Depending on what time of day it is and in which direction you are traveling, a journey from Dubai to its sister Emirate, Sharjah, can take anywhere between 20 minutes and two hours. Sharjah, whose name means “easterly” or “shiny” and has a population of 800,000, is sometimes unfairly referred to by some expatriates in the UAE as “the bedroom of Dubai” since tens of thousands of residents, nationals and expatriates alike, commute daily to their place of work in Dubai from Sharjah. Read more »
التوطين في الإمارة أم الدولة؟
شهدت السنوات القليلة الماضية نقاشاً واسعاً حول سياسة التوطين التي ترمي إلى توظيف المواطنين الإماراتيين في مؤسسات القطاعين العام والخاص في الدولة، الأمر الذي أثار حفيظة المقيمين والشركات العاملة في الدولة على حد سواء. وعلى الرغم من اتساع دائرته على المستوى العام، فإن هذا النقاش أغفل مسألة جوهرية تمس أحد أبرز جوانب عملية التوطين: هل المقصود بالتوطين حصر الوظائف المتاحة في إمارة ما، بمواطني هذه الإمارة فقط؟
A little local difficulty on the jobs front
In this article, Sultan discuss the discrimination locals of the northern Emirates face and what the reasons behind this marginalization are. Read more »
The Arab League: This Moribund Body Needs A New Home in the UAE
Predating the United Nations, the European Union, Asean and almost every other regional body is an institution based in Cairo known as the Arab League. Read more »
We didn’t start the fire but we can help to put it out
Barely a month goes by without news of another fire in Sharjah’s industrial area consuming a warehouse or more. In response, the Arabic blogosphere has been united in expressing two concerns: first, over the safety of the civil defence workers and employees of companies affected by the fires, and second, over why there have been so many fires in Sharjah to start with. Read more »
To Gain a True Affinity for Arab Jerusalem, Visit It
Sultan challenges Arab readers to visit Jerusalem as a means of showing tangible solidarity with a city that mostly exists in people’s mythical imagination. Read more »