Just remember that just as all us Europeans are far from alike, so Arabs vary. Ali Barber said it: the people of Oman are warm, friendly and welcoming and their country has made great strides. They may not be a democracy as we understand it, but then democracy does not suit everyone. Perhaps our US cousins should remember that. If the outside world judged the UK by the barabaric events of Northern Ireland a few years ago, they could easily draw conclusions similar to those which started this thread.
My personal view on living in the ME is that there is not enough money printed to take me to Saudi Arabia. I cannot understand anyone working there for a regime as unpleasant as that. However, there are other states within the region where life can be very pleasant; each to his own.