The first few days of November have quickly become known as Entrepreneurship Week in Dubai. The Dubai School of Government kicked off the week with a panel on women’s entrepreneurship in the Gulf, featuring leading businesswomen from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the region. The next day at the Young Arab Leaders Entrepreneurship Summit, cross-generational leadership was represented, with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and his son Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan attending. Read more »
The National
A Monument of Tolerance in the Heart of Dubai
Nestled in one of Bur Dubai’s older districts is one of the emirate’s best kept architectural secrets: the Ismaili Centre of Dubai. It is a 13,000-square-meter structure designed by the Egyptian duo Rami El Dahan and Soheir Farid, who drew inspiration from Cairo’s Fatimid mosques. Read more »
The sponsorship system is on the wrong side of history
UAE law obliges expatriates who care to reside and do business in the country to either do so through a partnership with a UAE national in which the expat can own up to 49 per cent, or through a sponsorship system that allows the expat to own the entire business, though not on paper, provided they pay a fee to a UAE national. This fee can range from as low as a thousand dirhams a year and go up to several hundred thousand, depending on the size of the business. This sponsorship system is on the wrong side of history. If the federal government doesn’t end it, then international labour laws will probably do so. Read more »
Linking capital’s knowledge hubs can fulfil its vision
Even to the casual observer, the past few years have witnessed a seismic shift in Abu Dhabi’s efforts to create a knowledge-based economy. Read more »
Elected Municipal Councils Could Foster Spirit of Civic Participation in the UAE
For many Emiratis, experiences with the current Federal National Council have been less than ideal. If asked to name a major achievement accomplished by any FNC member, few Emiratis would have anything positive to say. Read more »
Our Common Bond Is Stronger Than the Extremist Rhetoric
In 2003, I was inundated with requests from friends to join an online social forum to attack an American blogger. He had written that Muslims were “pigs,” saying that the world “should kill their women and children.” Read more »