Showing posts with label human rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human rights. Show all posts

Human Rights Watch 2010 World Report Now Available

, , 8:39 AM | 0 comments

You may access the pdf version of the entire report, which gives a summary of the status of human rights in each country, by clicking here. Regarding Kuwait in particular, here are some highlights of the findings:


-Kuwait has made improvements in women's political rights, particularly with the election of four women in Parliament, although women still face significant discrimination in all aspects of daily life. These legal forms of discrimination include: the right to pass on nationality to children, access to low-interest housing loans, and divorce settlements. Perpetrators who commit violence against women are rarely arrested.

-Kuwait hosts several stateless people, known as Bidoun, who amount to around 120,000 of the population in Kuwait. A 2007 draft law would grant the Bidun civil rights, but not nationality, although this has not yet passed. Children of Bidoun are also exempt from being able to have any eligibility for nationality. The Bidoun face several travel restrictions, legal loopholes and civil rights discrimination limiting their access to services and employment.

-Kuwait freedom of expression in the media is often thwarted by fines and bans for slandering the government. In one case in October 2009, two Kuwaiti members of parliament were fined for criticizing the Interior Ministry's treatment of the Bidoun.

-Kuwait continues to discriminate against the gay, lesbian and transgender community. Homosexual conduct is a criminal act in Kuwait under Article 193 of Kuwait's penal code. Men who engage in consensual sexual intercourse between men over age 21 are sentenced for up to seven years imprisonment. If the conduct involves persons under the age of 21, the sentence is increased to 10 years. Transgender people are often sent to prison or fined for "imitating the appearance of a member of the opposite sex." They are also subject to harassment.

-About 80% of the country is comprised of expatriots, many of whom face high residency fees leading to unpayable debt, and whose rights are not adequately covered by the existing labor law. Due to the abuse of several domestic workers and unskilled labor, several embassies have placed bans on the entrance of their citizens to Kuwait for employment. The source of the problem lies in the current sponsorship system (kafala), which trap workers in averse situations and keeps abusive sponsors out of the gamma of law enforcement.



UAE Commits An Insult to Humanity

, , 8:09 PM | 0 comments


A couple months back, I posted a torture video that got leaked clearly showing a member of the UAE ruling family, Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan (or SIN for short), committing heinous psychological and physical brutality to a poor Afghani merchant who he accused of stealing from him a measly 5,000 USD. These acts including firing bullets at his feet, RUNNING him over with a car, and beating him with a spiked stick. Now he claims he was drugged and thus he can't be held at fault for his actions, according to an article by the BBC. WTF!!

Please tell me what drug causes people to become sadistic monsters? The UAE considers this a symbolic gesture, as his trial demonstrates that no one is above the law. All that this insult to justice proves is that courts are a mere farcical veneer of legality, justice and accountability and that if you are poor, you will get trampled on...literally. I wish the European Union would place a travel ban on him. In the words of Spiderman: with great power comes great responsibility.

A member of the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates has been cleared of the torture of a business associate.

Lawyers for Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the president's brother, said the court ruled he had been drugged and so was "unaware of his actions".

The incident came to light when a videotape was circulated showing the violent beating, said to have taken place in 2004.

It was the first reported investigation of a UAE ruling family member.

His lawyer, Habib al-Mulla, said the ruling had "clarified Sheikh Issa's position that he was a victim of conspiracy" over the torture of Mohammed Shah Poor.

"At the same time, it's proven justice to Mohammed Shahpoor and it showed who were the actual people who were behind whole saga," Reuters quoted Mr al-Mulla as saying.

He said the court had "accepted our defence that the sheikh was under the influence of drugs that left him unaware of his actions," the AFP news agency reported.

The defence had previously claimed Sheikk Issa had been drugged by two men - American-Lebanese brothers Ghassan and Bassam Nabulsi - who recorded the beating in order to blackmail him.

A screengrab of the video showing a man shooting near the victim
The video showed a man shooting the ground near the sitting victim

The Nabulsi brothers were sentenced in their absence to five years in prison for drugging Sheikh Hassan and fined 10,000 dirham ($2,723:£1,700).

Three other men were sentenced to between one and three years for their role in the torture.

'Equality sign'

The video, circulated last year, shows Sheikh Issa repeatedly beating Mr Poor, a grain merchant of Afghan origin, and running him over with a car.

Several other men assist in the tape, including one in a uniform of the security forces. The incident came to light after US television network ABC broadcast clips of the tape, which was smuggled out of the UAE by a former business associate of Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

Reports say the merchant had lost a consignment of grain belonging to Sheikh Issa worth $5,000 (£3,300). He survived the abuse, but needed extensive hospital treatment.

Mr al-Mulla said the fact the trial had taken place was "a sign that the UAE is showing that everyone in this country can be put in front of law and judged".

The BBC's Christian Fraser in the region says the verdict will do little to satisfy those who have long criticised the Emirates abject human rights record.

They will argue it proves once again that the extended royal family and those Emiratis in positions of power are often above the rule of law, says our correspondent.

The UAE is a federation of seven wealthy emirates with substantial oil reserves and a large expatriate population. Each emirate is run by a ruling family and citizens are granted few political rights.

BBC: Iranian Men Don the Hijab in Solidarity with the "Be a Man" Campaign to Free Activist

, , , 6:53 PM | 0 comments


Iranian opposition supporters have launched an online campaign to free a student activist accused of dressing as a woman to try to avoid arrest.

Hundreds of men have posted photos of themselves wearing Islamic headscarves as part of the "Be a man" campaign to show solidarity with Majid Tavakoli.

He was arrested during protests in Tehran on Monday and state media showed images of him in headscarf and robes.

The opposition say the pictures were staged in a bid to discredit him.

They say he was not wearing the headscarf and robes when he was arrested. Iranian state media say Mr Tavakoli was arrested as he sought to leave Tehran's Amir Kabir university "disguised as a woman" after Student Day protests.

He is a leading activist who spent 15 months in jail along with two fellow students after being arrested in 2006 on charges of insulting religion and the country's leadership in student publications, AFP news agency reports.

One US-based website for Iranian expatriates, iranian.com, has posted scores of photos submitted by readers.

"Iranian men are showing their solidarity with Tavakoli by wearing a hijab and posting their photo on the web," reads its appeal to send in photos.

Some of the website's readers argue that the campaign is also a gesture of solidarity with Iranian women, who are obliged by the authorities to wear the hijab in public.

Many of the contributors openly show their faces, in headscarves, while some have all but their eyes covered.

"Life is so short and so many fine, fine men around," one woman reader quipped.

"It is getting harder to be a girl these days."(For article link, click here)

ACLU on Guantanamo Discharged Prisoners

, , 6:44 PM | 0 comments

The American Civil Liberties Union has compiled a video of several different former Guantanamo inmates-all of whom entered without a real charge and left years later without a charge, still trying to piece together why this happened to them and now dealing with lost time from their lives and loved ones that they must now recuperate. Very powerful testimonies.


The Guardian: "Arab winds of change Who is driving real change in the Arab countries? Not politicians, but feminists, gay people and bloggers"

, , 10:36 PM | 0 comments

Piece by Brian Whitaker, for the full link click here

"Women, bloggers and gays lead change in the Arab world." That is the headline of an article by Octavia Nasr for CNN's blog AC360°. "Several new lines are being drawn in the Middle East's desert sand simultaneously," she writes. "If they continue to be drawn at this rate longer and thicker, it's hard to foresee any governments, censors or jails being able to stop them."

Though Nasr sounds a bit overexcited about the existence of a feminist mag in Arabic in which "no one dares to advertise" and a few other developments which are interesting straws in the wind but scarcely signs of an imminent revolution, I think she has a point. If asked where change is likely to come from in the Arab countries, I would not put much faith in "reformist" politicians and opposition parties – they're mostly no-hopers – but I would definitely put feminists, gay men, lesbians and bloggers very high on my list.

It's important not to exaggerate what they are actually achieving at the moment, but let's consider their potential as challengers of the status quo and drivers of change. The "Arab problem" is mostly perceived in terms of the regimes: the lack of democracy, authoritarian rulers who trample over people's rights, and so on. That was the perception of the Bush administration in particular and it led to the simplistic idea that regime change was the solution.

It's now very clear (as I explain in my new book, What's Really Wrong With the Middle East) that this was a mistake. You can overthrow dictators, you can force countries to have elections and you can even insist on voting procedures that are reasonably fair, but that doesn't bring freedom unless it forms part of a much bigger social transformation.

Lesbian and Gay Rights in the Middle East

, 11:06 PM | 0 comments

With the recent decriminalization of gay sex in India through a high court order that effectively ended a colonial-era law and made the country the 127th country to legalize same-sex relations, I looked into a post on the Foreign Policy blog that mentioned a study by The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) called the 2009 Report on State-Sponsored Homophobia.

Here are highlights specifically for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Click here for a larger map of the world and gay rights, as seen in th picture.

Bahrain
-homosexual acts legalized in 1976

Kuwait
-male/male: illegal, female/female: legal
-Article 193: "consensual intercourse between men of full age (from the age 21) shall be punishable with a term of imprisonment of up to seven years"
-Such relations with a man under 21 years of age is criminalised in Article 192.

Oman
-male/male: illegal, female/female: illegal
-Article 223: "any individual who commits sexual acts with a person of the same sex shall be prosecuted, even if no complaint is made, for committing homosexual or lesbian acts if the act causes a public nuisance and shall be punished with a term of imprisonment of between six months and three years"

Qatar
-male/male: illegal, female/female: illegal
-sexual acts with a female over the age of 16 are prohibited by article 281, while sexual acts with a male are prohibited by article 284. The penalty is up to seven years imprisonment for both female and male sexual acts.

Saudi Arabia
-male/male: illegal, female/female: illegal
-No codified penal law in Saudi Arabia because the country applies strict Sharia law only. For a married man the penalty is death by stoning, while the penalty for an unmarried man is 100 blows of the whip as well as banishment for a year. For a non-Muslim, who commits sodomy with a Muslim, the penalty is death by stoning.
-For conviction, it must be proved either by a confession of the culprit four times, or "testimony of four trustworthy Muslim men"
-All sexual relations outside of marriage are illegal by Sharia law, including sex between women.

United Arab Emirates
-male/male: illegal, female/female: illegal
-All sexual acts outside of heterosexual marriage are banned in the UAE, but there is dispute whether sodomy should be punishable by death since Article 354 is ambiguous in its translation.
-Article 34: "any individual who forcibly compels a woman to carnal copulation or a man to sodomy is punished by death"
-Besides federal law, consensual sodomy is criminalised in the emirates of Dubai and Aby Dhabi. Article 80 of the Dubai Penal Code punishes sodomy with a penalty of up to 14 years imprisonment. Article 177 of Abu Dhabi penal code punishes such acts with a penalty of up to ten years imprisonment.

Op-Ed by Dr. Shamlan Yousef AlـIssa in Al-Watan Daily: "Dealing with human rights abuse in Kuwait"

, , 3:39 PM | 0 comments

An interesting opinion piece that criticizes the pervasive denial among Kuwaiti government officials in reaction to the US State Department's Human Rights Report.


The U.S. State Department''s annual report on human rights abuse has raised a storm of protests and rejection by the Kuwaiti government and members of the National Assembly because the report accused Kuwait of human trafficking and human rights abuse. The report confirmed that there were more than 500,000 women working as domestic workers in Kuwait, most of them hailing from Asia. The report indicated that most of those women are being subjected to forced labor by their sponsors such as physical abuse, sexual abuse and nonـpayment of salaries with the intention of forcing them to continue working under horrid conditions. The report also accused the Kuwaiti government of not committing itself to even the minimum attempts towards the elimination of human trafficking.

Politicians slammed the report and launched a vigorous campaign against the United States. The National Assembly Speaker Jassem AlـKharafi has confirmed that Kuwait is not a "State of Angels" and expressed concern that the U.S. has appointed itself as a watchdog over other countries.

A group of MPs have also rejected the report and accused the U.S. of being biased against Kuwait. The Kuwaiti government deemed the report as unfair and unjust while the minister of Social Affairs and Labor spoke about steps taken by the government in improving the expatriates'' living conditions.

The U.S. State Department''s report however, also mentioned some positive steps taken by the government of Kuwait but confirmed that there were still many existing issues that need to be rectified. Personally, the report did not surprise me because we have repeatedly called upon the Kuwaiti government, through the press and the Human Rights Society, to initiate legal action against all offenders in order to avoid being accused by international human rights organizations. More than 30 years ago, I had written a thesis on employment in Kuwait and I had then stressed upon the magnitude of injustice and human rights violations in the treatment of domestic and expatriate workers. Later, I became a member of the board of directors of the Human Rights Society. The members of that society and I, for more than 10 years, tried and are still trying to urge the government to expedite the enactment of laws protecting foreign workers estimated at about two million and constitute the backbone of the Kuwaiti economy. They represent more than 70 percent of the workers while the percentage of citizens in the labor market does not exceed 18 percent of the total workers and most of them work in the government sector.

The U.S. Department of State''s report is indeed realistic, fair and just because the human rights abuses in Kuwait have exceeded all parameters. Despite attempts by the MPs and the government to conceal the truth, evidence remains crystal clear against Kuwait concerning the inhumane practices imposed on expatriate workers in general and domestic workers in particular.

What is the evidence which proves that Kuwait is indeed involved in violating human rights? The reports of the United Nations and specifically the Arab Human Development reports, from 2002 until 2006 refer to the magnitude of inhumane abuses imposed on domestic workers. The reports of the Kuwaiti Human Rights Society condemn such practices and local newspapers publish, on a daily basis, stories of sexual abuse by the citizens and their children against domestic workers. Newspapers have also reported sexual attacks on domestic workers by police officers.

MPs have raised the issue more than once and formed parliamentary committees but yet nothing has changed and no action has been initiated against visa traders.

Expatriate workers in cleaning companies and other companies have time and again organized demonstrations calling for their rights. How did we deal with all those who simply called for their rights? We assaulted and deported them without any trials. Why didn''t we apply the law? Don''t we always claim that we live in a democratic country?

Finally, I advise the speaker of the Parliament, MPs and media persons to heed the advice of the U.S. which is a friendly country instead of criticizing U.S. policies for personal and partisan reasons. (for link, click here)

Al Watan Daily: "U.S. keeps Kuwait on human trafficking blacklist"

, , 8:10 PM | 0 comments

"Although Kuwait''s ranking on the U.S. State Department''s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report remained at Tier III, the report noted that the Kuwaiti government has begun to examine this issue in a more serious light.


The United States on Tuesday added six African countries to a blacklist of countries trafficking in people, and put U.S. trading partner Malaysia back on the list.
Staying on the blacklist list are U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Kuwait but also Cuba, Fiji, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, and Syria, according to the State Department report for 2009.

"This year''s TIP Report for Kuwait notes that elements of the government of Kuwait and the Kuwaiti public have begun to examine this issue in a more serious light, and are looking forward to further progress," said the U.S. Embassy in a press release on Tuesday.

It added that the report, which was also issued on Tuesday, included reports on 180 countries, in addition to the United States.

The annual TIP Report is mandated by the U.S. Congress and it scrutinizes the measures that the government of each country has undertaken to combat this problem. The TIP Report however, is not based on the level of TIP present in any individual country.

According to this year''s TIP Report on Kuwait, it indicated that the government "demonstrated some progress in punishing offences in trafficking this year." It noted that while the government did not punish any offenders under the specific charge of "human trafficking," it charged 12 individuals with domestic labor abuse and registered 1,762 cases against persons charged with falsifying labor petitions.

The report also noted that in September 2007, the government opened a temporary shelter for female victims of forced labor. The shelter has a maximum capacity of 40 and is intended to provide medical, psychological and legal services.

During its first full year of operation, 279 domestic workers, the group most vulnerable to trafficking and abuse, entered and departed the shelter.

There is, to date, no shelter available for male migrant workers. In 2007, the government proposed opening a larger shelter that would be able to accommodate up to 700 men and women. An existing building was finally selected in 2008 to serve as the shelter and 2.5 million U.S. dollars was allocated toward its refurbishment. The building has however not been opened yet.

The report also said that throughout September 2008, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs organized a series of lectures in mosques throughout the country where imams discussed the rights of domestic workers according to Islam. (for link, click here)

Al-Watan Daily: "Use Bedouns in schools instead of foreign teachers"

, 4:22 PM | 0 comments

I do not know anything about this MP, but the most important point of the article is the following paragraph:

"He stated that he believes that the Bedoun issue is a humanitarian issue, not a political one. It is worth noting that the Bedoun issue tarnishes Kuwait''s image in front of the international community, since Kuwait is the only country in the world that suffers from stateless Arabs long within its borders."

For the full article, click here

This statement enforces the idea that granted Bedoun's nationality is not a matter for voters or legislators to decide, rather this is a human rights issue, in which case, even in a democracy, the majority has no right to deny this right to the minority.

I myself feel a bit of a fool to stick my neck out on an issue that I was not brought up knowing about and that I have very little knowledge of (albeit to my credit the fact that I do try to research the issue but have a hard time finding information) on either side of the fence.

From casually speaking to some people on an anecdotal level, the argument against granting citizenship is that when it was convenient for them, they were not interested in having Kuwaiti citizenship and failed to present themselves or apply for it. However, when it suited their interests, particularly once Kuwait was oil-rich, they through away their passports and now wish to be Kuwaiti to claim benefits. Of course there are also all the slanderous and discrimanatory stereotypes that legitimize this belief system: they are lazy, uneducated and breed in too large of numbers to grant all of them access to Kuwait's cradle-to-grave social security system.

HOWEVER, many of these people are born into a situation they had no part of as their classification is a consequence of actions by generations before them. You cannot hold eternal revenge for people not claiming citizenship in the past.

Secondly, many KUWAITIS themselves would not even be in this country, or would have changed their citizenship were it not for oil. Many foreigners would not reside here were it not for oil. Many people who reside here today and contribute to the economy would not be here if everyone "was still living in tents" as someone frankly put it to me the other day. So this is a mute point.

Thirdly, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that everyone has a right to a nationality and that no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. This is in Article 15. You can't keep people down without any option to let them work for something better and then complain that they don't deserve better because they are so low. The bedoun question is a blatant Catch 22. Actually I would be interested in anyone who can tell me more or who has something to say. I do not even pretend to hide that on a whole I am ignorant on this issue. But I am a product of a Geneva Masters degree in International Studies and this does reflect my point of view on upholding the Declaration of Human Rights.



Al-Watan Daily: "Sponsorship system under severe criticism from within Kuwait"

, , 4:50 PM | 0 comments

"KUWAIT: The six Gulf States have been subject to severe criticism over the sponsorship system, also known as the kafeel system.


Opponents to the kafeel system believe that such a system tarnishes the image and reputation of Kuwait which makes the country a target by human rights organizations, not to mention that it is essentially contrary to Islamic principles and the Kuwaiti Constitution.

Others maintain that most Kuwaitis are against causing injustice to foreigners, attributing that the structure of the Kuwaiti luxurious life is behind it. They admit the system is inhumane and call for unification of efforts to improve the image of Kuwait in international forums, as more than 120,000 foreigners are unemployed and are facing deportation.

There is no doubt the kafeel system has also been a source of human trafficking and is seen by many as a form of slavery and source of disease in the community due to the poor living conditions in which foreign workers live. In some cases, more than 20 people share one room, therefore the abolishment of this system makes it all the more necessary and urgent." (for full article, click here)

Rights of Children to Health Care in Palestine

, , 10:21 PM | 1 comments

Touching and heartbreaking report from Al-Jazeera

The Arabian Gulf and the Exclusion of Non-Citizens from Universal Labour Rights: Focus on Kuwait

, , 9:24 AM | 1 comments


Numbers Matter.

Many of our most important decisions are logically weighed and decided on by factoring numbers into our most difficult choices—whether we admit it or not.  A decision to attend one university and forgo another might come down to the best financial aid package offer put forward in the admissions letter.  Whether we arrive on time or late for that first, intimidating job interview is captured in those few seconds that were lost fumbling for change at the ticket machine to catch the metro train.  Numbers carry weight and can evoke irrecoverable consequences, so we must respect their great power to change our lives. 

Numbers perhaps matter the most to the vulnerable members of society—those sitting precariously near the poverty line, the illegal and the unaccounted for and victims of injustice.  One simple number can make a great difference in the fate of their lives.  Enticing promises of a better situation are often made with luring numbers.  On the other hand, fear of numbers can also keep people from reaching out and speaking up when they are in a bad situation: fear of loan debts amounts, years of a prison sentence, salary cuts, etc.

Each year, thousands of migrants travel from countries around the world (such as Egypt, India, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Pakistan Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) in hopes of a better economic future working in low-skilled labor posts in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula.  The six Gulf Cooperation Council (or GCC) States include Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  These immigrants come to work in many sectors that form the backbone of the economy.  Their occupations include construction workers, domestic aid, cleaners, guards, taxi drivers and other forms of basic services. 

However, these migrants are often the victims of verbal and physical abuse, sex crimes, visa and loan money scams, and overall discrimination.  The threat of deportation and the practice of many visa sponsors of confiscating their passports put many of these workers in a situation from which they cannot escape, as paperless prisoners in the country or as indentured servants.  Furthermore, many employers withhold full payments of salaries as a manipulation tactic.  Much of the quick development of these rapidly globalizing and urbanizing desert kingdoms has been made by turning a blind eye to international labor standards.  However, international criticism and attention on the plight of these workers is now forcing these countries to reflect on their policies. 

According to the World Bank, as of 2007 Kuwait ranks second after Luxembourg in the world in terms of gross national income per capita according to purchasing power parity.[i]  Here are some numbers that make a difference in this country:

Real Numbers

·         2/3

The portion of the population in Kuwait that is comprised of non-Kuwaitis, foreign workers and expatriots –the majority of the country’s residents

·         3

The tier rating of Kuwait in the 2008 US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report.[ii]  This is the lowest ranking (1 being the highest), shared by Algeria, Burma, Cuba, Fiji, Iran, Moldova, North Korea, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Syria.  These countries’ governments “do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.”

Irrational Numbers

·         40 KD (151 USD)

This is the minimum wage per month set for laborers, in a country where the average income per month for a local Kuwaiti family is 2,200 KD (7,565 USD)[iii]

·         50°C (122°F)

The temperature at which all outdoor activity must stop by law, although there are allegations of the government’s Meteorological Division falsifying the readings to underestimate the true temperature[iv]

Imaginary Numbers

·         ???  

         The true number of workplace-related accidents and deaths among migrant workers due to safety negligence and purposeful violations

·         ???  

         The true number of hate-related crimes and discriminatory abuse, especially related to domestic violence, sexual offenses and heckling towards female migrant women

·         ???  

         The true number of suicides per annum of migrant workers in Kuwait, as well as the amount of untreated cases clinical depression

You Count Too!

Knowledge is the first step to making a difference.  In some ways, repeated focus of the western media on Dubai’s migrant problems has eclipsed attention on the greater Gulf region that also shares this labour question.  The most challenging aspect of the problem is that it also takes the support of domestic citizens in these countries to rally for policy change—especially coming from a new, rights-focused youth.  Some starting points for reading up on the rights of migrants and/or issues related to the Gulf include the following websites:

A Project of Mideastyouth : http://www.migrant-rights.org/

The Middle East/ North Africa Division of Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/middle-east/n-africa

The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights: http://www.bahrainrights.org

The International Labour Organization Migration Programme:http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/migrant/index.htm

International Obsession with Dubai Ignores Larger Trends in the GCC

, , , , 10:41 AM | 1 comments

As global awareness of Dubai’s notorious “dark side” come to the fore through in-depth reports focused on the post-crisis, most particularly Johann Hari of the Independent’s recent article, attention on other countries in the Gulf has been detracted.  When things in Dubai were going well for foreign investors and Western expats, Dubai seemed like the next world city—a veritable desert pearl, that from grains of sand built up a glossy, escapist urbanity. 

With the economic downturn however, the mucky underworkings of this dream became dramatically exposed, turning the city into the ultimate macabre mirage, somewhat reminiscent of Pinocchio’s Pleasure Island.  While the problems highlighted in Dubai’s model of urban development may not be so embellished and internationalized in the other GCC countries, they cannot afford to go under the radar vis-à-vis their more famous cousin. 

The main points of contention in the Dubai Model as delineated by the foreign press community focus on environmental sustainability, city design of scale and migrant labor rights.  Coupled with the recent exposure of torture tapes implicating Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates is facing its first real PR crisis, or as its government media spokespersons have labeled it, the “growing pains” of an emerging international economy. 

This is indeed adequate, as when countries want to enter the ballpark as major global players, they have to grow up, step up to the plate and commit to the bundle of new responsibilities that come with this new territory, burdens that cannot be selectively chosen.  However, this is indeed the same conundrum of many GCC countries rapidly globalizing but failing on many human rights and democracy indicators.  As their economies grow and their presence emerges in the spotlight—they seem to have become too big for their own space—tripping over their limbs in readjustment to their new circumstances.  To use another Disney metaphor, an incredibly growing Alice enclosed in a house suddenly too small.  Their domestic patterns of conducting business no longer fit with their international image.

Critics of the emerging Dubai-bashing genre argue that the Western media has chosen to examine Dubai’s underbelly only once it suited them for a good story.  When the business environment in Dubai for expats was doing well, they described the city through rose-colored glasses.  Furthermore, according to the backlashers of the Dubai backlash, no city is without its sordid details and “dark side”—including many European and American urban areas.

Are these defenders of Dubai correct in their pointed criticism of the international media’s sensationalist journalism exploitation of Dubai’s cheap oil and labor exploitations? No, I believe they are not.  In the end, this is not the end of the growing pangs, only the beginning of adjustments.  As Dubai further develops, UAE leaders will find that it will become increasingly difficult for Dubai to have its cake and eat it too—ignoring the rules of the international game that do not suit its interest while embracing the benefits of globalization that do.

While sometimes these countries can hide behind the curtain of religious and cultural differences (particularly with the gender question, freedom of other religions to practice freely, and greater democracy), there is no such deus ex machina escape chute for issues of environmental sustainability and labor rights for example.

However, the exorbitant and myopic media coverage on Dubai has translated to the eclipsing of the other GCC countries by this United Arab Emirates’ destination.  Is this city an accurate representation of the other Gulf countries?   Do Dubai’s woes serve as a symbol of the larger region’s adjustment problems into the global community?  I have asked this question to myself many times and am curious to know readers’ opinions. 

 

Paintings by Executed Delara Darabi in Iran

, , 2:44 PM | 0 comments


Following the startling execution of Delara Darabi in Iran shortly ago, I encourage everyone to take a look at a gallery of the artwork she produced during her five years in prison on death row.  A link to the art collection on Save Delara! can be found by clicking here.

The Guardian: "Torture-tape Gulf prince accused of 25 other attacks"

2:15 PM | 0 comments

"US lawyers claim they have videos implicating Abu Dhabi royal in more cases of torture, a week after outcry over his assaults on Afghan businessman.


The wealthy Gulf prince at the centre of a "torture tape" scandal has been accused of attacking at least 25 other people in incidents that have also been caught on film, it has been claimed.

Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan is now under investigation in the United Arab Emirates after the shocking tape showed him beating a man with a nailed plank, setting him on fire, attacking him with a cattle prod and running him over.

But now lawyers for American businessman Bassam Nabulsi, who smuggled the tape out of the UAE, have written to the justice minister of Abu Dhabi - the most powerful of the emirates that make up the UAE - claiming to have considerably more evidence against Issa.

"I have more than two hours of video footage showing Sheikh Issa's involvement in the torture of more than 25 people," wrote Texas-based lawyer Anthony Buzbee in a letter obtained by the Observer..." (for full article, click here)

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