Some Time to Kiln
Trip Start
May 09, 2007
1
8
23
Trip End
Jul 03, 2007
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Saturday, May 19, 2007
I guess that story is a good segue into a portrait of life in the Emirates. Trying to describe the UAE is like trying to classify the colors of the rainbow in one word. There is so much to it that dozens of book could be/probably have been written about the subject. Dubai is anything but traditional, which is the first thing you must understand, when I refer to woman who dress more "traditional" or conservative, many of their mannerisms and actions pale in comparison to those of non-urbanized Arabs. Furthermore, another point must be understood, the UAE is hardly Arab. The country could easily be annexed by either India or Pakistan and if a vote was held, the majority of the country would easily uphold it. Roughly 70-80% of the country is Pakistani or Indian, and it is quite evident, on a daily basis everyone you encounter from Taxi drivers to security guards to police officers to computer store salesman. This, in part, is what makes Dubai such an interesting place, people from here who I have spoken to always point out that nearly every country in the world is represented in some way here, and its true. The clear majority goes to the Indians and Pakistanis, but Filipinos, Iranians, Brits, and other various Arab and African countries are all prevalent in the society. One odd fact, you would think that at a Dunkin Donut in Dubai, that the Pakistanis or Indians would have cornered that market, like they have in the US. Actually much of the fast food restaurants here are run by Filipinos. Indians do alto of the construction and security and Pakistanis own the taxis (not literally). A good example of the mix here is the mall's food court, your choices were Lebanese, Thai, Turkish, Indian, NY French Fries, Italian, Chinese, Mongolian, and a the ol Fish and Chips joint. So in actuality life in Dubai is like living in an Indian/Pakistani border town that is INCREDIBLY rich and advanced.
Now as for the Arab minority. They themselves are just as mixed, but for they sake of argument I'll bunch together all Arab Muslims into on group category to dissect. The vast majority of the Arabs here are incredibly wealthy, they are the government employees and other high ups, and the Arabs have just as many prejudices about other cultures as any western country, maybe even to a worse degree. Even my roommate (a REALLY wealthy Pakistani) points out how being in an Arab country is probably worse then in a Westernized country, because there is a certain level of institutionalized segregation. So dealing mainly with the younger generation, you see a sort of varying degree of westernization, I would make 4 categories, Traditional, Modern Traditional, Traditional Modern and Modern. The traditional girls wear fully veiled all black abayas (robes) and act as a Muslim woman has historically been expected. They act like regular human beings, but you'll see the difference in just a second. Now the Modern Traditional girls are a mess and a joke. These girls wear either full veil or just the head covering and the full black robe as well, but the difference is they do these ridiculous styles of makeup to there eyes, like HUGE pink waves of eye shadow, stuff you would see in a circus. There noses are pierced and they can often be found carrying Louis Vetton or Coach purses and Dolce and Gabana sun glasses. The trick is to not let the abaya fool you, these girls are just as westernized as you or me, they date, they mess around, and drink, and smoke, and observe few Muslim customs. Some will also wear see through abayas with designer jeans under them and revealing shirts. It is really an insult to their culture and religion. Now the Traditional Modern girls will either wear a veil or just dress relatively conservative, you know no shoulders showing or short skirts. They are typically more respectful of their religion and tend to abide by it as best as they can. And finally the modern girl, just like any one you would see in America, sometimes horrible caricatures of those you would find in America. I've seen styles ranging from cheesy 80's wear, to modern and ultra wealthy looks. They have no rules, and even though a good number of them have never been to America, you sure wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Now I used girls as an example because they tend to range in styles more-so then guys, guys break into the same categories, but sometimes it is difficult to tell. Like I would have believed my roommate was from America if he told me (odd thing is, he's Shiite Muslim, he was telling me the other day how they often get a bad wrap as the conservative ones when its really just a dispute about who should lead Muslim people, in their case they believe a descendant of Muhammad's should be the leader, often Shiites are no more conservative then Sunnis, it just depends on the area, culture, and circumstances you find them in). Or another person I met from Saudi Arabia, very religious and he abides by all of the rules (no smoking, no ham, no drinking, and 5 daily prayers, there are many more, but those are the more obvious ones) but he still dresses like any American. There are plenty of guys who dress in traditional wear as well, and plenty who do odd accents to there wear, such as one common thing is many guys who wear the full white robe tend to wear baseball caps. It is the funniest looking thing, a guy walking toward you in all white, but with a Jeff Gordon or Billabong hat on.
Now as for Islam's influence on the region, it is obviously more prevalent then in the states, but it is still not a HUGE factor. One thing that funny, you can't find pork anywhere, they have a special pork section in stores, but most restaurants do not serve any kind of pork products (Subway for example there "Club" consists of Turkey, Smokey Turkey, and Roast Beef, instead of Turkey, Roast Beef, and Ham) And contrary to popular belief, you often do not hear the calls to prayer that occur 5 times a day, and when the times of prayer are happening you often don't even know. I've only heard the calls to prayer twice since I've been here, once in an Abu Dhabi bus station and when I was downtown on the Abra going over the creek. Oh, and Mosques are EVERYWHERE, there in Malls, Bus stations, restaurants, and gas stations, I've seen them everywhere, often its just another room and not some elaborate set up, but those are more like the emergency mosques. As for regular mosques you see them about as often as you would see churches in the States.
The city itself I would describe with a Miami-esque feel, its the closest thing I could compare it too, or maybe a Miami meets Las Vegas and then you trade all of the Cubans in Miami in for Indians and Pakistanis, and the Haitians in for Arabs, and then proceed to mix every other culture in and you get something close to Dubai.
One thing that the UAE often comes under much criticism for is its complete lack of any democratic facets in their governance. The UAE is essentially a monarchy. How it is set up is, there are seven Emirates (States) and there is basically a Sheikh who rules over his own Emirate and the seven Sheikhs get together and elect one as the Head Ruler, who does most of the international work. Since the UAE establishment the Head Sheikh has always been the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi, which is also the largest and home of the capital. People often attack it, but its just what works for these people, if a democratic election were to ever be held, the Arabs would lose hands down. It would be like if we continue to allow the flow of Mexicans into America, but since they are illegal they can't vote and then once they outnumber the rest of Americans 10 to 1, they hold elections and take power in the country. It by no means is a perfect system, but its one of the few options that would work in this sort of situation. And people seem to be content with it, they come by the thousands here looking for jobs, its like a mini America in the Middle East, the place where people from around the world are looking to get a leg up.
I could go on for hours describing this place because there are just a myriad of odd little things that you don't get back home. I'll try and make a point to point out other differences along the way, otherwise, over and out.
