A view from afar

What credibility can a British writer’s attack on Dubai have when he hasn’t even visited?

It's foolish to judge a city from the confines of an airport. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo

Who in their right mind would want to visit Dubai? That is the loaded question asked, and answered, this week by a British newspaper columnist. Like several others before him, the writer came to the question with less than an open mind. By his own admission, the closest he got to actually visiting the emirate was a three-hour stopover at Dubai International Airport. He did not even leave the terminal during his brief sojourn.

The writer spoke to one expatriate who had spent only a year here. He didn’t bother to talk to Emiratis or long-term residents who might have offered a more nuanced view. Instead, he seized on a court case with an unfortunate outcome, threw in some generalisations. He even criticised Dubai’s much-applauded architecture and the weather, which beats Britain’s hands down. Perhaps he would like to actually visit the UAE before writing again about it. We’d be happy to welcome him any time he wishes.