We are safe here, say Americans

Americans say they have continued to feel safe in the UAE despite the September 11 attacks and the controversy caused by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Businessman Steven Brown-Cestero, 46, who has lived in the Middle East for 20 years and the UAE for the past decade, said he always feels "very welcome".

"There's been no hostility whatsoever. I don't think there's been any change in how Americans are treated," he said.

"I spent a lot of time after 9/11 trying to convince people not to leave - a lot of Americans had worries. There was no need to leave and there still is no need.

"There are people who since 9/11 and Iraq have decided not to come to the region and who continue to have fears about coming to the region. I think their fears are unfounded and it's a shame they have them."

Nicholas Dreves, 25, said: "I find myself defending America with fellow westerners more often than anyone else. I've never defended myself as an American with Arabs, which I find interesting."

He said there is a perception that the Middle East is "war-torn" and difficult to live in, but the reality is different.

Generous

"I've travelled to most countries in the region, from Yemen to Libya, and I find the people more generous and hospitable there than in New York City.

"People expect a chasm between the west and Arab world but it's not nearly as black and white as people think it is."

Dr Raymond H. Hamden, a clinical and forensic psychologist at the Human Relations Institute in Knowledge Village, Dubai, said travel to the US became trickier even for Americans post 9/11.

"It is not just Arabs and Muslims, but also Americans living abroad who are seen in a more suspicious light than before, with higher security, delays at airports and bags searched, although this is seen only on first couple of times of re-entry," he said.

Artist Dr Kimberley Lund said September 11 and its aftermath has made Americans much more aware of world affairs. She also said that attitudes towards America in the Arab world were becoming less clear cut.

"I think there's a lot of anger about the Iraq war and the Israel situation, but more and more people are becoming aware of the complexity of the situation. You cannot blame just one country," she said.