Monday, January 30, 2006

The Luxury Tax of Dubai Experience

Dr. Khaled Batarfi
“Yes, we have enough money to keep us happy for many generations, but we decided to make our country prosperity-maker for the world, starting with our immediate neighbors. Besides, after the business plane takes off, stopping or slowing midair is not an option.” This was the answer of a senior Emirati official I met during my recent visit to his booming, blossoming country.
True, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah are becoming profitable arenas for global heavyweight investors. They boast some of the world’s highest buildings, biggest shopping malls, artificial islands, best airlines and airports, among many other signs of affluence. The investment in the future is even greater.
I do appreciate the mentality of openness, transparency and optimism. The Emiratis make you feel that nothing is impossible to achieve if you have the will, the courage and the right attitude.
Still, I couldn’t help ask my candid host about the price they had to pay, the side effects and if it was really worth it?
Some 95 percent of Dubai’s population is expatriates. At the current rate, in ten years, the native population may go down to less than one percent. Most expatriates are from one racial background. Few locals have a stake in the huge development their country is making. You can hardly find them in the street, offices and boardrooms. In fact, you can go around Dubai for days and see no Emirati and speak no Arabic.
I relayed this to my host, and he was like waiting for the question. “You don’t see a problem with that?” I asked.
“Not really!” he said. “Yes, I would hate to miss my language in the street, but ... there is a price for luxury!”
What a price, I thought; then pressed on: More than just losing your language, you may actually lose your culture and identity. Your kids will grow in an alien world, where they become a tiny minority in their own country. They won’t need their language to communicate, because almost no one else uses it. They would look hard for an Arabic school to attend.
There is also the security dimension. How can you control a majority of a certain race if things went the Parisian way? In France, the rioters represented a small minority, but still it took a big power a long while to calm things down. How are you going to deal with a similar disturbance if your majority demanded more rights in what they may regard as their homeland?
To be fair, this is not just an Emirati phenomenon. The Bahraini labor minister submitted a study to the recent Gulf Cooperation Council summit about the worsening situation in the whole region. He warned that, soon enough, millions of expatriates will be eligible to full citizenship. Most are non-Muslim or non-Arab. Since all Gulf countries are now members of WTO, they can’t keep denying such rights to long-term residents. He suggested that for nonessential labor there should be a stay limit of six years.
The Emirati official was not alarmed. “Our expatriates”, he contended, “won’t rebel because they are happy. Losing cultural identity in today’s global village is normal. Dubai and other Emirate cities are now top global hub for business, media and entertainment. We do try to give a local flavor and touch to our cities, services and offerings. Look at this hotel, for example. It has Arabic and Islamic architectural look and feel, but was built by foreigners. What difference does it make? There is a price to be paid for luxury.”
But why do you have to get all your labors from one region? Since you do have a choice, why haven’t you diversified? I asked.
He was frank.
“Labor from the region we depend on is cheaper and more skilled. They expect less and give more. Security-wise, we have had the best experience, yet, with them than with other nationalities. Our economic boom is private sector made. If businesses prefer certain nationality and we don’t have a problem with that for the above reasons, then ... why not?”
The next few days in Dubai, I talked to people of different nationalities. He was right. Most were economically happy or OK. But politically, they were not. Many long-time residents demanded equal treatment. “Why Emiratis pay only a third of the outrageously expensive electric bills and we pay in full”, an Egyptian executive protested. “This means we subsidize the locals. It is not fair.”
An Emirati airport staff felt insecure. “I can’t argue even with a taxi driver, because his street population might gang up with him against lonely me! It is scary!”
I still think the Dubai experience is enriching, educating and enlightening. There are so many useful lessons we could learn from. But one of the most important is: There should be a limit to what price you pay for luxury!

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Haj: Some Lessons for the World

Dr. Khaled Batarfi,
Haj was an educating and ennobling experience. Like my last three holy journeys, I learned a lot about myself, ourselves and the world we live in. Here are some of the lessons.
Haj is an occasion where people of all colors, races and backgrounds live together, move as one, and do the same thing, the same way, at the same time. You can’t feel superior to others if you have to be an integral part of their thoughts, feelings and actions. It doesn’t matter here if you are from a better economic or social class, or have higher position or education. It doesn’t make a difference if you are culturally more sophisticated, elegant or better looking. Under the sunny sky of Makkah, in the squeezed crowd of millions, in the simple two-piece white dress everyone looks the same.
In the holy places you forget who you are and where you came from, at least in your relations with the others.
I saw men and women perform the same rituals at the same space and time. Women did not have to cover their faces. In fact, they were required not to.
No religious police, rules or regulations prevent them from doing what they had to do in the same place as men and with men. No one tells them to stay behind to take care of home and children. No one dares say they are lesser creatures than men, and should not be part of men’s tougher and superior world. In Haj, men and women are as equal as children of Allah can be.
If we could go back to our lives with such sense! If we were to give our women what Islam gave them! If we decided to stop mixing our Dark Age tribal traditions with the pure Islam of Khadeeja, Aisha and the great women at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his caliphs!
There was no political or social enmity during the Haj. I saw Indians, Pakistanis and Kashmiris share the same tents and mosques. They helped each other and cared for one another. Iraqis and Kuwaitis, Sudanese of all tribes and races, Syrians and Lebanese, Moroccans and Algerians and many others who came from warring places were united under the blessings of one merciful God. If only the leaders of these nations would learn a lesson from this! If they could unite their peoples as they were united in Makkah under the banner of peaceful, encompassing and tolerating Islam!
Religious rivalry was absent, too. Muslims of all sects were praying to the same God, toward the same direction, behind the same imam. They were identical in their appearance, performance and feelings. Sunnis and Shiites, Salafis and Sufis, conservatives and liberals ate together, walked together, and prayed together. They didn’t ask, they didn’t tell, and they didn’t argue about the history of differences that occurred some thousand and four hundred years ago. If we could take that home with us, stop digging the past, and start planning for the future!
And there was no politics. We all prayed for a united and liberated Muslim nation. We prayed for the freedom of occupied Palestinians, Iraqis, Chechens, Kashmiris and Afghanis. But there was no hatred of the non-Muslims. There were no calls for jihad against the peaceful nations and peoples of the non-Muslim world. For almost a week, we were busy praying for the betterment of our families and societies, and cared less for the confusing and dividing politics of governments and leaders. If we could continue to do so after Haj! If we could focus more on the improvement of ourselves rather than on the destruction of our perceived enemies and rivals!
In Makkah we all learned that the world is so small, life is so short, and death can be so close. I faced death with many others more than once. Most of us survived. If we could appreciate that and always remember that only love can make our lives worth living!
In the holy sites, we learned to resolve our differences peacefully. We had to share tight spaces, meager resources, and tough environment. Many pushed their way through tight crowds; others lost their temper standing in long lines for food or water. But every time we reminded ourselves that Allah won’t accept our Haj if we don’t make peace with each other.
Problems were quickly solved and compromises made with apologetic, friendly smiles. If we could always remember that most things are not worth fighting for! And that with more humility, less intransigence, and some compromises we could all live a better, happier and peaceful life!
If we all, Muslims and non-Muslims, could learn what we, the pilgrims did, our world will definitely be a much better and happier place!

Haj: Some Lessons for the World

Dr. Khaled Batarfi,
Haj was an educating and ennobling experience. Like my last three holy journeys, I learned a lot about myself, ourselves and the world we live in. Here are some of the lessons.
Haj is an occasion where people of all colors, races and backgrounds live together, move as one, and do the same thing, the same way, at the same time. You can’t feel superior to others if you have to be an integral part of their thoughts, feelings and actions. It doesn’t matter here if you are from a better economic or social class, or have higher position or education. It doesn’t make a difference if you are culturally more sophisticated, elegant or better looking. Under the sunny sky of Makkah, in the squeezed crowd of millions, in the simple two-piece white dress everyone looks the same.
In the holy places you forget who you are and where you came from, at least in your relations with the others.
I saw men and women perform the same rituals at the same space and time. Women did not have to cover their faces. In fact, they were required not to.
No religious police, rules or regulations prevent them from doing what they had to do in the same place as men and with men. No one tells them to stay behind to take care of home and children. No one dares say they are lesser creatures than men, and should not be part of men’s tougher and superior world. In Haj, men and women are as equal as children of Allah can be.
If we could go back to our lives with such sense! If we were to give our women what Islam gave them! If we decided to stop mixing our Dark Age tribal traditions with the pure Islam of Khadeeja, Aisha and the great women at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his caliphs!
There was no political or social enmity during the Haj. I saw Indians, Pakistanis and Kashmiris share the same tents and mosques. They helped each other and cared for one another. Iraqis and Kuwaitis, Sudanese of all tribes and races, Syrians and Lebanese, Moroccans and Algerians and many others who came from warring places were united under the blessings of one merciful God. If only the leaders of these nations would learn a lesson from this! If they could unite their peoples as they were united in Makkah under the banner of peaceful, encompassing and tolerating Islam!
Religious rivalry was absent, too. Muslims of all sects were praying to the same God, toward the same direction, behind the same imam. They were identical in their appearance, performance and feelings. Sunnis and Shiites, Salafis and Sufis, conservatives and liberals ate together, walked together, and prayed together. They didn’t ask, they didn’t tell, and they didn’t argue about the history of differences that occurred some thousand and four hundred years ago. If we could take that home with us, stop digging the past, and start planning for the future!
And there was no politics. We all prayed for a united and liberated Muslim nation. We prayed for the freedom of occupied Palestinians, Iraqis, Chechens, Kashmiris and Afghanis. But there was no hatred of the non-Muslims. There were no calls for jihad against the peaceful nations and peoples of the non-Muslim world. For almost a week, we were busy praying for the betterment of our families and societies, and cared less for the confusing and dividing politics of governments and leaders. If we could continue to do so after Haj! If we could focus more on the improvement of ourselves rather than on the destruction of our perceived enemies and rivals!
In Makkah we all learned that the world is so small, life is so short, and death can be so close. I faced death with many others more than once. Most of us survived. If we could appreciate that and always remember that only love can make our lives worth living!
In the holy sites, we learned to resolve our differences peacefully. We had to share tight spaces, meager resources, and tough environment. Many pushed their way through tight crowds; others lost their temper standing in long lines for food or water. But every time we reminded ourselves that Allah won’t accept our Haj if we don’t make peace with each other.
Problems were quickly solved and compromises made with apologetic, friendly smiles. If we could always remember that most things are not worth fighting for! And that with more humility, less intransigence, and some compromises we could all live a better, happier and peaceful life!
If we all, Muslims and non-Muslims, could learn what we, the pilgrims did, our world will definitely be a much better and happier place!

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Your Take on Arab Hypocrisy

Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi
"So that is all the Arab hypocrisy you cared to mention?" Many readers asked or seemed to ask.
Some reminded me of the way we talk and act on women issues. When Rajaa Alsanae, a Saudi dentist, wrote her first novel about the love lives of four Saudi girls, many exploded. They called the book "Sex and the City." While many similarities exists with the famous HBO's TV series, there was no explicit sex in the book, only the adventures, dreams and disappointments of four Saudi girls in their relations with the other sex.
The book is a true description of how many segments of society still treat women as a piece of property to be sold to the highest bidder. One girl was refused by the groom's mother because she was half American from a lesser family. The other lost her chance because she was divorced. The third had to play the game of aloofness with the man she loved, learning a lesson from a friend who was divorced because she showed her eagerness to have sex with her husband before she moved in with him. Naturally for many paranoid Saudi men, he suspected that she was experienced in the art of love, and he wasn't the first in her life. The fourth character was very traditional, but lost her husband to a Japanese girlfriend.
Love is the last thing considered in lots of traditional marriage arrangements. Many young hearts are crushed in the process without mercy, empathy or mere understanding.
Some of us, men and women, live in denial. They felt the book gave false impressions about our virtuous society. But few could deny the existence of these and many other similar tragedies. The best way to solve a problem is to admit it. You can't cure an illness if you don't know or refuse to know.
Hypocrisy rules when it comes to our women rights. We do make flowery talk: She is the beloved mother, sister, daughter and wife; the preserved and protected pearl and jewel. But most won't even utter their names in public, referring instead to "the family," or "dependents."
Because of such "dependency-property" attitude, our women need to get males' permission for education, work, bank accounts, travel, and even medical attention. Imagine that: a new guideline for girls schools stated that in case of emergency, the school cannot send students to hospitals without male guardian permission. Another rule stipulates that doctors, even in extreme emergencies, need to wait for such permission.
Foreigners and religious minorities also suffer from our hypocrisy. We talk about Islamic and Arab hospitality, principles and rights. We claim that we treat our foreign guests well and give them their due rights. The truth is too many suffer from physical, psychological and financial maltreatment.
The same goes for religious minorities, whether they are Muslims of other sects or non Muslims. They deserve more religious rights, starting with passion and respect.
Other respondents highlighted additional aspects of our hypocrisy, as they see them. Dr. Joseph Lerner wrote: "The religious differences within Islam are overwhelming. Then, there are the tribal-like aspects of the Arab world which impact the functional integrity of the existing states.
Consider the Arab response to Palestinian refugees. The Arab League has directed Arab countries not to grant citizenship to them. Some Arab countries refuse to accept them as refugees and those which do, limit their employment opportunities. Their living facilities are generally below national standards. Arab countries limit their financial assistance claiming the problem was caused by non-Arabs."
Muhammad Yusuf declared: "We Western Muslim’s can really understand that Arabs are cursed with hypocrisy. We followed the Islamic countries summit in Makkah and the Saudi National Dialogue where participants speak about a united Muslim Ummah, but it is all talk with no action. We see Arabs claiming that western Governments are trying to destroy Islam. It is not Western governments that destroy us, but Arab hypocrisy, backbiting, lying, etc, etc..
Saudi King Abdullah was right when he said in Makkah summit "Allah will never change to the better the situation of any people unless they first change themselves, as Allah promised in the Quran."
Chris Chrisman contended that "the first step in making change happen is to recognize the need for change. I am reading more and more articles by Arab journalists and intellectuals saying that their world cannot continue on the same course it has been maintaining. This is very hopeful. Have a great New Year.
Ralph Sorbris advise that the best way to improve Arab situation is to unite: "For the new Gregorian year of 2006, I wish you all the best and I look forward to see the formation of a common vision for the Middle East. A strong united Middle East would enrich the world."