By Raigan Wheeler
During the “Black Flight to Dubai’, a period marked by Black people travelling to Dubai between 2013 to the present in large numbers, an article, “Resort’s racism revealed! Mövenpick Jumeirah assumes black executive is prostitute” from Al Bawaba covers a story on how two Black women were mistaken for prostitutes. Al Bawaba is a Middle Eastern news outlet that covers current events within the region.
In July 2015, two Black women were vacationing at the five star Movenpick Hotel at Jumeirah Beach. One of the women, Hannah Fanni, is a Nigerian corporate executive who lives in Dubai, and the other woman, who is unnamed, was an African American woman celebrating her college graduation. Both women are friends. Fanni has accused the hotel of discrimination and racial profiling. “They suspected us of being prostitutes and targeted us solely because of the color of our skin,” says Fanni (Al Bawaba 2015).
Al Bawaba quotes Fanni recalling the ordeal, “My friend had just graduated and we were hoping to enjoy a girls’ night out at the bar but came back traumatized. First the waitress refused to serve us and then a security guard ordered us to leave the hotel,” (Al Bawaba 2015).
“At one stage he was ready to engage with us physically which is classified as assault and sexual harassment in UAE. He kept telling us that the bar didn’t allow unaccompanied women. I found it strange because there were several tables occupied by women. When I pointed to them, he said he was merely following orders,” (Al Bawaba 2015).
In the United States it is not common for Black people to face discrimination. But some Americans are shocked and appalled to hear the reality of minorities overseas. However, that is one benefit of the media that news is able to travel without a passport.
Some have even come to the defense of the two women in Dubai. A faculty member, Travis Woods, and a student, Nina Egfigmah, of Morgan State University share their insight on the Dubai racial profiling case. “I don’t know why we expect [some Middle Eastern people] to be any different if in our own country that’s what we’ve done. They may not know us but they learn from us. So it shows a mirror image of what we go through and are as Americans,” says Woods.
“I would feel very disrespected because you should not judge a person by the color of their skin and everyone knows that by now. If you are still doing it, you deserve to be fired and have a lawsuit taken out against. In fact, [a similar ordeal] happened to me and I can give a testimony of what happened three years ago. I am still dealing with the [lawsuit]. But your skin color should never have an effect on how you are treated,” says Egfigmah.
Since the ordeal, the Marketing and Communications Manager of the Movenpick Hotel has released an apology to the women. The apology reads, “The incident occurred purely due to the misunderstanding of the employees and we would like to clarify that there is no such management policy existent in the hotel. Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach welcomes and respect each and every guest and this incident in no way reflects our true standards of service. An official apology letter from the hotel management and employees involved has also been sent to the guest, (Al Bawaba 2015).
Source:
- Resort’s racism revealed! Mövenpick Jumeirah assumes black executive is prostitute. (2015, July 18). Retrieved October 10, 2016, from http://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/resorts-racism-revealed-mövenpick-jumeirah-assumes-black-executive-prostitute-720562
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