The Dubai Expat Diaries

There’s been quite a lot of coverage as well as rhetoric in the British media of late, regaring Dubai and a possible terror threat, posed to the Palm Jumeirah and the Burj al Arab hotel. Some snippets from various media reports:

From The Telegraph:

Expats – who make up perhaps as much as 90 per cent of the population of Dubai – have lived with the veiled undertone of terrorism for many years, at least since the 9/11 outrage. Dubai – as it strives to reconcile the demands of Islam with its ambitions to be the modern business centre for the Gulf and a playground for tourists from all round the world – has seemed an obvious target for a long time now. The recurring subject of dinner party conversations in beach-side villas in Jumeirah (Dubai’s own version of Hampstead) has not been “will it happen?” but “why hasn’t it happened yet?”

From Hotels Magazine:

BRIT spies have uncovered an al-Qaida plot to target David Beckham and other England football stars. MI6 spooks learned the terrorists were planning to attack a holiday paradise in Dubai where Beckham and other stars have homes. The news sparked a fresh security alert in the Arab Emirates state and the Foreign Office has now upped its threat warning from “general” to “high”. The British Embassy in Dubai warned travellers: “There is a high threat from terrorism.

Beckham and his fellow footballers Gary Neville, Michael Owen, David James, Joe Cole, Andy Cole and Kieron Dyer all have properties on the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah, known as the “eighth wonder of the world”. The millionaires’ playground has been mentioned several times as a potential target on al-Qaida websites monitored by the security services. Also mentioned was the Burj Al-Arab, the world’s tallest hotel.

From Bloomberg

June 24 (Bloomberg) — The U.K. will keep its highest terrorism alert in place for the United Arab Emirates for at least a month from June 14, a spokesman for the Foreign Office said.

“The advice is routinely reviewed on a monthly basis, and will remain the same for three months if there’s no change to the status quo,” Matt Costain said in a telephone interview from London. The U.K. maintained its travel advice to the Gulf state at the “same level,” though it moved its terrorism warning from “general” to “high” June 14, he said.

And plenty more in other newspapers, TV and online….

However, on the ground here in Dubai, the situation seems perfectly normal. Speaking to certain UK nationals in the city, the stories seem greatly hyped by the media, with most British Nationals taking the advisory in stride and sticking to their summer vacation plans in Dubai.

What do YOU think about the current travel advisory against the UAE and Dubai? Media Hype or Truth? What precautions should expats in Dubai take?