The dark side of Dubai
Dubai was meant to be a Middle-Eastern Shangri-La, a glittering monument to Arab enterprise and western capitalism. But as hard times arrive in the city state that rose from the desert sands, an uglier story is emerging.
This is a long but worthwhile read. To call it eye-opening would be an understatement. Here’s just a fraction of it:
Nobody told her there is no concept of bankruptcy. If you get into debt and you can’t pay, you go to prison.
As soon as he arrived at Dubai airport, his passport was taken from him by his construction company. He has not seen it since. He was told brusquely that from now on he would be working 14-hour days in the desert heat — where western tourists are advised not to stay outside for even five minutes in summer, when it hits 55 degrees [Celsius] — for 500 dirhams a month (£90), less than a quarter of the wage he was promised. If you don’t like it, the company told him, go home. “But how can I go home? You have my passport, and I have no money for the ticket,” he said. “Well, then you’d better get to work,” they replied.
We snuffle out the only Arabic restaurant in this mall, and he says everything you are banned — under threat of prison — from saying in Dubai. […] Why is the state so keen to defend this system of slavery? He offers a prosaic explanation. “Most companies are owned by the government, so they oppose human rights laws because it will reduce their profit margins. It’s in their interests that the workers are slaves.”
