Basil i find our story VERY hard to believe. If you ask people who have lived and worked in the middle east you will find there are two sets of rules. one set for GCC and the other for non-GCC. If you are non-GCC they are far from lenient.
Did you mean "your story".
If so, don't listen to your friends; speak to someone who's been there, done it, got the T-shirt.
Bas - GF 4yrs living in Manama, frequent trips to DXB whilst working for CX, trips to Persian Gulf whilst working for BA.