Escape from Dubai: The Mystery of the Missing Princess

I watched this and was horrified at the story of these two sisters.
I watch Royal Ascot every year and Sheik Mohammed is always there as a guest of our Queen, dressed in western morning dress and his chief wife in the latest fashions.
Frankie Dettori rode for his stable for years and so we think they are very westernised but they're not. This programme showed what life in the Emerates is really like, especially for women. Three of his daughters even have the same name, that's how much girls matter!

I watched this yesterday. What happened to the two girls is terrible and probably just the tip of the iceberg.

The UAE is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

On the surface it's freewheeling compared to neighbouring Saudi Arabia in that Westerners can drink, women can drive, there are cinemas, liberal dress code, etc. However, workers from developing countries have few if any rights and even Western expats often fall foul of the capricious laws. It's a still a dictatorship even if Europeans go there on holiday.

At least in Saudi they're upfront - when applying for a work visa you are told 'Drug smugglers WILL be executed'.

I just saw this documentary. Its awful. That poor young woman. What difference would it make to that arrogant man if his daughter wanted to live abroad? Just control freakery gone mad. I'd never go anywhere in the middle East. Far east yes but middle east no!
Poor girl again. Only parts of the 21st century have reached UAE.

I watched it on catchup last night and I was especially stricken by the description of what happened to her sister who was abducted off the street in Cambridge. The detailed description of being force fed, drugged and monitored 24/7 was too graphic and precise to have been fabricated.

I assume Hilltopgran that you would approve of forced marriages and FGM and the like on the basis that the girl(s) knew the score in (t)he(i)r family.

Human rights are human rights and their purpose is to protect men, women and children, from oppression like that exercised in most if not all of the Gulf ruling families.

My daughter and family lived very happily in Dubai for 6 years and I enjoyed wonderful holidays visiting them. I always felt very safe in the shopping malls and on the beach. Their customs are different, but my daughter was shown kindness and respect. No one can really know what happens inside any royal family, there are enough rumours about the British royal family, which we do not all believe.

I saw the bbc programme, and agree it painted a dark picture, but the girl knew the score in her family and you have to ask why she would involve herself in such an unprofessional 'escape', using their mobile phones as they travelled is one example that seems very strange.

My friend’s daughter was offered a job teaching in the UAE. She was very relieved when her daughter decided against taking it as she was only two years out of university.

I nearly had my camera confiscated once at Abu Dhabi airport. Inside was so spectacular made up of thousands of small coloured tiles that I wanted to photograph it but no-----it strictly wasn't allowed.
I should have known it was forbidden since there were two armed men at either side of the aircraft when disembarking.
Their rules.

It has certainly put me off visiting Dubai on a stopover, although I do know lots of people live in the UAE without any problems, including friends of ours.

My son is occasionally invited to visit international schools in the Arab Emirates. I always warn him to be vigilant. One day because of a sudden rain storm he had to postpone his school visit and was taken by his hosts on a short visit of the town.

He was taken to chop chop square. I naively said ‘that’s an odd name’. He told me every Friday that was where they chopped people’s heads off ? I was horrified.

Are not ate sorry

I don't understand why anyone would travel to any of these misogynist countries with their appalling human rights records. I would never feel safe enough to think I could get back out of the country. The ate plenty of lovely democratic countries to visit instead.

It was very disturbing.

It also made me think again about the young researcher who had been sentenced in another state of the UAE and has now been released.

It was on BBC2 last Thursday, Jane43 so will be available on iPlayer.

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/dec/06/escape-from-dubai-the-mystery-of-the-missing-princess-review-a-shocking-tale-of-complicity-and-betrayal

I planned to see it but missed it.

What channel is this on please?

I have visited the middle east and liked the people I met and felt safe i their countries, but I have always said that I would never go to any of the Gulf states. Absolutist dictators, who brook no opposition and cloak it all under a smile like a crocodile.