“This plane is for Dubai, right? Or are we going to the Philippines?” My dad asked jokingly to the airport official as he scanned my dad’s ticket. We were one of the only Iranians actually on board the Kish Airline flight headed to Dubai. The majority of the passengers held Filipino passports. I understood why they were going to Dubai—they were probably one of the many migrant workers there. I didn’t understand what they were doing in the small island Kish in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Our Iranian friends in Dubai later told us that it was cheaper to buy a flight to Kish and return to Dubai and renew their visa than going to the government office and paying the renewal fee. They wouldn’t be the last migrant workers I would see.
When we finally arrived in Dubai, our long-time Iranian friends took us straight to one of the biggest malls that could possibly exist—the Dubai Mall. While I was impressed by the sheer size of the mall and all the western stores you could imagine in it (from H&M, to Victoria’s Secret, to Zara to MNG, among all the brand-name stores) I was taken aback by all the people. I thought the United States was the most diverse place in the world. I was wrong. Dubai is a mosaic of people, from every corner of the globe you can imagine. This is probably one of the only places you see Americans, Europeans, and Arabs (in thobe, kaffiya, and everything!) interacting frequently and coexisting with each other. In addition, there were many, many Asians and Africans there. Instead of going inside any of the stores I took pictures of the people. It was much more interesting to me. I wondered what brought everyone together to Dubai. I’d soon find out.
One of the things you absolutely need to see in Dubai are the hotels. All of them are huge, and many of them are themed. Although we ourselves were not staying at hotel, we visited a few of them. Dubai’s economy thrives off tourism, and the government strives to maintain the steady flow of tourists. In 2013 alone, hotels welcomed in over 11 million guests . Dubai is slated to be the number one tourist destination by 2020. Staying in one of Dubai’s many magnificent hotels is what lures people from around the world to come to the Emirati city. One of its most family-friendly, and popular hotels is the Atlantis, and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. When you walk in you really start to believe that you are in a castle under the sea. The hotel was built like a palace, complete with an actual gigantic aquarium where you can scuba dive in and swim with the cat fish, sting rays, and sharks, among others. Outside is a massive water park with multiple pools, water slides, and more. It was strange seeing European women walking around in tiny bikinis, alongside Arab women fully covered in niqabs holding hands with their shirtless, swim trunks-adorning husbands. At the same time, it’s one of the only places you’ll see such a sight.
You realize quickly being in Dubai that English is the main language spoken. Although we are in the Middle-East, and are in an Arab country, naturally the one language that all these different people can communicate with each other is English. English is imperative in Dubai, Arabic is not. The schools here are taught in English, although Arabic is one of the most widely offered, and most popular second language to learn here. For me, Dubai is a lot easier to navigate than Iran since I speak English fluently.
Dubai is a city of the future. In Farsi, we say it’s peesh-raft, meaning advanced. It is the capital of enterprise in the Middle-East. The architecture of the buildings, the way some of them twist, defy physics, and just the sheer amount of sky-scrapers concentrated in a single area is unheard of. I half expected to see people commuting places by jets. But I guess air-trams will due for now. Dubai has everything you can imagine—a “Knowledge Village” with university chapters from around the world. Media city that hosts global and regional news organizations, including Al-Arabiya and Al Jazeera, which I hope to intern for one day. Internet City, for those who want to work for the biggest technology corporations. All the best restaurants from around the world in one place. A thriving night life. Man-made beaches with outdoor cinemas. Malls with indoor ski-bowls. As one person told me, Dubai’s the perfect place for an up-and-coming young professional with a lot of money, and no responsibilities.
In the beginning, all I could think about is about returning to Dubai. Dubai’s peesh-raftness, liveliness, and the fact that it’s still young—it looks entirely different than it did 3 years ago, and it will look completely different in 3 years from now—makes it an exciting place to live. This all comes at a price, one that I’m not sure I’d be willing to pay. Yes, I’m partly talking about the fact that you need to be rich to live here. Dubai is a very expensive city. At the tourist shops there’s even a travel mug that says “Dubai is so expensive that the only thing I could afford was this mug”. The mug was too expensive though. I am mostly, however, talking about the human rights abuses that it cost the UAE to build Dubai into what it is today, and what it will be tomorrow.
Everywhere you look, there are migrant workers. They are mostly from the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, among other South Asian countries. These migrant workers, or “guest workers” as the government calls them, work in the simmering, humid summer heat to build Dubai’s skyscrapers. Many of them live in factories, cramped together with no privacy or space. The lucky ones are housekeepers, maids, and nannys who live in the house of the families they work for. But most aren’t. They live in squalid conditions, often crammed into a single room. They are paid meager wages that would make the US’ pathetic minimum wage a standard to fight for. Safety standards, mostly non-existent, makes working in Dubai for migrant workers extremely dangerous.
Locals may shrug off the condition of migrant workers, because Dubai has provided them an opportunity to make money they would not be able to otherwise in their home country. This is true—the remittances they send back home help support their families. Maybe some do have better living conditions here; at least they have some sort of roof, although dilapidated, falling apart, above their heads, food, and make some money, no matter how little it may be. This mindset however is dangerous. Just because things may be relatively better working in Dubai than not, this not make the treatment of migrant workers acceptable. Having the richest people around the world, and the poorest people all in a single city is a recipe for disaster. While outside groups work adamantly raise awareness of the migrant workers’ living and work conditions in the UAE, and press the government for reform, change won’t come unless the local population demands for it. From what I’ve seen, this is unlikely.
Will I return to Dubai? I would like to. I think it’s an amazing city, that mirrors none other. Would I recommend others to visit Dubai? Yes—but be weary of the treatment of migrant workers. Treat them with respect. Be thankful for them that they made the existence of this city possible. Encourage those living in Dubai to do the same. It’s the least we can do.
My Middle-East Chronicles 