Will the regime put you off going to Qatar?

Cathalthesmart wrote: newrynyuk wrote: Cathalthesmart wrote: the_walls wrote: Cathalthesmart wrote: the_walls wrote: The apartheid regime in South Africa was a blight upon humanity and South Africa was quite rightly boycotted by sporting organisations. Yet, in my view, the likes of Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, are much worse. As bad as South Africa was (and it was bad), it didn't systematically use slaves. The more I think about it, the more outrageous it is that the World Cup is going to Qatar.   I also cannot fathom how people can go live and work in these places. I suspect very, very few people would have gone to work in South Africa during apartheid if there was opportunities to do so as it was completely socially unacceptable to in any way support the South African regime. Yet people feel no shame whatsoever living, working and holidaying in the likes of Qatar and Dubai. It's mind boggling. They don't use slaves, in the West it can look like that but what people don't get is that this is Asia and this is how things are done in Asia, these so called slaves are actually delighted to be here, it may look awful in a westerners eye but in Asia it's pretty normal.   Are you actually for real? You need to be here to understand, most of these workers come from other Asian or African countries that have really bad/non-existent economies where they earn nothing (E.G Pakistan Afghanistan) and they see coming to the middle east as the land of opportunity. The conditions and hard labor is nothing different to what they would face back home but instead pays a hell of alot more. Conditions could be better but like I've said before this is Asia.   Was half expecting you to say "it's their culture" next...   Pays a hell of a lot more?  Often they are not paid at all.  And they can't leave because their employers are holding their passports.   I suppose you'd excuse those Irish fishing boats recently caught using migrants working under similar conditions on the grounds that they'd be used to it?   They certainly get payed a much better amount thanot back home that's for sure, when I said they get payed alot more I ment compared to what they make back home. Ivery met 2 Pakistani people recently, they all leave their family back home and they work these jobs and then send the money home. Don't think you've been listening to me at all if you think I'd excuse the Irish boats I'll try say it again because I don't think you heard me...this is Asia, it's completly different to the west in many ways and this one of them.

Yes I'm sure you met some nice Pakistanis who are working wherever you are and sending money home.  Unfortunately many of those migrant workers building the Qatari stadiums are unable to do the same on account of not been paid at all and, because their employers are holding their passports, can't leave.  That's slavery and the fact that it's Asia (Middle East actually) doesn't excuse it. 

Oh, and I grew up in China and rural Hong Kong, so I very much do understand Asia




Edited by newrynyuk - 21 Jul 2017 at 11:29pm