Why Al Ain?

Why not? Al Ain is one of those places that you sometimes think of as a sleepy city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. But for Shirin Karsan, it means something a little bit different.



Karsan, will conduct research on Muslim perspectives on the ethics of emerging sciences and bionanotechnologies in the United Arab Emirates. She will work with a team from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at the UAE University in Al Ain, along with the philosophy department at the American University of Sharjah. Karsan will also coordinate with the UAE’s Chairman of the Human Research Ethics Review Committee. Karsan has also been awarded a Critical Language Enhancement Award to learn Arabic. “The emphasis of my research in the UAE will be on the impact of religion -- Islam in particular -- in defining the limits, if any, of new technologies,” Karsan says. “I will be conducting research related to neuroethics in neurosciences and neuroengineering, and in reproductive ethics in the UAE regions.”

No doubt an interesting subject, but this Fulbright scholar is not just in Al Ain for the research. In her blog, she is keeping all up to date with her adventures thus far. Always great to find a blog in its infancy telling all of what they see of a new culture.

Shirin Karsan
Penn Medicine Bioethics Graduate Awarded Fulbright Grant to Conduct Research in United Arab Emirates

Dubhabi - a rebranding of the UAE

I think there is an argument to rebrand the United Arab Emirates. What do you think of Dubhabi? It combines the names of the two biggest Emirates or two biggest cities in the UAE. Or how about Abu Dubai as it's often mistaken. People find it difficult to remember that Abu Dhabi and Dubai are two different place, apparently, hence "abu dubai". Perhaps that is because since The United Arab Emirates was founded in the 70s, the two emirates have been in competition to a degree - a little bit like two brothers born a year apart, both skilful at different things, both competitive, but both part of the same family. There are other brothers and sisters, but Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the brothers that are known in school. They are the popular kids, the dubhabi brothers, popular in and out of school with some shared, but differing friend circles. Should they be called Abu Dubai, Dubhabi - or perhaps the UAE should now be called Abhai or Abudu or even Dubu or Dabu.

I jest. It would be ludicrous to rebrand to any of those names. They mean nothing - a bit like anderson consulting becoming accenture. There is no takeover here and there is no merger, but I believe a refinement is needed.

It actually annoys me that people ask the question - where is abu dubai - or - is UAE in Dubai - or is Abu Dhabi part of Dubai. That's just a level of ignorance. But there is another issue: The UAE is young, in country terms - and it has a name that is not in English, and therefore it needs to revert from its official arabic name of Al-Imarat Al-Arabiyah Al-Muttahidah to the translated/anglicised version of United Arab Emirates, and then shortened even further to UAE. My question is - why should countries be anglicised to a lingua franca, and why should countries or states have to converse about their country in the anglicised form?

And while the term Arab ties countries together, I can hear the nasal tones of - "the United AYYRAB Emirates" with all negative conotations associated with the whole of the Arab world.

I vote that the United Arab Emirates/UAE rebrand to become Al-Imarat Al-Arabiyah Al-Muttahidah or Al Imarat for short. Is there a Brand UAE office that can help with this?

As a final thought:

The special combination of Dubai and Abu Dhabi in my view gives the UAE a significant advantage as a country. Why? Not many countries have two cities that can hold claim to being business hubs in a region, let alone two that have shown themselves to be visionary, open to change and dynamic in their ‘can do’ approaches.

Of course, it therefore goes without saying that there is an ongoing healthy competition between these two super successful cities! So which city is better than the other? In my opinion, it is not Dubai vs Abu Dhabi – it is Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Both the cities mirror elements that not only position them as a cut above the rest but also complement each other perfectly. They collectively contribute to the success of UAE. While Dubai is known for its property boom, luxurious hospitality and shopping, Abu Dhabi, as the oil capital and industrial giant brings the stability and backbone to the region.


Two cities together are better

Herve jaubert v Dubai

It's a real life espionage thriller. Former spy gets a job in Dubai making submarines for the government, falls out with government, is under investigation, charged with embezzlement, escapes Dubai on a dinghy, moves to Florida, threatens to tell all with book, sues Dubai, Dubai sues him........

CLIFFHANGER

What next in the Herve Jaubert saga? This certainly won't go away in a hurry.


Last week he sued Dubai World:

To clear his name and counter a multimillion-dollar embezzlement conviction returned against him after he fled the U.A.E., Jaubert is suing Dubai World Corporation, charging the government-backed investment firm with fraud, false imprisonment and defamation.




Today Dubai World sues Herve Jaubert:

Dubai World is sueing a former employee and convicted criminal, whose elaborate escape from the Gulf state made international headlines, for fraud and breach of contract. The state-owned conglomerate said on Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit against Herve Jaubert in U.S. federal court, accusing him of "fraud, theft and related charges" linked to his time as CEO of the company's marine subsidiary Exomo. Dubai World said it is "fully confident" the U.S. court will come to the same conclusion as a Dubai court did in April that Jaubert "misrepresented his ability to design and build submarines to obtain his position as CEO of Exomos and then used that position to steal millions of dollars from Dubai World".

What's the next scene in this thriller? The spy brings out the book...on halloween.

Escape from Dubai

Sheikh Zayed Mosque Abu Dhabi

A little treat this Ramadhan from CNN. Ejoy the view through the mosque.


More about Sheikh Zayed Mosque Abu Dhabi
Top things to do in Abu Dhabi

What is Dubai's Culture?

What is the culture of Dubai? It's difficult to define because Dubai is still defining its own culture. If you term culture in the context of cities, culture could be construed as that which defines a city - ie what is the society, how its perceived to the outside world, what the people are like, the traditions that are followed as well as the history that has made Dubai what it is. And, in that context what is Dubai Culture? Dubai's culture is difficult to define - and it is probably being defined as we speak, and won't have that catch all of culture that older cities in the world. Dubai culture is a meshing of different things - there's the Arabian Bedouin History and there is the forward thinking business focussed mindset. There are the new generations of Emiratis working with best in breed professionals from other parts of the world. There is the balance of West, Arab and Indian Sub continent. There is a society of entrepreneurial focused business and there is development of new age companies backed by governmental investment. There are leading edge buildings and there are camel farms in the desert. There are mezze and flatbread and there are world beating michelin starred equivalent restaurants. There is the bikini and the abaya. There is the suit and the kandura. Dubai is a mixture of old and new, old school and new age, forward thinking and traditional - and the balance and conflict of these extremes is what is Dubai Culture.

What is the culture of Dubai? How would you define it?