Dear Young Journalist…

There is so much you don’t even know you don’t know. You know?

Before I start, I just want to clarify that I am not an authority on this subject. However, I felt like I needed to write this, after being interviewed by a few media-students recently, star-struck by the world of journalism, thinking they’re going to be the next Kate Adie or David Frost, even though they really didn't have a clue.

This post is really for students in the UAE, those in Europe and Africa and North America seem to have better curricula and access to better teachers.

What I mostly got from the students that came to interview me was a grave misunderstanding of the profession they were signing up for. I feel comfortable writing this because none of them have publicised the interviews (which were for coursework I think), which means their identities aren’t at risk, only they, their lecturers and I know who they are, so its all good.

  

The first thing I can't emphasise enough to young journalists is research. It is extremely important and DON'T assume you know things. Make a point of researching your subject and make sure of the reasons you are doing the interview. You need to know who you are interviewing and why they are interesting. If you don’t find them interesting, chances are, nobody else will.

Follow up questions: when someone has answered a question, listen to the answer! Do not just go ahead to the next question you have on your list. Not a single student asked me a follow up question- to one of the newspaper students I may have even thrown in that I used to work for the CIA before becoming a journalist – just got a blank stare from him and the next question. (It’s not true, I was just fed up at that point) But its quite obvious he was so intent on getting his next question out, he didn't listen to the answer. In the real world, you can't afford to miss things.

Know how to use your equipment, one of the students that came to interview me did not know how to use the recording device and also did not have those journalism basics- a notepad and pen. This is incredibly amateur. If you want to get into this profession, grow up immediately.

NEVER be late. In the Middle East, I am well aware of the ‘inshallah’ culture, but you do not have that luxury as a journalist. It is your duty to make sure you know how to get where you’re going and how long it takes to get there. If you are late, an event will start without you and even worse, if you are going to be late to a one-on-one interview, immediately you have put the interviewee off. If they were excited, they won’t be anymore, if they were susceptible they wont be anymore and if they were going to impart some major secret, they won’t. It doesn’t matter if the interviewee is late. It is your job to wait. If you are annoyed waiting, then ask yourself why you are doing this story?

Example: When I first got here, I was sent to a press conference where the Minister of Environment and Water was due to attend- I got there 45 minutes early, because I had just finished at another event. It was just me and a photographer from a tiny UAE newspaper who were there early- shock horror the Minister actually turned up 20 minutes before time, did a couple of photo opportunities, then an interview with me for 10 minutes (a VERY long time in radio!) with a very good angle on the UAE’s green initiatives and left. When everyone else turned up, the photographer girl and I were leaving with the goods, and they had nothing. Also, the minister, Dr Rashid and I are on great terms at meetings now, so thank you everyone who turned up late!

To make my point about the lax attitude here- 3 of the 4 students turned up more than 30 minutes late to my apartment. I was astounded; had I really taken time out of a busy day to make time for people who couldn’t even be bothered to turn up on time? To the two students I turned down after that, I am extremely sorry, but this is one of the reasons why.

Equally important, make sure you have the whole story before you leave an event. In 2007, we sent a reporter to a Dubai Cares Event, it may have even been the first Dubai Cares event ever, I cant remember, but the reporter came back with the angle that Dubai Cares had raised something like 500 million dollars for schools in Africa… but because they left early, they didn’t realise that His Highness Sheikh Mohamed had equalled the amount raised, so it was actually almost a billion dollars. Not the biggest mistake ever, but we did look stupid for a quite a few bulletins.

You have to get into this profession, because you’re passionate about it. What most of us want is to get the truth out; and yes, of course we seek approval for our work, because it means we can keep doing what we love. There isn’t a real journalist out there who seeks fame, if that’s what you’re looking for, you are in the wrong profession.

When I say ‘journalism’ I don’t mean the churning out of press releases- a million of which will get sent to you by some crappy PR company trying to sell their crappy products. Trust me, it’s easy to churn that stuff out, especially here in the Middle East- the dearth of crime and scandal in the UAE certainly make that kind of lazy journalism easy, and let’s be honest, when there’s a tight deadline, we’ve all been victim to it.

But EVEN then- DO NOT rely on one source. PR people and press-releases always want to get their news out to make themselves look positive. If you work in radio or TV, you ALWAYS have time to get one or even two more opinions, even if they are quick and you don’t actually interview those people, you just have to get some of their thoughts on subjects that they are experts on. In newspapers, you have too much time, so if you don’t get at least 4-5 other sources to talk to you, you should go to journalism jail.

Make sure you’ve listened to, watched or read your final piece. If your name is going against something, be sure to know what it is. Also, when I worked in newspapers, sub-editors annoyed the hell out of me by changing things that did not concern them and occasionally changed the angle of the story. In radio and TV, its just to make sure you haven’t left in a massive edit, that makes you look like a big tit- because nobody’s going to remember the story then, they’ll just remember you clearing your throat in that ‘news piece’.

Journalists have a dark sense of humour, but that is only to lighten the mood after the death and destruction we are reporting day in and day out, this does not mean we are not empathetic. If you don't care about the story you are doing, your audience will know and you will alienate them, so be empathetic.

 

For aspiring broadcast journalists, having a good voice does not mean you need to be on radio. You need an active brain and you need to be quick on your feet. Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist who was captured in Palestine is a point in case, he doesn’t have what one would describe as a ‘radio voice’ but he is one of the best reporters in the field and I don’t think anybody notices what he sounds like, because he is amazing. Similarly, having a 'good' voice does not mean you should be in radio- it's about 100 times faster than newspapers and magazines (especially in the Western media) and about 10 times faster than TV- so as a reporter you should be steaming through your entire shift.

Also, good writing doesn’t mean using all the big words you know. It’s actually using every simple word you know so that EVERYONE has access to your message from the cleaner to the politician.

For all the understandable animosity toward us, journalists do have a greater purpose, and people know this, or they won’t go onto our websites, or buy our newspapers or listen to our radio stations or watch us on television.

And just so you make no mistake, even though things in the Middle East are a little more laid-back than the West, it is still a dog-eat-dog world out there. It is tough. It is competitive. And it is bloody long hours.

The way I see it, journalists are middle-men; the representatives of society. We are there to make things easier for the average citizen. If their local recycling company is charging them fees but is actually just dumping the goods somewhere, they deserve to know. If a local bottled water company is using tap water, they deserve to know. It’s hardly Watergate but it makes a difference to somebody’s life. By us getting the word out, people can make informed decisions on how they want to proceed.

 

A few points:

·Always strive to be better at what you do. Write better, read better, talk better, sound better. Every good journalist I know agonises over every single thing they write. Any small mistake is seen as a disaster of nuclear proportions. If you aren’t your worst critic, you will never get better

·Do not be afraid to change the way you do things and never stop learning- I’m sure Jon Simpson had no idea he would have to send emails when he started off, just like Barbara Walters would not be the influential woman she became had she not been constantly learning

·Learn from worthy journalists, know who they are, what they did and why it was wrong or right.

I’ve put a few links below, to help you, maybe you’ve seen them already.

1.   Robert Fisk on 50/ 50 journalism in the Middle East. I love how he fights for the underdog http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgpx1STOblw

2.   Other journalists on how to do it properly http://careers.guardian.co.uk/advice-for-aspiring-journalists

3.   Bob Woodward on why you need to do more than churn out a press release

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVKGUctuoXE

4.   Carl Bernstein on Rupert Murdoch’s ‘gutter journalism’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LGcmB5RfLw

5.   Journalism versus the ‘dark side’ (PR) http://francis-moran.com/index.php/inmedia/what-makes-a-good-pr-person/

6.   And just to make you laugh… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gZhRfx2qLc

Turkey: Where have they all gone?

Recently on social media, a number of people have queried where their favourite brands of Turkey have gone. I contacted the Municipality in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and neither had the brands on their banned list, which they said meant it was a federal issue. I contacted Spinneys instead of the  Ministry of Environment and Water- because I knew it would be a quicker response! Their marketing department was very kind to respond with the email below:

Dear Feyaza,

Thank you for your query, which was forwarded to me from our customer service email address.

As you will appreciate we only sell Halal turkey on the main shop floor.

For whole turkeys; our regular supplier, Butter Ball, have decided to no longer supply halal turkeys – therefore our buyers have visited the USA to select another halal supplier that can meet with our exacting standards. The company we have selected Jennie-O Turkey Store, the turkeys are an all-natural product and selected for its great taste. Jennie-O has a well-deserved reputation for high quality products and have years of experience in turkey production and processing. The turkeys that we will sell from Jennie-O are certified Halal.

Regarding pre-packed turkey – we currently stock a range of brands including Trunkle from Austria and some local brands e.g. Khazan Vital.

Some of our US suppliers have decided to stop producing products for this market, however our buyers are looking to source some additional US/ international brands in order to offer a wider range to our customers.

In the deli counter (serve over) we have a number of local brands including Prime and Randa – these products are selling well however a gap has been created by the loss of dietz watson and butter ball, so our buyers are busy sourcing some other international brands that meet our quality, taste and halal requirements. We will also be expanding our range of Trunkle to include deli options.

We are also investigating the possibility of producing our own hahal versions from our state of the art production facility here in Dubai.

I hope this helps, if you have any further queries please feel free to contact me.

Kind regards,

Ramadan in the UAE

When I first visited the UAE, I was quite surprised to find that nobody is allowed to eat in public during Ramadan fasting hours, except very small children. In some cases, people are even fined. However this is only in very extreme cases where people had been ignoring the warnings for a while. This was a strange concept to me, having grown up in the ‘West’ as they call it here, I was always taught that people eating and drinking around you while you were fasting was good for you, to help remind you of the sacrifice that you were making.

That really is what Ramadan is all about to me, sacrifice. Discipline. Patience.

Virtues, I have very little of when I’m not fasting.

There’s so much about Ramadan in the UAE that makes it quite a beautiful experience (even if people do drive worse than normal)

For starters, most companies will offer employees lesser working hours- because of a strict government rule that every company should only let their employees work 6 hours a day (Muslim or non-Muslim) and if they work over that, there should be hours in lieu or overtime pay.

I know some places that don’t give this option to their employees who aren’t Muslim, and think it’s terribly unfair, especially since this is one way of creating a community atmosphere. (This year, I wonder if I should let the Minister of Economy know the names of these places so he can send out an inspection team?)

What I find quite unique about the UAE than elsewhere is many non-Muslims seem to take the opportunity in Ramadan to fast. I met an American woman in my first year here, who does it every Ramadan, because she likes that it makes her concentrate on being a better person. I haven’t come across this embracing of culture anywhere else.

Iftar tents were a novel concept to me before I arrived, I had no idea what to expect, turns out they are usually extremely lavish buffets, open from the time the fast ends at sunset for the iftar for about 2-3 hours. The tent is then cleaned up and tables are laid again, and this now becomes a suhoor (morning meal) tent, which starts around 10pm.

Sunset in Abu Dhabi

This year, I am going to try to avoid the tents, because they can be far too extravagant, and the wastage is quite upsetting. As far as I understand it from the Dubai Municipality, the hotels have no choice but to throw away their excess food because of a rule by the Food Safety Authority to prevent food poisoning. This is also why the excess food can’t be transported to labour camps, since a lot of them are far out and this will not be allowed by the FSA. I am trying to find a hotel that will tie up with a bus company to transport labourers to the hotels to take part in the iftar, so that the food isn’t wasted. Because of the snobbery involved, hotels can perhaps set up a male-only tent for labourers, taxi drivers and anyone who cannot afford to eat that day. I’ve suggested the idea to my company as well to help get it moving. Let’s see what happens.

During Ramadan, some stores open later than others to suit people’s food and prayer times, which adds to the festive feel in the month, and restaurant timings are all over the place. Some open for lunch, quite a few don’t. I believe @GeordieArmani has a list of places that are open for lunch on her blog so check that out.

During Ramadan, in the malls, there are numerous stalls set up by the Awqaf or Charitable Affairs Authority where you can buy tickets starting at 5 dirhams going up to 50 dirhams where you can donate money, food, books to those in need.

For Muslims, its so beautiful to pray taraweeh here (90 minute long prayers), the atmosphere is just lovely, you get a proper community feel. One of the cool things that happens is famous visiting Imams, last year we had Saudi imams like Imam Sudais, Shuraim and Abu Bakr Shatri leading prayers at the Blue Mosque (The Turkish one) in Jumeirah, which was very exciting. Tahajjud prayers are also held here.

The mosque is also a good place to meet members of the community who can suggest people in need of Zakah, which most people tend to give out just before Eid Al Fitr.

Sheikh Zayed Mosque Abu Dhabi

Eid is a public holiday in the UAE and is a celebration of the end of the month of fasting and the hope that people have learnt lessons of virtue that they will carry out for the entire year.

Traditionally, parents, grandparents or any adult that meets children will give them a small monetary token (In the UAE, I believe its about 20 dirhams). Nowadays people give out Eid gifts, but the whole point is to not get sucked into capitalism so money is better.

Back home we used to take plates of goodies (sweetmeats, dates etc) to neighbours and friends on Eid day. Here most people don’t know their neighbours, I certainly don’t know mine, and am not sure how they would react to this. If I’m in the UAE for Eid, I’ll do it and let you know.

Mainly the month is about being with family and friends, and trying to be good. People are more tired during Ramadan because of extra prayers and lots of meetings with friends and family, and most organisations are quite understanding of this.

A typical working day in the life of a Muslim this Ramadan could be as follows (The timings change every day, as the day gets shorter)

3.15 am- Breakfast

4.00 am-stop eating and get ready for Morning Prayer

4.10 am- Morning Prayer (called Fajr)

4.20am- back to bed or pray

8.00am- work

There are two prayers during work hours called Dhuhr and ‘Asr

4.00pm- home

4.00-6- with family, Reading Quraan

Sunset in Dubai

7.10 pm- break the fast

7.20 pm- prayer (called Maghreb)

8.30 pm- prayer (called Isha)

8.35 pm- long evening Ramadan prayer called Taraweeh

10.00pm- Family/ recreational time

2.00 am- Tahajjud prayers

3.15 am- Breakfast

The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding in Dubai hosts a traditional Iftar every evening for a small fee. People are required to book ahead because it gets quite full, and they are treated to a full Emirati/ Muslim experience, which includes breaking the fast with the traditional dates and water, watching as fasting people say their prayers, taking a tour of the Bastakiya area and a Q n A session where volunteers will answer anything you ask them about the UAE. For more information, contact 04 353 6666

Comedy in Dubai: How We Started ComedyDubai

If you want to try something new for the first time, the UAE is certainly the place to do it.  Because it’s such a new country, it is open to everyone and anyone trying their hand at art, music or culture. My fiancée jokes that anyone in Dubai who can take a picture that isn’t blurry could open up an exhibition in Al Quoz or compile a photography book, and people would support it because there is so little of ‘that kind of thing’ in the Emirates.

Thinking of my next joke while the audience laughs :-)

I’ve found this with comedy. Last year, if you asked me if I thought I was funny, I would have probably said ‘no’. If you asked me today, I would probably still say ‘no, but people do laugh at my jokes’.

In February, I signed up to a comedy course with my fiancée because I thought he needed an outlet for his jokes, which I find hilarious- and unsurprisingly so does the rest of Dubai.

We didn't know what to expect and were hoping to get an idea of how to write stand up material and tips on how to be amazing and engaging performers.

Audience reaction to @ComedyDubai

The course was 10 weeks long and mainly based around improvisation. This became rather tedious after six weeks, but thankfully in the last two weeks, the exercises were based around writing, honing and performing material.

This was all with the aim of a student show, including other performers from the school like tap-dancers and improvised sketch artists, all of which would be performed to friends and family.

@HillierRobert 

With our busy work schedules, learning the material and how to perform it all in two weeks was quite a challenge, especially since this was something we had to do for ourselves without the help of the tutors. But we managed it, and because of what was clearly a ridiculously supportive audience, most of us got a great reaction to our sets.

The adrenaline was immense, but as far as I remember, every normal person that I spoke to that night, including me said: ‘No way in hell am I performing again’

What a joke.

One week later I was sweating over another set with new jokes getting ready to perform at my favourite shawarma joint WildPeeta.

We headed to the venue on the metro and on our way there, my fiancée, myself and two other people on the course, Sheida and Ray came to the realization that this was it. After this weekend, we would have nothing to do on Saturdays- the last 12 Saturdays had been occupied by comedy and now the rest of them loomed ahead of us.

There were 2 shows on offer over the next two months, but that wasn’t enough for us. We wanted to make comedy and performance part of our life, we wanted more!

We decided then and there that we needed to start up a group so that we could offer people a place to perform and where we could perform ourselves. 

Within a few days of Wildpeeta, the four of us had started up a group, worked on getting venues together, starting up a facebook page, twitter account and we’ve even got an incredibly talented graphic designer to create a logo for us (@nora_adib on twitter)

@LaSheidakeh

It’s been two months and our group Comedy Dubai (Get Up, Stand Up) has already produced 6 events. Two of which are at an amazing venue, the Pavilion Downtown. We have had the best reaction to our sets here, the venue is cosy, the audience is supportive and comes in droves. It is a joy to perform here.

What we also do at the Pavilion venue, which is unique for the UAE, is an open mic. We give anyone who wants a chance at standup a platform to perform 2-3 minutes of prepared standup. We do vet the material first, and so far have had a really good response to the first timers, who want to keep performing.

Ray has since decided to leave ComedyDubai and start up his own group, which is a great move for Dubai and the UAE as a whole. We’re always asked to take events to other Emirates and the fact that there will soon be at least 3 or 4 comedy groups here, and hopefully many more means not only will the venues we perform at increase, but the type of comedy that we do will mature. In three or four years I envisage a scene similar to London in the 80s, with hopefully a better audience, since people in Dubai are too cool to heckle and I like it that way.

For more information on Comedy Dubai follow us on twitter @ComedyDubai or like us on facebook.com/comedydubai or just email comedydubai@gmail.com

Comedy Dubai’s next event is at Pavilion on July 4^th

We’ll break for Summer and Ramadan and then we should be back on September 12^th at Pavilion.

And then September 18^th at Harvesters in the Crowne Plaza on Sheikh Zayed Road

Look forward to seeing you there. 

What are Housing Fees and Getting a home landline/ internet Service

Getting anything done in the UAE- simple things like a home telephone or connecting your lights and water-require more time and energy than elsewhere so be prepared for this. Also, as I have said before, always have passport pictures and copies of your visa and passport, because you never know when you will need it.

Let’s start with the housing fees- this is a Dubai fee.

As I understand it from conversations with officials, housing fees are a sort of tax, paid every month to the municipality for the upkeep of the area you are in. It is about 5 percent of your annual rent divided into 12 months and tagged onto your DEWA bill.

You can register for it online on the municipality website, after registering for DEWA. For advice on registering for DEWA, visit a previous page of mine at http://uaeasy.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/getting-dewa-adwea-sewa-fewa-water-and.html

If you have any questions, the Municipality call centre people are mostly helpful and knowledgeable on 800 900 or visit this link https://portal.dm.gov.ae/SCWebUI/DataDetails.aspx?servicecode=4113&id=2188&parentid=0&name=SER485&DeptId=32

Getting a DU/Etisalat account is relatively easy but time consuming. You have to be 21 and over to get an account; the documents you will need, along with your credit card:

UAE nationals and GCC residents:

• ·      passport or national ID plus copies
• ·      tenancy contract or proof of property ownership plus copies

Expats:

• ·      passport or national ID plus copies
• ·      Copies of Visa page
• ·      tenancy contract or proof of property ownership plus copies

Companies:

• ·      Visa and Passport and copies of business owner or sponsor
• ·      Copy of valid Trade License
• ·      Power of Attorney

If I may offer some advice, Du has notoriously bad customer service, even the people who control their twitter account do not give timely responses. Etisalat (@EtisalatUAE) on the other hand, may take a while solving issues, but they are constantly accessible on twitter and on the phone, with knowledgeable customer service representatives who you don’t want to violently shake some sense into. So, if you’re someone that likes a challenge, go for Du. If you want an easier life, choose Etisalat.

There is one issue, it may not be possible for everyone to choose the provider you wish- it just depends on the area you are in. In the spirit of true competition between Du and Etisalat, the parts of the UAE that they serve are divided more or less equally between them. This is changing and there are few areas which give the customer the choice to decide on whether they want Du or Etisalat. But I have only heard these amazing places exist and can offer no more information.

Racism in Dubai

I have written and re-written this post so many times now, I have lost count. The issue is I haven’t been able to find a balance between people who feel they have been picked on in parts of Dubai because of their colour/ nationality and others who feel like this ‘racism’ is used by people who are over-sensitive and even bigoted themselves.

So, this is my final draft of this post, everything that I’d written previously has been scrapped; make of it what you will.

Many of the people who wrote to me about the incidents of racism they felt had been directed toward them wrote in because they felt the need to highlight an injustice.

I am South African, I grew up in the latter part of apartheid; I remember bits of racist behaviour directed toward me during this time, but mostly I remember the feelings of helplessness my parents talked about. They knew they weren’t any different, they knew they were sometimes smarter than people who got jobs ahead of them, they knew that carrying around a dompas was against their human rights. Even so, there was nothing they could do. Racism is one of the worst forms of injustice and its definitely something we should all look to remove from our lives and from within ourselves. Who are we to judge someone based on their colour?

To know more about Apartheid in South Africa, see the links below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid_in_South_Africa

http://www.southafrica.to/history/Apartheid/apartheid.htm

http://www.rebirth.co.za/apartheid.htm

http://overcomingapartheid.msu.edu/

So many colleagues and friends have mentioned they had been subject to racism in Dubai, that I felt it necessary to dedicate a post to the subject. Here in the UAE, it’s even more difficult to find a balance because of the more than 200 nationalities that live here. For some reason, instead of embracing the variety in the cultures here, most people promote classist attitudes and stereotyping.

If anything we should use the unique opportunity that we have here to promote unity.

Of course, this needs to also come from the highest levels. It is a tough bullet to bite when I know certain colleagues earn less than me because they are from a poor Arab country or the subcontinent.  It’s similarly difficult to forget that my South African colleagues are seen as cheap labour- despite the South African education system being far better than the British one. (This is my honest opinion, and having studied in both countries I am allowed to make this judgement.)

We should be judged on our abilities not our nationalities and it is something we should promote. People should be judged by their ability and not their colour. 

When I told people I was writing this post, I had dozens of emails with stories (thank you to everyone who sent me your stories, apologies if yours isn’t in here)

I’ve compiled some of the stories I was told, below. There are far too many to go into. Make your own judgements into whether or not they are racist.

A white colleague told me that during the US elections, he met a liberal-looking white American couple who live in the UAE…when he asked them if they would vote for Barack Obama and they  replied no, because: “Helllooooo, he’s black.”

I got an email from a girl- Gulf Arab- and because she was in traditional dress in Apres which I believe is a restaurant that serves alcohol in Mall of the Emirates, she was asked to leave. She felt ostracised, especially because they didn’t stop her when she walked in, and there were men in traditional dress in there too who were not asked to leave.

I decided to definitely write this post after an Indian colleague told me about her experience at the Dubai nightclub Malecon. She had booked a table for her and a few family members. They were told by the bouncer they could not enter because one of them was dressed with a traditional Indian top. After some argument, they were finally told they could enter as long as they left by midnight. I haven’t actually contacted Malecon to ask for their side of their story but this does seem to happen quite a lot across the clubs in Dubai and I’ve included another story below.

Boudoir is another club in Dubai and an Indian colleague who went there with a group of friends says they were turned away because of an apparent lack of reservation. This was minutes after the same bouncers allowed two girls, who were not Indian, into the venue and who didn't have a reservation. Also, when the group called friends who were in the club already- they said they hadn't needed a reservation which is what led them to believe the bouncers were racist.

Being an outsider to the stories above, it’s hard for me to distinguish whether or not the incidents were racist. But in my experience, people know when something is genuine or when someone is using their power for their own bigoted gain. Of course, in the first story, the American couple were clearly disapproving of Barack Obama because of his colour and one has to wonder about how they go about dealing with the 200 plus nationalities they presumably interact with on a daily basis.

Another colleague of mine from New Zealand wrote me a long email with regards to this post, bits of which I agree with. However, I think it brings up an interesting point that I’ve heard many tout. I will end this post on an excerpt from that email.

“Given the choice most people generally gravitate towards socializing with their own race. When a bunch of people from the same race get together, it is usually a safe environment to have a ‘bitch’ about another race. Which is unhealthy – but unfortunately true in many cases. The thing I find most alarming is the fact that people are just as rude an unaccommodating to their own race as they are any other. Racism is often the scapegoat that is used to describe the fact that a lot of people get treated badly here. The fact is Dubai is filled with rude and self-important selfish people. The people that are often identified as the most racist, I don’t believe it’s a race thing – I think that they just believe they are the most important people here.”