Question for Typhoonpilot

[bafanguy]

TP,

With recent developments in Saudi, are you still OK with living/working in the neighborhood over there ? You said you weren't concerned in a previous post. I know you're not actually in Saudi but, as the EAL guys used to say, "what goes around comes around". I still see Aramco ads for pilots and have to wonder who'd head for that country under the emerging circumstances.

 

[typhoonpilot]

That is a good question and I have to say that the events in Saudi Arabia are a little bit disconcerting. I am sure that there are some fundamentalist extremists who view Dubai as a city of sin, filled with infidels and they would love to carry out some kind of attack against the governement or the foreigners living in Dubai. That said, I am also very sure that the government here will do their utmost to prevent any such occurence from ever happening and I am equally sure that they are not bound by ANY rules in keeping Dubai safe for tourism and business. Knowing that helps me sleep well at night. The same can't be said for Saudi Arabia where it is patently obvious that the extremists have infiltrated the security services or at the very least have sympathetic individuals on the inside who help them in their planning and execution of attacks.

This week I have flown to both Jeddah and Riyadh and in talking with the personnel on the ground there the environment isn't quite as bad as the press makes it out to be ( of course it never is ). Jeddah is very different, the people there are used to many foreigners coming and going with the annual Hajj and Umrah. It would appear the leaders of the attacks have issued a directive that muslims shall not be killed so the chance of random shootings has gone down, since being white doesn't necessarily mean you aren't muslim. The Air France mechanic in Riyadh said that they check your passport and if it shows anything other than muslim on your visa then you are fair game. That didn't make much sense since I have two visas in my passport from the Kingdom and neither mentions my religious affiliation.

The situation in Saudi Arabia is also about attacks against, or that otherwise would hurt, the monarchy. A lot of wealth and power is kept inside the royal family and not much is given to the local population. That breeds some serious miscontent. The same is not true in the UAE. While the royals are very wealthy they also provide a lot of money and jobs for the local population and, on the whole, the local population is very well off.

I'm not sure if I have answered your question but I wouldn't consider a job with Aramco right now.



Typhoonpilot

 

[bafanguy]

TP,


Glad to hear you're feeling OK about being there. The area is fairly homogenous with respect to the ideological force behind the troubles...Islam doesn't seem to recognize geographic borders. How much does Abdul Six Pack's economic happiness have to do with his attitude toward something like a ruling family, even a benevolent one, and the infidels ? You indicate this factor is a difference between Saudi and the UAE.