CITY ON THE RISE
Not everything gleams beneath Dubai’s shiny exterior
While the UAE is taking steps to tackle financial crime, anyone can deposit a briefcase full of cash at Dubai banks, no questions asked
Glamorous hotels, lavish shopping malls, a mega indoor theme park and world-class metro give Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the air of a western capitalist utopia. So much so that it is easy to forget that there is no free speech and little protection of human rights, despite these being foundational principles prized by liberal democracies the world over. Indeed, beneath Dubai’s dazzling exterior and impressive economic achievements, lurk far less agreeable features. These range from the alarming – such as female rape victims being jailed on charges of extramarital sex — to the deeply unjust such as its reported treatment of migrant workers and the downright bizarre, such as social media users being jailed for comments made on Facebook or Twitter deemed critical of the UAE. Recently, Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum had to step in to free Briton Jamie Herron after he was locked up for touching another man’s hip in a Dubai bar — report...
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