Knock, And He’ll open the door
Vanish, And He’ll make you shine like the sun
Fall, And He’ll raise you to the heavens
Become nothing, And He’ll turn you into everything.
― Jalal Ad-Din Rumi
When you are in the desert and the temperature climbs so high you can fry an egg on your overturned hand, you canʼt help but hope the water you see in the distance is actually there. But this oasis, this mirage, this element essential to survival is but an illusion and will be forever out of your grasp. Yet, through shrewd instincts that Bedouin traders have cultivated over thousands of years, the Emiratis have made their mirage real.
Located on the Arabian Gulf (Arabian Gulf when you are visiting the Emirates, Persian Gulf when you are not,) for hundreds of years, the inhabitants of Dubai along their creek traded with their neighbors the unique items available to them, namely fish and pearls. However, progress waits for no man. After the War to End All Wars came the Peace to End All Peace where the victors of World War I carved up the Ottoman Caliphate without anyone in authority understanding the history, political climate, or tribalism that existed here. The seven Emirates stood alone under the banner of Britain as protectorates. Then in the 1930s, Mikimoto of Japan discovered a new manner of pearl production effectively destroying Dubaiʼs second industry. After World War II, Great Britain reduced its greatness by decolonizing to assist in paying their accrued debts and dissolving the protectorate status of the Emirates in 1968. As the sun began to set on the British Empire, it rose for the Emirates. In the early 1960s, companies began exploring for oil, finding great reserves here. By the late 1960ʼs, they were exporting this black gold, and the riches flowed.
However, these tribes realized that if they were going to survive in the figurative and literal cutthroat politics of petroleum, they would need to stand together. That is when Sheik Zayed of Abu Dhabi proposed uniting the Emirates. On December 2, 1971, six Emirates united, with the last joining the group in February of the next year.
This founding fatherʼs picture is in every hotel along with his surviving son the President and the ruler of Dubai the Prime Minister, some billboards, has several roads named after him as well as a Grand Mosque in his home Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The Emiratis share a great memory. The trauma, pain and uncertainty of losing their previous economy has again proven the acumen of these compassionate, authoritarian, unelected rulers. The UAE is an incredibly friendly place. And for good reason. One of the tenants of Islam that often is overlooked is the incredible hospitality. 20% of the population is true Emirati. The rest are migrants of over 200 nationalities with the largest percentage being Indian at 50%. The easiest way to tell the true born is by their license plates; true Emiratis can afford a three-digit plate and the expensive foreign car that goes with it, while the others cannot. However, again, astutely, someone from India, Nepal, the Philippines, Malaysia or China is allowed to come here, work, send money home and stay for decades, but will never be allowed citizenship. I was informed that if that were to change, it would be the United Indian Emirates overnight. Another interesting aspect is that here, outside the Free Zones where foreign companies pay no taxes to the government allowing them to ship all proceeds home, all businesses need to be sponsored by an Emirati, to the tune of them owning 51% of the business. Still, another incredibly intelligent policy is that anyone can get a building permit here. They need to lease the land from the government for 90 years but depending on where the buildings are, they are still able to send rents back home. The Emirati idea is that people come, people go, but they cannot take their buildings with them.
Unlike other Muslim countries, Westerners and Easterners are free to come as they are. Modesty is not enforced anywhere outside the mosques. There are no feared Morality Police, but since there is no income tax here, the fines for not following the rules are heavy. There is even alcohol to drink in hotels and bars, however, one cannot buy alcohol to sell openly unless they have a state license. The only caveat, my Nigerian Uber driver informed me, drink behind closed doors. He forgot to mention that since it is Ramadan, non-Muslims and children also need to eat there or behind large dividers during daylight hours. The food courts and restaurants were quite accommodating.
I never once felt unsafe here, even though Iran is so close. I asked my tour guide about it, seeing how I could not remember one incident of terrorism here. His reply is that the Emiratis love business and inadvertently quoting The Godfather, “…Blood is a big expense.” The Sheiks have an iron hand under that velvet glove. The moment this place becomes unsafe for tourism or investment, that is the moment the Sheiks hear the sucking sound of money and people leaving the country, never to return. They monitor their land border with Saudi Arabia and their maritime border with Iran like the falcons they so cherish.
They built infrastructure and have a variety of social safety nets to make life easier here for the inhabitants, thus curtailing one of the biggest draws to terrorism; hopelessness. They are vigilant regarding internet traffic: censoring websites of material they find objectionable, block voice-over-internet-protocol and even jam virtual private networks; all tools that potential terrorists can use; or just a simple traveler trying to connect with his family and friends, business associates, or Mia Khalifa.
This, of all places, is incredibly unforgiving. The lives of camels are worth more than the lives of some men. No people know that better than the ones who live and have lived here for centuries. They realize that they cannot survive on one factor of income. They know the oil can run out at any time. They built the worldʼs largest structures like the Burj Khalifa or the Dubai Mall and tout the hell out of them. They are expanding tourism with theme parks. They are even killing the old maxim that land is the best investment as they arenʼt making it anymore. I watched a bulldozer on a barge push boulders off to allow more land to rise from the sea, like the Palm Jurimieh did. Where I sit now in New Dubai was just sand 10 years ago. Currently, Iʼm surrounded by skyscrapers including a square block with a world record of them. In 2020, Dubai promised to host the World Expo which will last for six months where visitors from all over will come, hopefully flying the exquisite Emirates Airline. The Emiratis are busy getting show ready. They will pull it off, and continue turning this desert into a tangible oasis for the world.
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