Benjamin Wasserman
University of Pennsylvania
Our first day in Dubai was packed with meetings and activities that gave us a broad and deep understanding of the past, present, and future of Dubai. To start, we traveled to one of the original three towns within Dubai, Bastakiya Village. We arrived at the Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding, where were we greeted by two Emirati men who took us on a guided tour of Bastakiya. During the tour we saw the different types of houses of old Dubai and were educated about the lives of those who lived in Bastakiya when it was a thriving trade hub.
Our tour was followed by a visit to a mosque during prayer. We observed the prayer, and afterwards one of our Emirati guides took our questions about the prayer service and explained some of the tenets of Islam. This first taste of dialogue was followed by a lunch at the Center where we enjoyed traditional Middle Eastern food, learned cultural practices at mealtime, and continued dialogue with our guide. It was fascinating to hear from an Emirati man who was educated and lived in the United States for many years what his opinions were on American foreign policy and education in the Middle East.
We then ventured over to The Third Line Art Gallery, an art gallery in Dubai that concentrates on the works of Middle Eastern artists. The main exhibit was work by Abbas Akhavan that was a provocative portrayal of the Dubai economy, past and present. In addition, we were shown works by Middle Eastern artists that dealt with faith, namely Islam. A striking element of this visit occurred when the curator noted that the work of Jewish artists could not be presented at the gallery, and the only way that a Jewish artist might be able to present work would be if he or she was undoubtedly anti-Zionist. The curator also noted that while no direct censorship has been exercised by the government, a great deal of self-censorship occurs so as not to incite the government to act.
Next stop: Dubai Mall. It is the largest and by far the most extravagant mall in the world. The most lavish shops in the world have taken residence in the Mall, which includes a movie theater, an aquarium and “underwater zoo,” and a Gold Souk. The mall is also in the center of a complex of brand new buildings and popular tourist spots in Dubai. There is a man-made lagoon, where we watched a fountain show similar to that of the Bellagio in Las Vegas. There are also many hotels in the area, but the most significant feature of the area, and possibly all of Dubai, is the Burj Khalifa. The Burj Khalifa is the largest building in the world, standing at a height of 2,717 feet and completed this past year. After exploring the Dubai Mall and grabbing a bite to eat, we went to the observation deck on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa. From the elevator to the top to the incredible view on the deck, the whole experience was incredible. The lavishness of the Dubai Mall and the prominence of the Burj Khalifa serve as a testament to the magnificent economic success of Dubai in recent years.
The next day, our first appointment was with the Dubai School of Government (DSG). The DSG was established in 2005 and was developed in conjunction with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Makhtoum, the ruler of Dubai. At the DSG, we met with Ms. Natasha Ridge, a research fellow, and Dr. Tarik M. Yousef, Dean of the DSG. The school admits exclusively Arab students, with about 50% of the students being Emirati and 50% of the students coming from other Arab countries. The University offers a Masters in Public Administration, and the institution has a focus on research in the Arab world. The University was developed in part in reaction to the reliance of the Arab world on western consulting firms to achieve more efficient results in governance, education, and healthcare. Some of the goals of the University are to give Arabs a high-end education in the Middle East, and to promote quality research done by Arabs in the Middle East to help policymakers. Dr. Yousef, the Dean, was especially articulate in his passion to develop strong research institutions and an effective education system throughout the Middle East.
The ambitious goals of the Dubai School of Government demonstrated a promising trend to promote the higher education of Arab students in the Middle East. If this trend continues, one can see how the Middle East can become the bastion of knowledge that it once was. However, our visit to the School also highlighted some important issues concerning education and the social structure of the United Arab Emirates.
The most interesting element of UAE society that we discovered was the treatment of Emiratis by the government. As natives of the UAE, Emiratis, which make up between 15 and 20% of the population of the UAE, are given a special status through the policy of ‘Emiratization’. Some features of this policy are that Emiratis cannot be fired from private businesses unless they cause significant financial damage to that business, they are on a higher pay scale than other nationalities within the UAE, and private institutions must have a certain percentage of Emiratis employed. This incentive structure can sometimes lead to a lack of motivation in Emiratis and can lead to businesses not wanting to hire them.
In addition, women tend to outperform men academically. Of college educated people within the UAE, 70% are women and 30% are men. Despite this fact, the top positions in the government bureaucracy are reserved for men, thus limiting the level of success women can attain. In addition, there are no Jewish students at the Dubai School of Government, and while there have been visiting faculty members that were Jewish, none have been Israelis. Despite the aforementioned issues, it is important to recognize that Dubai is one of the most liberal and open countries in the Arab world.
The first part of our trip certainly gave us a broad picture of Dubai. In a span of 24 hours, we saw how Dubai looked just 100 years ago in Bastakiya Village, the lavishness of present-day Dubai in the Dubai Mall and the enormous Burj Khalifa, and the issues surrounding the current social and educational issues of Dubai and how they may affect the future of Dubai and the greater Middle East. Considering the rapid modernization and economic success of Dubai in conjunction with its striking demographics, one can see why Dubai is such a remarkable case study within the Middle East.
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