I feel for you. Our family lived in China and constantly battled with drivers who’d stand in the hallways of our building smoking, when it was strictly non-smoking. You will never win that battle, and don’t bother moving because you’ll never get away from it. But an air purifier or two.

The building has shown they don’t support you, so please be careful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your issue is with your chain smoking, Arab neighbor. He’s F-ing with you for complaining about him.

You’re turning this into an issue about a symbol that is sacred to some people and no one that it’s sacred to put it on your door.

The guy is calling you racist because you’re making this about the symbol, not the fact that you and your neighbor have issues.

Stop blaming the cleaners who have no reason whatsoever to f with you. You know who your problem is with.

OP didn’t blame the cleaners. The building manager tried to claim the Indian cleaners put it on her door and that she is racist.

The OP posted this, which he likely told the office manager:

“Yes, I understand what the swastika means in India. But Dubai is NOT INDIA. Just like the US is NOT INDIA. If drawing swastikas over someone's door is wrong in the US, which is not India, then it should be wrong in any country that is...not India.”

You can’t go different countries and dictate like this.

The office manager should not have told the OP that it may have been the cleaners but let’s be real here. Is he going to blame the Arab guy? In the Arab country? Seriously? OP is not in America or Europe. OP is not in a democracy.

Most of the posters don't know Dubai or the UAE. The only "privileged" Arab would be Emiratis followed by other Gulf Arabs, but their numbers in Dubai are fairly small and tend to live in villas. There is no favoritism for other Arabs from, say, Egypt or Lebanon or Iraq. The German building manager isn't going to be afraid of a Lebanese or Jordanian Arab over a western expat. If anything, they tend to be lower on the expat status pole. The only exception would be if somehow religion got involved and people were trading insults over Islam.

The Egyptians in Dubai are likely to be the help. And not the renters. Get a clue, please.

Wrong. As a 12 year expat in Dubai, the Egyptians are mostly middle income expats who stash a poor Filipino or Kenyan maid in a tiny windowless bedroom and make her work 18 hour days.

Cleaners and help are predominately from the Philippines, India or Sri Lanka, and increasingly from Africa.

It's pretty clear you know nothing about the UAE.

OP. Why on earth would you choose to be Jewish in the Middle East? That just may be the problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your issue is with your chain smoking, Arab neighbor. He’s F-ing with you for complaining about him.

You’re turning this into an issue about a symbol that is sacred to some people and no one that it’s sacred to put it on your door.

The guy is calling you racist because you’re making this about the symbol, not the fact that you and your neighbor have issues.

Stop blaming the cleaners who have no reason whatsoever to f with you. You know who your problem is with.

OP didn’t blame the cleaners. The building manager tried to claim the Indian cleaners put it on her door and that she is racist.

The OP posted this, which he likely told the office manager:

“Yes, I understand what the swastika means in India. But Dubai is NOT INDIA. Just like the US is NOT INDIA. If drawing swastikas over someone's door is wrong in the US, which is not India, then it should be wrong in any country that is...not India.”

You can’t go different countries and dictate like this.

The office manager should not have told the OP that it may have been the cleaners but let’s be real here. Is he going to blame the Arab guy? In the Arab country? Seriously? OP is not in America or Europe. OP is not in a democracy.

Most of the posters don't know Dubai or the UAE. The only "privileged" Arab would be Emiratis followed by other Gulf Arabs, but their numbers in Dubai are fairly small and tend to live in villas. There is no favoritism for other Arabs from, say, Egypt or Lebanon or Iraq. The German building manager isn't going to be afraid of a Lebanese or Jordanian Arab over a western expat. If anything, they tend to be lower on the expat status pole. The only exception would be if somehow religion got involved and people were trading insults over Islam.

Let’s see, in an Arab country:
A) Blame the Indian cleaners for using a symbol known to be sacred to them or
B) Blame the Arab down the hall for being anti-Semitic.

Which option do you think will least likely cause a stir about Islam?

The guy is doing damage control. The OP needs to understand the culture of the place they decided to move to.

Op, go back to addressing the smoking violation and see if they can move you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your issue is with your chain smoking, Arab neighbor. He’s F-ing with you for complaining about him.

You’re turning this into an issue about a symbol that is sacred to some people and no one that it’s sacred to put it on your door.

The guy is calling you racist because you’re making this about the symbol, not the fact that you and your neighbor have issues.

Stop blaming the cleaners who have no reason whatsoever to f with you. You know who your problem is with.

OP didn’t blame the cleaners. The building manager tried to claim the Indian cleaners put it on her door and that she is racist.

The OP posted this, which he likely told the office manager:

“Yes, I understand what the swastika means in India. But Dubai is NOT INDIA. Just like the US is NOT INDIA. If drawing swastikas over someone's door is wrong in the US, which is not India, then it should be wrong in any country that is...not India.”

You can’t go different countries and dictate like this.

The office manager should not have told the OP that it may have been the cleaners but let’s be real here. Is he going to blame the Arab guy? In the Arab country? Seriously? OP is not in America or Europe. OP is not in a democracy.

Most of the posters don't know Dubai or the UAE. The only "privileged" Arab would be Emiratis followed by other Gulf Arabs, but their numbers in Dubai are fairly small and tend to live in villas. There is no favoritism for other Arabs from, say, Egypt or Lebanon or Iraq. The German building manager isn't going to be afraid of a Lebanese or Jordanian Arab over a western expat. If anything, they tend to be lower on the expat status pole. The only exception would be if somehow religion got involved and people were trading insults over Islam.

The Egyptians in Dubai are likely to be the help. And not the renters. Get a clue, please.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of the responses/suggestions on this thread are ridiculous and completely out of line. Hoping it’s the work of just one troll.

Op, you need to go to the German owner and tell him that you are terminating your rental contract both because the terms you signed for (a nonsmoking floor) are not being met,causing a health hazard to your child and moreover after raising the issue you were subjected to a hate crime which the building staff refuses to take seriously. If he tries to refuse releasing you front the contract threaten to blast the details of this incident across social media/the expat community.

You are incredibly ignorant to the ways of the region OP is living. She should absolutely not escalate the situation as you describe and further risk her safety.

It’s unclear why OP is in Dubai for the Summer. If it’s for work, then her company should financially support moving her to another apartment building. If it’s for pleasure, then OP will need to incur the relocation costs. Either way, OP should consider moving quickly. In no way should she continue to jeopardize her safety by escalating the situation.

Actually I am also an expat and have lived and traveled extensively across the Middle East. What exactly do you think this German supervisor is going to do to her?


A European manager of an apartment complex that caters to expats is absolutely not going to want the negative publicity of an American citizen being threatened/targeted with antisemitism in his building.

Yeah. You just don’t go to countries like that Op. lesson learned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your issue is with your chain smoking, Arab neighbor. He’s F-ing with you for complaining about him.

You’re turning this into an issue about a symbol that is sacred to some people and no one that it’s sacred to put it on your door.

The guy is calling you racist because you’re making this about the symbol, not the fact that you and your neighbor have issues.

Stop blaming the cleaners who have no reason whatsoever to f with you. You know who your problem is with.

OP didn’t blame the cleaners. The building manager tried to claim the Indian cleaners put it on her door and that she is racist.

The OP posted this, which he likely told the office manager:

“Yes, I understand what the swastika means in India. But Dubai is NOT INDIA. Just like the US is NOT INDIA. If drawing swastikas over someone's door is wrong in the US, which is not India, then it should be wrong in any country that is...not India.”

You can’t go different countries and dictate like this.

The office manager should not have told the OP that it may have been the cleaners but let’s be real here. Is he going to blame the Arab guy? In the Arab country? Seriously? OP is not in America or Europe. OP is not in a democracy.

Most of the posters don't know Dubai or the UAE. The only "privileged" Arab would be Emiratis followed by other Gulf Arabs, but their numbers in Dubai are fairly small and tend to live in villas. There is no favoritism for other Arabs from, say, Egypt or Lebanon or Iraq. The German building manager isn't going to be afraid of a Lebanese or Jordanian Arab over a western expat. If anything, they tend to be lower on the expat status pole. The only exception would be if somehow religion got involved and people were trading insults over Islam.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your issue is with your chain smoking, Arab neighbor. He’s F-ing with you for complaining about him.

You’re turning this into an issue about a symbol that is sacred to some people and no one that it’s sacred to put it on your door.

The guy is calling you racist because you’re making this about the symbol, not the fact that you and your neighbor have issues.

Stop blaming the cleaners who have no reason whatsoever to f with you. You know who your problem is with.

OP didn’t blame the cleaners. The building manager tried to claim the Indian cleaners put it on her door and that she is racist.

The OP posted this, which he likely told the office manager:

“Yes, I understand what the swastika means in India. But Dubai is NOT INDIA. Just like the US is NOT INDIA. If drawing swastikas over someone's door is wrong in the US, which is not India, then it should be wrong in any country that is...not India.”

You can’t go different countries and dictate like this.

The office manager should not have told the OP that it may have been the cleaners but let’s be real here. Is he going to blame the Arab guy? In the Arab country? Seriously? OP is not in America or Europe. OP is not in a democracy.

Read the post. OP only posted that after the (ridiculous) gaslighting by the manager claiming a) that it was the Indian cleaners and b) it is some kind of normal Indian practice to draw swastikas on people’s dooes.

I lived in Dubai for 12 years. I would keep your battle to the building management. Let them deal with the smoker. Be proactive. You have a short term lease, which means this isn't a normal rental circumstance. I would read the contract carefully and discuss with the management their obligations regarding ensuring non smoking and even look into going to the rental committee (legal body) and filing complaints. The building management will do everything to avoid the rental committee getting involved. Talk about moving to a different unit in the building or if they have other buildings. Moving to a different floor will probably do the trick.

I must wonder how neighbors knew you were Jewish? I knew a few Jewish expats it they never openly proclaimed it to all and sundry. UAE does have diplomatic relationships with Israel.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your issue is with your chain smoking, Arab neighbor. He’s F-ing with you for complaining about him.

You’re turning this into an issue about a symbol that is sacred to some people and no one that it’s sacred to put it on your door.

The guy is calling you racist because you’re making this about the symbol, not the fact that you and your neighbor have issues.

Stop blaming the cleaners who have no reason whatsoever to f with you. You know who your problem is with.

OP didn’t blame the cleaners. The building manager tried to claim the Indian cleaners put it on her door and that she is racist.

The OP posted this, which he likely told the office manager:

“Yes, I understand what the swastika means in India. But Dubai is NOT INDIA. Just like the US is NOT INDIA. If drawing swastikas over someone's door is wrong in the US, which is not India, then it should be wrong in any country that is...not India.”

You can’t go different countries and dictate like this.

The office manager should not have told the OP that it may have been the cleaners but let’s be real here. Is he going to blame the Arab guy? In the Arab country? Seriously? OP is not in America or Europe. OP is not in a democracy.

Consequences of living in a corrupted country.

No good reason to go to Dubai unless you are helping a revolution.

Please read up on how help is treated in Dubai; they are sold, bought, and mistreated. They will be the loser in your little Ka*en biatch fest.
Move out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of the responses/suggestions on this thread are ridiculous and completely out of line. Hoping it’s the work of just one troll.

Op, you need to go to the German owner and tell him that you are terminating your rental contract both because the terms you signed for (a nonsmoking floor) are not being met,causing a health hazard to your child and moreover after raising the issue you were subjected to a hate crime which the building staff refuses to take seriously. If he tries to refuse releasing you front the contract threaten to blast the details of this incident across social media/the expat community.

You are incredibly ignorant to the ways of the region OP is living. She should absolutely not escalate the situation as you describe and further risk her safety.

It’s unclear why OP is in Dubai for the Summer. If it’s for work, then her company should financially support moving her to another apartment building. If it’s for pleasure, then OP will need to incur the relocation costs. Either way, OP should consider moving quickly. In no way should she continue to jeopardize her safety by escalating the situation.

Agree 100%.

Anonymous wrote:Your issue is with your chain smoking, Arab neighbor. He’s F-ing with you for complaining about him.

You’re turning this into an issue about a symbol that is sacred to some people and no one that it’s sacred to put it on your door.

The guy is calling you racist because you’re making this about the symbol, not the fact that you and your neighbor have issues.

Stop blaming the cleaners who have no reason whatsoever to f with you. You know who your problem is with.

OP didn’t blame the cleaners. The building manager tried to claim the Indian cleaners put it on her door and that she is racist.