“All over Europe, Saudis and Kuwaitis are making a nuisance of themselves. Social media is stuffed with video clips of tourists from the Persian Gulf acting appallingly. We watch as they picnic in public parks, then stroll away leaving their garbage on the grass. We cringe as they double-park their luxury cars in the middle of busy European streets, and boast about the ensuing traffic jams. One group can be seen squatting in the dirt next to the Eiffel Tower and smoking from a hookah, another stealing a duck from a pond in an Austrian park and cooking and eating it in front of horrified locals. That last episode prompted Viennese authorities to call for a reduction in visas for Gulf citizens, and we can hardly blame them. Saudi Arabia has spent “huge sums on scholarships, conferences and forums” to improve the image of our country, only to be undermined by “a handful of reckless holidaymakers”. We can’t tolerate this. Anyone caught infringing the laws or customs of a foreign country should lose the privilege of travelling for a few years – maybe then they’ll learn how to act respectfully”. (Mahmoud al-Madani, Okaz, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia).
This might well be the arrogance that wealth and ignorance bestows, and the plea is nice to read. But from a perch in London this past summer, I have to say that the Arabs generally behave well. So huge are the numbers of foreign visitors (and so few the British) that the Arabs are lost in the tide of humanity. It is a bit overwhelming. But I wouldn’t pick on the Arabs as mis-behavers in particular, except in one respect, and I will deal with that tomorrow.
I agree with you that Arabs, or any tourists for that matter, that behave badly ought to be ashamed of themselves. But its also worth remembering that Europeans can behave appallingly when abroad. Witness the hoards of British youths in places like Majorca or Magaluf: getting hopelessly drunk, often doing drugs, dressing unfashionably and exposing their cheap tattoos. They make no attempt to learn the local language, only to go to the beach and then to the club in the evening. Also, very often we do not respect the local customs or traditions. For instance, if wearing a bikini is prohibited, you should abide by the rules, even if you disagree with them.
I suppose what makes the Arabs different from us is that we tend to misbehave in intentionally touristy areas where there are very few locals- beaches, clubs, hotels and certain towns. But they misbehave in the most important parts of our cities- which are there for everyone. What’s also different is that the places where British people behave badly are places that have taken decisions (however inadvertently), that have inevitably led to the irresponsible sort of person being attracted to there. If you have large nightclubs that sell cheap alcohol, that will certainly attract an undesirable character. However, the historical cities of Europe are managed in order to attract respectable people- those who appreciate history, the arts and fine cuisine. The fact that these anti-social Arabs are attracted to Europe could not have been predicted at all.