The news was announced on Tuesday 30th December, 2008. The parties all over Dubai were supposed to be cancelled to potray an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza who are killed by the Israeli military. The news was announced quite late at 7:00 p.m. and those who have purchased tickets were in panic because they were all enthusiastic to party. Later in the night, no clubs, or party venues were ready to confirm the news and were unable to answer any queries. This is a good way to show solidarity and a good step taken by Shaikh Mohammad, but in a way it is unfair to the people in general. The people killed there are palestinians and therefore, mostly the palestinian population in Dubai must be moaning and not everyone. The Britishers, Americans, Indians, Chinese, Japanese, etc living in Dubai, should not be forced to sit at home and moan for people who do not even belong to their respective nation. Moreover, when there was an attack on World Trade Centre in America, the bombings in London, the terrorist attack in India, the invasion of Iraq, and many other times, no steps were taken to show solidarity with the World. Everything was normal in Dubai, and nothing in people’s life changed here. Even innocent people were killed then, and it was worst, it was terrorists who attacked. But only people who have their beloved ones were bothered then, and no one else was forced to moan. But this time, everyone in Dubai has to forget their New Years Eve and sit and think about the war in Gaza. In a multi-cultural society like Dubai, this is a very amateurish decision and moreover, it is a selfish decision. Why is Palestine given more importance and because of that, people cannot celebrate? Even though, none of the parties are cancelled, leaving a few, but those few parties which are cancelled will face a heavy loss and who will pay for that? The tourist who have come to Dubai to meet their beloved ones and to party with them, would also be disappointed. If it was a regular night, I can still understand if a Dry Day or Week is announced, but on New Years Eve, that is not good. Also, the decision was announced 2 days before the events. This will bring complete disappointment in everyone and cause a chaos. Through this article, I just want to point out a fact that everyone has a right to live! If the attack was in U.A.E., I can still understand, but Palestine is way far away, and cancelling celebrations in Dubai will not effect in any way.
Articles for the cancellation of the parties – Article 1, Article 2
Link to the current situation related to every party venue – Link