APPALLING DUBAI (PART ONE)

Don't jump to conclusions. This isn't a diatribe about the oppression of the Muslim veil. You really need to live in the Middle East to understand this custom before judging it. Actually, I was thinking about this issue while walking around the largest mall in the world in Dubai and seeing countless women dressed in hijabs like the three pictured above in the lingerie store. For most Muslim women from moderate Arab nations, the hijab is the head-covering of choice. It covers the top of the head and neck and leaves the face open. I don't find this oppressive, as men also wear traditional robes and head coverings. It was interesting however seeing these women shopping for designer lace bras to put under their plain black smocks. What is oppressive, and more suitable to the task of limiting sexual flirtation, is the burqa. Let's face it, 95% of sexual gestures are instigated through the eyes, and the other 5% are less than effective. You could almost send your wife out in her underwear with a pair of dark sunglasses on and rest assured you've probably prevented a hook-up. The eyes are the gateway to the soul and to the privates. And so the burqa shuts down both. Hijabs good, burqas bad.

What is really bad in Dubai is working conditions for the overwhelming majority of laborers coming from countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and China. Most are men doing hard physical labor. They have their passports confiscated by their employers for the duration of their two year contracts. These men earn meager wages that they never see (the money is deposited into an account that they can only access after they have satisfactorily fulfilled their contracts). They live well outside of town in rooms that look more like prisons than dorms and are bused into Dubai daily. Most have only one day off. There is a fear in their eyes when you talk to them about their lives. Clearly it is forbidden and could have severe consequences. It makes you wonder how bad life must be like in these people's home countries for Dubai to be a great land of opportunity.