A combination of low tax, mass immigration, debt-fuelled investment sprees, and mild regulation has driven Dubai’s dizzying transformation from what was once a sleepy haven for pearl divers into a high-tech and ostentatious trade, finance and tourism hub – one that is home to the world’s highest building; the biggest shopping mall and indoor ski slope; and the largest collection of man-made islands.
Those who live in what is arguably one of the world’s most globalised cities divide into several spheres, the most obvious being the Western expats, many of whom lead a work hard, play harder lifestyle; the poorer Asian and African labourers and service workers who toil for meagre pay; and finally the Emirati natives who trace their ancestry to Dubai’s original Bedouin inhabitants.
In the UAE’s gilded version of the welfare state, based on centuries-old traditions of patronage, natives – who make up less than 20 per cent of the population – are provided with free education and healthcare. Men can claim free land plots and interest-free loans to build homes. Other perks include a generous payment toward wedding costs. The average male Emirati receives benefits worth about €43,000 a year, according to a local university. Efforts to loosen what is increasingly considered a stifling culture of dependence have gathered pace in recent years, with pledges to improve education and boost the number of Emiratis in the private sector.
Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, whose family has extensive business interests in Ireland, is considered a benevolent leader but there are no elected bodies in the UAE and political parties are banned.
Despite its image as the glitzy, carefree corner of the Gulf, Dubai retains a strong Muslim identity, one which, from time to time, collides with the mores of expatriate residents. Last year, two Britons were jailed for three months after they were caught canoodling on a beach. More recently, a British woman living in Dubai received a jail sentence after her estranged Egyptian husband accused her of adultery.
Strict drug laws have resulted in a number of well-publicised cases including that of a European tourist held after poppy seeds from a bread roll were found on his clothes.