Dubai - Heaven On Earth or Hell In The Making?

After 9 days in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates I think I understand why many Arabs, Muslims and indeed nations frown upon Dubai and the direction it is taking - and why an equal number of foreigners - and perhaps particularly Western expatriates - absolutely love the place.

I guess most people know that Dubai has undergone a tremendous development from being a relatively small city surrounded by a huge desert to now being an ultra-modern city with islands built on reclaimed land and high rises stretching far into what used to be desert. Apparently the oil is estimated to run out within the next 100 years or so and Dubai has put incredible sums into turning their city into a tourist destination to secure future income. (By the way, don't get confused - Dubai is one of the 7 emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates but it is also the name of the capital of the emirate, i.e. Dubai City).

And when they do something they do it to the fullest: Dubai currently has the world's tallest building (the Burj Khalifa standing 828m (2,717ft) tall), the world's biggest mall (Dubai Mall), the biggest fountains in the world (Dubai Fountains in front of Dubai Mall), the first metro system on the Arabian Peninsula, the world's only unofficial 7 star hotel and one of the most expensive hotels in the world (Burj Al Arab) built on an artificial island of reclaimed land. And the list goes on...

So what's wrong with this? Well, for starters people who have lived there for years complain that the developments are happening way too fast, that much of 'good old Dubai' is gone and the place is full of modern high rise buildings, that everyday the road system changes and everywhere seems to be a huge construction site, not to mention that the place is completely overrun by South East Asian guest workers and tourists lured by the tax-free shopping.

But there is something more fundamental that's gone wrong and I think this picture that I took on the beachside in Jumeirah (south of Dubai City) where most of the luxury resorts are, sums it all up (whowever said that 'a picture speaks a thousand words'):



A tourist in her bikini - a very common sight on this stretch of beach next to high end hotels and restaurants - walks up to a local man wearing his traditional clothes including the head scarf that men most often wear and asks him to take her photograph in front of his camels!

(If you are wondering about the camels it's just that the guy figured out that there is money to be made - many tourists want to have their picture taken with the camels or go for a small ride around the beach - plus it's the closest many of the tourists get to anything resembling original Emirati culture!)

Dubai - as all of the UAE - is a Muslim country with Islam as the state religion. Locals - although a minority - still wear traditional clothes and many if not most women are covered (not because they have to but because they want to) in their abbayas and some with the niqab as well (leaving only the eyes to see). Showing off bare shoulders and knees is considered unacceptable (let alone wearing a bikini, of course) and any display of affection in public is illegal - that is, married couples can hold hands but nothing more elaborate than that. Being drunk in public is illegal as well (although it is legal to drink alcohol in places that have a license) and don't even start thinking about sex between unmarried people (or gays/lesbians for that matter).

Tourists tend to forget that - some because they probably don't care at all and have not spent any time reading up on the destination they were about to visit and some because they are not reminded enough. If you go from the airport straight to one of the beach side resorts you will not realize that you are on the Arabian Peninsula - you will not necessarily pass mosques (nor hear their 5 daily calls to prayer), not necessarily see any locals or hear any Arabic spoken, you will be served alcohol in the bars and restaurants and be surrounded by other tourists who also wear bikinis and go lie on the beach to enjoy the sun - along with heaps of honeymooners for whom it is in many ways a dream destination (sun all year round, wonderful beaches, fantastic hotels, excellent food, major shopping). There are signs in the malls reminding people to dress appropriately and not display affection in public - but many tourists seem to be too busy staring at the shop windows to even notice...

And while the tourist might be excused for not knowing better, the (Western) expatriate community is largely doing the same thing!

It is no wonder that both the locals and other Muslims/Arabs living in Dubai find this highly offensive and disrespectful toward their culture. And it is no wonder that things end really bad for some tourists - like the recent incident where an unmarried couple allegedly kissed on the mouth in a beach side resort and were reported by a local woman who was dining there with her children. They are both facing possible jail-time (and I am sure the jails are not as new and fantastic as the malls!). The story is here: British pair face jail for kissing in Dubai restaurant but actually the comments from the readers are equally interesting. In 2008 another British couple ran into some serious problems with the authorities after they had sex on the beach and only narrowly escaped a 6-year jail sentence for sex outside marriage, public indecency and being drunk in public: 'Sex on Dubai beach couple' (...)

Creating a tourist destination really is a two-edged sword I guess. On the positive side (apart from the income and all that) is that Dubai is really trying not to forget its heritage and there are many excellent museums giving detailed explanations (in English) about the original life style, architecture and traditions - something that is much harder to find in Kuwait. I suppose partly because it is not a tourist destination at all and partly because they feel their culture less threatened (by development, foreign influence etc.). On the negative side, I myself saw how Russian prostitutes (I am sure they come in many nationalities) were working the tables in a Turkish restaurant where we had dinner, seeking out men without female company, asking for a cigarette and exchanging phone numbers. While I am sure prostitution exists everywhere to some extent, it is not pleasant to have it out in the open like that. And as one journalist wrote in an article about some of the Dubai incidents:

"It would be very easy for Dubai to turn a blind eye to the behaviour of British tourists and expatriates: to say to themselves, we may not like it, but we like the foreign currency too much to discourage these free-spending Westerners.(...) That is the Faustian pact into which so many holiday destinations around the world have entered, with inevitable results: Westerners start to behave like outlaws, doing things that they wouldn't dare do at home."

"If (the sex on the beach couple) expect me to write an Amnesty International-style letter to the Emir begging for mercy, they can forget it. They haven't just been stupid, they have been thoroughly irresponsible. There is no better recruiting sergeant for al-Qaeda than the sight of Westerners trying to thumb their noses at the laws of Islamic countries."

You would think that it would not be too difficult to respect the country you're in but apparently in the case of Dubai it is. I actually appreciate that in Kuwait you will never forget that you are in a Muslim country and you will not see disrespectful tourists. I admit that when the temperature reaches 40 degrees (104F) as it has this week, I too would like to wear a sleeveless t-shirt and a skirt - but I don't. And if one cannot accept this one should not live in the Middle East.

On a lighter note we had a wonderful time in Dubai (wearing respectful clothes and showing no affection in public :)), did our fair share of shopping and ate like there was no tomorrow. Dubai is one of the places we have wanted to visit for a long time (we looked into it for our honeymoon back in 2007 as well) and I am happy that by coincidence we had the chance to go so soon (K had to do various paperwork and medicals as well as some company training and we needed to get some papers translated and stamped as well). I will upload pictures in the coming days but just wanted to share this perspective on Dubai first.