This summer, one cannot set foot in London in light of the large numbers of tourists who have come from all around the world, especially after the Niqab was prohibited in certain European countries. These tourists, who carry various nationalities, quickly merge in London's welcoming space, their accents thus melting and their relations and customs intertwining. However, this excludes tourists who have come from the Arab Gulf states and who insist on showing off and demonstrating colors, characteristics and accents in a way that reveals their wealth. In London, people from the Gulf are fleeing the heat, as well as the eyes which are closely watching them back home and maybe even spying on their way of life. They have come to the fog capital to enjoy freedom, cold and rain. As it is said, they have come to London to enjoy the greenery, water, pretty faces and the “Speaker's Corner.” Gulf tourists move around in London as they wish and express themselves as they please. However, their problem is quite obvious and resides in their excessive love of showing off to draw attention to their clothes, their movements, their way of life and their richness. Still, the problem of “Gulf posing” seen in London this year seems to carry a dynamic nature since all those who know this quiet city, its people and the nature of its tourists among Europeans and Asians are quite astonished by this surprising behavior. Indeed, excessive Arab “posing” reaching the level of insanity and maybe even degeneration is spread throughout the streets and markets of London, to the point where you could draw a new map of the GCC countries in Edgware Road or Knightsbridge, based on these faces and the luxurious cars carrying the license plates of Gulf states and driven by young men loaded with money and energy. Before cafés and restaurants in Knightsbridge or Piccadilly, Gulf tourists reserve tables to have coffee or dinner early on, and pay double the taxes in exchange for these reservations or the so-called “prepaid tips,” knowing that this tax is only imposed in London during summer with the arrival of the latter tourists who are good at paying money and spoiling the employees in coffee shops with “tips.” On the female level, one can watch the procession of colorful Abayas and shiny faces behind walls of the best make-up brands. One can also smell Parisian perfumes, and see delicate clothes designed by the most luxurious fashion houses around the world, as well as exquisite bags on the shoulders and in the hands showing the good taste of Gulf women who escaped the heat and came for a stroll in the fog and under the raindrops. What is both funny and unfortunate is that about two years ago, a Qatari citizen transported his Lamborghini sports car to Britain by air to get its oil changed then flew it back to Qatar as it was revealed by the Sun at the time. The paper also mentioned that the trip and the oil change cost around 23 thousand pounds sterling, i.e. around 138,000 riyals. What is odd is that whenever you sit with a Gulf national to talk about the “posing” phenomenon, he says it is a big mistake and addresses it with great discontent and condemnation, knowing that he probably loves to do it himself. A while ago, I saw a report carried by a Saudi paper about false “posing” which burdens some simple people with debts. “Al-Fashkhara” in the popular Saudi dictionary means showing an “untruthful” image of oneself based on debt and on riding and wearing what one cannot afford. It thus refers to useless and unnecessary flaunting and it is odd that despite the spread of the meaning of the word “Fashkhara” in the popular language, modern dictionaries like Al-Waseet did not carry it, although it carried less spread expressions. In this context, some linguistics claimed that the word (i.e. Al-Fashkhara) existed in Mokhtar Assihah by Arrazy, which turned down to be false after checking. Do some know that there are people in Palestine whose land is under occupation and who are suffering from a blockade and others showing off and snoring in London without donating one riyal to their people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip? There is no doubt that showing off and taking care of one's appearance is a good and important thing in various aspects of life, as well as a human need. However, this is not true in the case of obsessed Gulf nationals who are blowing these practices out of proportion, to the point where they are turning into unacceptable and socially-repulsive actions. False “posing” should be contained because it is generating useless waste and squander. This can be seen for example in weddings or when an official or the Emir of a region is invited. Massive and reprehensible feasts are thus organized, so that it is said that the host honored the guest in an unprecedented way which could never be matched. This is seen despite the fact that some of the latter hosts cannot afford their feasts and are forced to borrow money to brag about their generosity before the others. The continuation of these false appearances is turning into a major and highly costly problem that does not reflect the real social and material truth. Unfortunately, the spread of this phenomenon just to brag, show off and blindly imitate the others, does not convey the reality of the Gulf communities and the way they handle this reality. Maybe these “posers” conceal complex and sick personas which would require the specialized institutions in the Arab Gulf states to increase the dosage of awareness and social and psychological education, in order to keep the people from fooling themselves, squandering, and continuing to pretend they are rich in a way that is negatively affecting the Gulf communities and their image, both domestically and abroad.
