Dubai: The British community in the UAE are in shock over the latest hammer attack against an Emirati couple — as their hearts go out to the affected victims and their families.
There are about 120,000 British residents registered in the UAE, and over the years, the emirates have become a home for generations of British expatriates. The most recent incident on Tuesday night, where an Emirati man and his wife were threatened in their Paddington apartment in west London by an armed gang that broke down the door of the couple’s flat in the middle of the night, has raised concerns among members of the British community.
British residents said that this last attack was certainly a violent one, but one that did not reflect British culture as such incidents can happen in any major city around the world.
They also pointed out that while big cities do tend to be generally more violent than here, growing up in the safety net of UAE culture has encouraged them to let their guard down to a point that when they go back home to the UK — they too feel like tourists in their country.
Perception
“London is a violent place but I think what happened could have also taken place in any other big city in the world. Robbers would not know how to differentiate between Emiratis or people from other Gulf countries, and they would have the perception that everybody who is Arab is wealthy. It just so happens that the two gangs targeted Emiratis, and I think that it could be down to sheer coincide,” said Kathy H., a resident who has lived in Dubai for 10 years.
“The UAE is a very safe place and it helps us to let our guard down, as we do not notice who may be following or watching us. There are a lot of crazy people out there, and even if you look at them the wrong way, may be a cause for a brawl,” she said. British expat Andrew Goodwin expressed his concern over the incident, as Emiratis should not take the latest attack as one targeted specifically against them.
“It is truly bad luck that both victims happened to be Emiratis, but I don’t think that it was intentional. Such burglaries do tend to happen in London, and it is not uncommon. Gangs will target anybody they think have money, and it is difficult to be constantly on your guard and check who is following you all the time. It could have happened to anybody,” he said.
