What is life in the middle east really like for expats?

Question

I have never been to the middle east and I wonder what life is like for expats there. Do you work with local people? Are they different from what the media traditinally potrays them as? Do they have any independent views or do they just mouth what is fed to them by their leaders' rhetoric?

Do they believe that religion, belief in God etc are personal choices and everyone's beliefs must be respected? Or are they convinced their religion is the final answer?

Answer 1

If you're going there to work, it's OK.

Just as long as you don't

[a] ever discuss Politics and Religion.
[b] Never, ever criticize Ilsam or their Government.
[c] Get to be friendly, beyond the acquaintance level with the locals.
[d] Esure that your feet and shoes never point at them.
[f] don't go out for a drink and drink only in your room.
[g] Never speak with any Arab of the opposite sex. You seriously don't want to be accused of sexual harrasment there.

Just for your information there are very few local people working there. Most of them are Indians and Fillipinos with a sprinkling of Whites.

Do not, under any circumstances, get sexually involved there. The sentence for a prostitute and gay is death There are no courts there and no lawyers. If you are accused by a local, it's the Imam who judges you and sentences are carried out fortwith.

They don''t have fines or simple imprisonment. You either lose a limb or your head. Of course for mionor things, you get 100 lashes, which means your back will be flayed.

Like take a walk being tipsy and you'll pay for that with the skin off your back.

If that's OK with you, have fun!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Answer 2

lots relies upon on the place you're. as an occasion in South Africa a lot of human beings talk English as their first language, you're a foreigner besides the shown fact that it relatively is far less complicated to combine. In Asia you will locate that they have got a custom that respects foreigners yet do no longer likely decide so which you would be able to be jap or chinese language. some human beings finally end up in straightforward terms produce different expat acquaintances and spend their time sitting interior the comparable bars complaining. on the different hand you additionally could make interior sight acquaintances, study the language and luxuriate in your self extra. What you get out of residing able relies upon on you. and that i'm no longer able to tell you the thank you to stay, as some human beings love the expat scene, and so human beings (like myself ) do no longer

Answer 3

Forget the rest, come to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Friendly open minded ( well most of them, you get gits anywhere) locals. Respectful of other's religions and certainly open to dialogue. Work with them? Absolutely. Meet socially? Absolutely? Independant thinking ? Almost all of them.
Each country in the Middle East looks superficially the same, but there are huge differences. For a clearer picture why don't you try reading our local English papers?
You could start with www.gulf-daily-news.com

Answer 4

I spent 15 months in Afghanistan and most of the locals are friendly to you because they want all they can get out of us. The ones I was around never talked about religion and we were not allowed to say much to them about anything but what was necessary to get the job completed. I will say they are poor as hell but act happy singing and laughing with each other. I never let the thought out of my mind that anyone of them would pro bally cut my heart out if given the chance. If you want that feeling just try walking Thur the poor part of any major city in the US. This pro bally don't answer your question but that was all I was exposed to while there. You will never fully realize how good we have it here until you experience a country that gos back a thousand years the way the people live.

Answer 5

It depends where are you going . For example If you are going to Jordan , Lebanon or UAE they are very liberated countries with a very high percentage of educated people and a lot of expats working together with local people regardless of their nationality or religion. Also there is a lot of places to go out and a lot of night clubs .
Don't believe everything you sea or hear in the media .

Answer 6

Although I have never lived in the middle east, I often spoke with radiographer friends who'd spent the odd year working in Saudi Arabia. They lived in sort of 'compounds' and didn't go out much (no, I don't mean 'clubbing') etc. When they did, females had to wear the full veils, robes etc. that the average Arab woman does.
Even Christmas was a problem as no religious symbols/Bibles etc. were allowed into the country.
I hope that this helps.

Answer 7

No one is safe in islamic countries, whether your white or indigenous, you can be kidnapped and killed by a variety of crazed muslims at any time.
The white british woman , married to an iraqi for years, doing charity work for iraqis,kidnapped and slaughtered.
they are a backward ppl following backward imams worshipping a backward religion...where do you go from there?
i know ill get a few thumbs down from the blinkered left , but isnt it time to stop pretending that they are just a peace loving colourful ppl and that all the worlds ills stem from USA?
We all know what happens to whites at the hand s of muslims in the middle east, ......we all know what happens to whites in OUR OWN COUNTRY at the hands of muslims.

Its worth a violation to speak the truth, would anyone care about 10 points when our innocent nationals are murdered in tubes and buses.And therell be more to come!

Answer 8

Go to Middle East. Full of money,no taxes to pay, free houses, free cars all bills paid for you by the Arab Muslim money. Middle East is full of Westerns who have no intention to leave Muslim money.
Go ahead , get their plenty of money and come back curse them.

Answer 9

I have a dear friend ,American citizen, born and raised Cairo Egypt
life is as hard as you have heard,No there is not religious freedom.