply here to serve a purpose, fulfil a job role and then return to their homelands with their wages and savings. Dubai is a country filled with workers from different nations. They are all welcome here as long as they abide by the laws of the land. In light of recent news features here, they could possibly be called migrants and yet they are viewed very differently to the people trying to leave Syria to escape war. Makes you wonder hey?
Then the best part is that they are led by an optimist. The leader of Dubai believes that the sky is certainly not the limit. Take a look at Dubai’s skyline and you’ll know he believes this.
He wants Dubai to have the biggest and the best. 7* hotel – no problem.
World’s tallest building – no problem.
New metro transport system – built and continually being developed and extended.
You want to ski in the desert – job done!
The inspirational leadership of this country just wants the best and won’t stop until he gets it.
I love the air of optimism, hope and inspiration in this country. They are held in deep traditions and beliefs and yet move with the times at a rate no other country can compare. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear our own country’s leaders speaking words of hope, optimism and inspiration? Wouldn’t it be amazing to hear of greater plans and ways forward for the future that develop our tomorrow rather than listening to messages of doom and gloom of today? Let’s hear of job creations not losses; of money invested in our grassroots communities not cut backs; of schools being extended and developed, not closed; of healthcare systems the best in the world, not a loss of medical professions in our hospitals. Maybe a little injection of optimism, hope and inspiration is what we need right now. Don’t you think?
