Looking at the "Bright Side" of Dubai

Thursday, 9 April 2009 11:54 AM

Earlier this week The Independent published a lengthy article by Johann Hari headlined “The Dark Side of Dubai.” One of the prominent emiratis featured, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, hits back at the report.

Mr. Hari’s 9,000 word report on Dubai was just one in a series of critical Anglo Saxon reports published about the city. The schadenfreude emanating form the likes of Mr Hari is reflective of some personal issues they must have faced growing up in a socialist environment where globalisation and capitalism were frowned upon.

I have previously described such reporters as “tournalists” since they visit the city as tourists under the guise of journalism and enjoy a few days on the beach at the expense of their publication. These reports mysteriously always appear when the weather in Dubai is at its best. Surprisingly, in his extensive write up he was miraculously able to meet only silly sounding expats, which is statistically impossible since ten out of ten residents he interviews can’t all be depressed and full of spite.

Reading the article it evident that Mr. Hari was bent on highlighting the negative from the get go while completely ignoring all the positive developments that have taken place in Dubai. Last year for example Dubai introduced a new mandatory green building initiative signalling the emirate’s commitment to address environmental issues .

The visiting journalist then went to interview expat after expat, all of whom seem to be miraculously opening up to him and telling him of their deepest and darkest secrets, a highly improbable supposition for him to make.

I didn’t say that Emiratis are the most tolerant people in the world without grounds; I can’t imagine Britain having 55 million expats and only five million Brits.

Although I cannot speak for the others that he allegedly interviewed I am very sceptical about believing his stories merely because my own words were taken out of context and butchered. I said that we are a young country and we are “getting there” in terms of laws and regulations but we can’t do everything at once.

He made it seem as though I care as much for products as I care for human beings which is not the case, especially since I am heavily involved in an NGO and volunteer my time to teach youngsters in college.

Nor do I know how he made up the Ralph Lauren shirt comment that I was allegedly wearing since I have never bought one in my life. Concerning the strikes comments I said that I am against the violent strikes that had taken place in Dubai recently where police cars and public property were damaged and I stand by that statement.

Mr Hari conveniently omitted the word violent in my statements only because it makes his article more attractive albeit less believable.

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Posted by: Suhail Shafi Friday, 8 May 2009 6:10 AM[UAE] - USA

I urge everyone on this forum to read the Independent article on Dubai - if only to realize what kind of a hateful racist diatribe it was. The article was high on hyperbole and selective interviews, incredibly short on hard facts and constructive criticism I think it suffices to say that some of the most determined criticism against the article comes from Western expats in Dubai itself. I think that there are so many Westerners living and working in the city speaks for itself, and does that fact that so many are willing to defend the city, as did a certain Keith Prosser, a UK expat in the city who wrote an article to the Independent in response to its hatchet piece. Let us bring the handful of articles attacking Dubai into some perspective. A quarter of a million Brits vacation in Dubai each year, close to a hundred thousand live there. This means the city has something to offer that many people enjoy, the number of whom far outnumbers sensationalistic British journalists who print hateful attacks on everyone under the sun for a living.

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Posted by: Ek Bechara Monday, 27 April 2009 5:06 PM[UAE] - UAE

"I didn?t say that Emiratis are the most tolerant people in the world without grounds; I can?t imagine Britain having 55 million expats and only five million Brits" Above made me roll on the floor laughing, of course it cannot be possible as after 5 years of stay in UK even expats become UK citizen and are considered as British, so whoever from other country become citizen of UK he/she is no more expat for UK but one of their own people. Whereas in UAE despite continous stay of 20 years we are still expats because we dont become citizen here. This is the only country which preserves you till your all limbs are intact, may god forbid if you meet with an accident and proves useless for this country, as an expat you have no choice but to go back to your own country.

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Posted by: Duo Maxwell Saturday, 18 April 2009 2:12 PM[UAE]

In the Arab world, that is. Surely you have noticed by now that all who have commented so far and so vehemently do so under the comfort of their own homes and most probably don't work in the service, medical and engineering sectors. I did not come to Dubai as a tourist so this allowed me to see the what's behind the smoke and mirrors. Yes, the UAE is superior to almost all Arab countries in terms of economic power, but culturally and politically it is still lacking, as even Mr. Sultan would discreetly admit. All blue-collar Asians working there are treated as second-class citizens, with no hope of owning homes or become citizens of the UAE. To Aarkay I say, the Emiratis should be proud of their progress achieved in so short a time, but please do give credit to the expats working there. It would be a safe bet that if all Filipinos, Indians, Pakistanis, etc. would leave the UAE, its economy will be ruined.

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Posted by: Kristiina Mayra Wednesday, 15 April 2009 11:35 PM[UAE] - UAE

WHERE is a country that allows person to take a huge loans and then just hug them and let them walk away? - I do not know any! WHERE are those hundreds of expats sleeping in their car at the airport, parking places OR on the desert dunes? - I have not seen them! The Canadian Lady was ready to sacrifice so much that she was ready to quit drinking and were black when coming to Dubai with her husband. - WHERE is that promise... I felt she was still drunk when interviewed IF that person is real at all? She told HOW she and her husband were just partying all days long? - We others are working in Dubai! I just wonder if all of the interviewed expat (including Mr. Hari) were too high or drunk - unable to separate the real life from fiction OR maybe even the persons interviewed were fiction?

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Posted by: Bryan Connor Tuesday, 14 April 2009 7:17 AM[UAE] - UK

A nation cannot pride itself on its achievements unless and until it graciously acknowledges its flaws and remedies them. Skyscrapers never symbolized success......... The more Dubai is antagonistic and hostile to transparency, the more it will lose global credibility all over the four corners of the world.

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