Wanted in Dubai: Respect, Good Cultural Understanding is a Plus

An insensitive Caucasian man sunbathing in front of 2 ladies in abaya at Jumeirah Beach Park.

I stumbled across a disturbing photo shared by a friend on Facebook. She said, those two veiled women (on the photo) were just sitting there quietly when this Caucasian couple came and just joined them at the same table. Next thing you know, the guy stripped, the woman stripped to their swimsuits. Worst of all, the guy had to sunbathe right IN FRONT of the women. "It was quite a disgusting sight," she added.

Swimsuits are accepted on Dubai beaches, yes. Western (and liberal) lifestyle, well most of, are tolerated as well. But being an open-minded city doesn't say we can abuse things and take the situations on our own. This kind of things normally escalate to bigger cultural conflict debates. Good thing the women seem to not mind at all.

But please... we, expats are fortunate that we are free to do what we want to, but let's all be aware of the limitations, be sensitive of others and respect the culture of this beautiful country we call our second home.