Detailed Analysis of United Arab Emirates - Research Paper Example

Culture of United Arab Emirates Introduction The people of the United Arab Emirates are called Emirati and thus their culture is known as Emirati culture. The United Arab Emirates consists of seven states or Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Ajman, and Umm Al-Qaiwain. These seven emirates were united as a single federal state on December 2, 1971. The culture and social life of the people of the United Arab Emirates can be broadly classified into two distinct phases: the first phase is the pre-oil economy era in the years before 1960 when oil was not discovered. Since the economy has strong implications on the culture and social life of people living in a country, during the pre-oil days the culture and economy of the United Arab Emirates can be classified as a desert economy marked by Bedouin lifestyle and culture. Farming was very scarce due to the unavailability of water and was only done near an oasis. Pearling and sea trading were the most important sources of income of the people living in this area of the world in the middle of the 20th century. The various aspects of Arab culture were very prominent in the culture of the United Arab Emirates because of strong bondage with the other countries of the Arab world. To analyze the culture of a country, we have to know the location and geography of the country because these things have strong implications on the culture and lifestyle of the people of a country. The United Arab Emirates is located on the Persian Gulf and shares borders with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman. The area of the country is distributed among the seven emirates in a very non-uniform way. 85% of the total area of United Arab Emirates falls in Abu Dhabi and Ajman has a size of equal to a small city. Oases are randomly scattered throughout the desert area of the United Arab Emirates and mountains of Hajar which run throughout the country also have a barren topography. The overall climate of the UAE can be classified as hot and dry in winter and very hot and humid in summer. Demographics The United Arab Emirates has a very small population and thus the income and resources per capita are very high. The health care conditions, nutrition levels, and living conditions were very poor during the pre-oil times, therefore a marked increase in population was observed after the discovery of oil. Better facilities not only resulted in an increase in the population growth rate of the native population, but the development of infrastructure also created a lot of job opportunities and labor class from various countries of Asia moved to the United Arab Emirates, resulting in a mild population explosion. As a large population of skilled labor moved to UAE, the country developed an unintentional dependency on expatriate labor. Moreover, with a large number of people pouring into the country from various regions of the world, the Arab society of UAE transformed into a multiethnic society. Currently, the natives make up only 20-25 percent of the total population of the UAE. Since most of the working class and labors moving to the country are male, a large population of imbalance has been created in favor of males outnumbering females in an astonishing 2 to 1 ratio. Most of the immigrants in the United Arab Emirates came from South Asian countries, mainly India, Pakistan and Bangladesh because these countries are very populous and do not have strong enough economies to create job opportunities for such a large workforce. The employers in the UAE also sought to utilize the advantage of cheaper labor from these countries. Currently, more than two-thirds of the immigrants are from Asia whereas the rest of the expatriates are from Europe and the Americas (Crocetti, 2001). Arabic has the status of lingua franca during the post-oil times and English was not known to the majority of the population. However, after the discovery of oil, the global community saw UAE as the new land of opportunities and immigrants started to pour in. The local population was brought in communication with other communities of the world after the discovery of oil and the government started promoting English. The official language of the UAE is still Arabic, whereas English is the language of commerce. Other languages that are spoken by a large number of people living in the UAE include Hindi, Urdu, Persian, and Filipino. There exists a strong sense of unity among the people of the seven Emirates of the country and this is symbolized in the form of National Day when the common things in the culture and life of the people of UAE are very highly projected. These things include date palm, camel, falcon, Arabian horse, and the pearling boat. Several written accounts have been produced for praising the remarkable history of the country depicting the hardships of the pre-oil era and the prosperity due to unity in the modern years. The government gives a lot of importance to projecting these symbols of unity to keep the nation united, and that is why these are made a part of national heritage and appear on currency notes and postage stamps. Several monuments have also been prepared to project these symbols of unity. The economic life of the people living in this area of the world historically depended on pearl diving and sea trade through the Indian Ocean. The seven states were called Trucial states and were British protectorates before getting independence and forming a federal country in 1971. The Persian and African populations of the coastal areas established themselves during the 50s and 60s because during this time they migrated to UAE for working in the pearl industry. These communities have become a part of the Emirati society today. The Start of Urbanization The life before the discovery of oil was different from the one which we see today in the United Arab Emirates. People lived in small villages and towns and the huge metropolitans of Dubai and Abu Dhabi were also very small cities with pearl trade as the sole source of their income. The commercial capitals of the world which we see today in UAE went through a series of transformations before coming into existence and oil discovery was the driving force behind modernization and development. The social life of the people of this region before the discovery of oil was characterized as city-state life because a large majority of the population of the country lived in coastal areas as the coasts provided the only employment opportunities during that time (Abd Allah, 1978). The discovery and subsequent export of oil resulted in the generation of huge capital which was to be utilized as the source of development of the country. The leaders of UAE planned the economy very well and utilized the capital generated from oil export to transform the various cities of the country into global commercial capitals and thus today oil is not the only source of income of the country. Abu Dhabi is one of the largest cities in the world today and has the largest number of architectural wonders. The development which started with the construction of skyscrapers and multistorey buildings is today characterized by the most beautiful buildings of the world. Urbanization has led to a massive increase in the price of land and the desert and barren area of the United Arab Emirates is today the most expensive land in the world (Augustine, 2002). Despite the massive urbanization and development, the multiethnic society of the country is segregated based on social power, class, nationality, and ethnicity and the living conditions, though improved remarkably from the old Bedouin lifestyle, are different for different social classes and nationals living in the country. The buildings constructed in the 80s and 90s depicted modern western architecture, however, the government has now adopted a policy of projecting the local and Arab heritage in the architecture of the new buildings. Arched windows and gates are very commonly seen in the newly constructed buildings. Decorative designs in beautiful multicolored patterns, a characteristic of Arab and Persian society, are being promoted in the new buildings. Date palms which are believed to be one of the symbols of unity of the nation are planted very frequently along the roads and pavements to preserve the desert topography in the urbanized UAE. Preserving the cultural heritage was not a priority during the early days of urbanization, however, today as the governments seek to promote tourism in the country, the cultural values are given prime importance in all the aspects of the development of the cities, therefore the Arab and Islamic architecture is gaining popularity (King, 2008). Emirati Food Before the discovery of oil, the people of Emirates used the most primitive class of food consisting mainly of rice, bread, dates, fish and a few vegetables. The vegetables were grown by people in their homes and they also kept sheep and goats which were used as sources of meat when required. The meat from the camel has always been the favorite diet of the Arabs. Ever since the discovery of oil and the development of urban lifestyle characterized by supermarkets, the daily food of the people of UAE has also changed. Packaged food is very popular among the people today and a large number of food items are imported from all regions of the world (Rugh, 2010). Despite the huge advancement and the rapid developments, the Emiratis have successfully preserved their eating habits and unlike the western lifestyle, lunch is still the main family meal of the Emirati people. The eating habits strictly follow Islamic teachings and eating with the left hand is considered a sin. Since lunch is the main meal, it consists of all kinds of food and the diet can be classified as a balanced one if taken in the right proportions. Drinking is strictly prohibited in Islam and so is pork, so Emiratis do not drink or eat pork. The animals which are used for food are to be slaughtered in the name of God in the correct Islamic way. The immigrant population has modified the eating habits of the people of UAE to some extent and fast food restaurants are gaining popularity. Several Indian and Pakistani restaurants are to be seen in the Emirates cities and are also very popular among the local people (Al Abed, Hellyer & Vine, 2006). Economic Status of the People of United Arab Emirates The economic and financial status of the people of UAE varies significantly from one Emirate to the other and is proportional to the oil production capacity of the state. Since Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah produce most of the oil, these are the richest of the seven Emirates and thus most of the urbanization has been carried out in these states. However there exists a unity among all the states and thus the wealth of the rich states is channelized towards the other states in the form of the federal welfare system (King, 2008). The income of the people of the United Arab Emirates is among the highest in the world. The economy jumped off the launching pad through the discovery of oil; however, the country has successfully ended its economic dependency on oil by developing industry and commerce through exemplary infrastructure and free trade zones. The government is also spending massive funds on education to make local people capable of establishing and running modern industry once the oil trade ends. The locals make up only 10 percent of the total workforce of the country and are employed in state departments because the local people are not technically qualified. Large majority of the local population owns large businesses and the major investors in the country are from the local population (Crocetti, 2001). Social Classes Al Muwateneen and Al Wafedeen are the two broad social classes and represent the locals and foreigners respectively. It is a misconception in the international community that all Arabs are rich people. The local community, i.e. Al Muwateneen, is also further subdivided into four social classes: i. The Bedouin Tribes which were formally the nomadic families of the country and wandered about in the mainland desert. These people have now settled themselves in the large cities and represent the low income employed in a class of the local community. ii. The former pearl trade workers now form the middle class of the country and do technical and managerial jobs in the newly established corporate sector in the country. These people are the ones who have gained the largest benefits of free education. iii. The tujjars who formerly were the pearl merchants are the new traders of the country today and own the newly established small business based on consumer goods factories and other trading commodities in the international market. This class is contributing greatly to the novel commerce-based economy of the country. iv. The ruling class is made up of the members of the ruling sheik families. They own most of the oil reserves of the country and now are the major investors in the country. This class has continued to maintain the high prestige and owner of monarchical nature and has a unique esteemed position in the country. The immigrants in the country have also stratified into various classes, but these classes are the same as in the rest of the world – the highly paid executives and technocrates, middle-waged professionals and the low income labor class (Augustine, 2002). The federal government consists of the President, the Federal National Council and the Supreme Court. All of the authoritative positions in these federal institutions are given to the members of the royal families. The seven rulers of the Emirates form the Supreme Council and enjoy supreme legislative and executive powers. The affairs of the state are run under a system of government which is an amalgamation of the modern principles of government and the traditional Arab-Islamic way. The government has facilitated the local population to a great extent with huge social security benefits in the form of free health care, free education up to tertiary level, subsidized utilities, employment and family allowances. The foreign nationals only get the benefit of the health care facilities. Gender Roles in Emirati Culture Unlike other Arab countries, a great level of women empowerment has been observed in the United Arab Emirates with the discovery of oil. A large number of educational institutions at all levels have been established for girls and the females in UAE are more educated than the male population. However, despite being educated, women are not encouraged to do jobs and the culture identifies taking care of children as their prime responsibility. As a result, women do not travel frequently and are barred from intermixing with men to a greater degree. Key government positions are held by men and women do not have any part to play in the political life of the country. The women in UAE now have the right to vote, however, their evidence in the matters of jurisdiction is considered as half of the men. Domestic Life and Marriage Arranged marriages are common and most of the men prefer marrying the women of their tribe, however, the trend is changing with the increased modernization. Women have very little say in deciding about their life partner, however, the stats report that Emirati couples enjoy a happy married life. Polygamy is allowed and a man can keep up to four wives according to law, as allowed by Islam but the culture of more than one marriage has diminished to negligible. Marriages with foreigners are highly discouraged culturally as well as officially. The joint family system is now replaced with isolated families due to the increasing urbanization. Men are the bread earners of the households and women take care of the children. The government encourages local couples to have many children to increase the proportion of locals in the population. Women do not normally do household chores and employing servants for all kinds of household jobs is a very popular trend. The tribal bondage still exists and senior members are given authority to take important decisions of the families. Children are taught to give remarkable respect to elders and are also showered with great affection. It is very common for Emiratis to show affection through physical contact like kissing. Maids take care of the children, however, they are not allowed to influence the brought up of the children in any way. The government is giving immense importance to education and it is free for all citizens at all levels. The United Arab Emirates has one of the largest ratios of students entering into higher education. The government is spending enormous funds on higher education and several universities have been established with highly qualified faculty and technically advanced scientific equipment. Greeting in the Islamic way with the Arabic words al-salam aleikum is considered mandatory for everyone followed by a quick nose-to-nose touch for men and kissing on cheeks for women. Physical contact, even a shake of the hand, is not allowed between men and women and is highly discouraged. Conversations usually start with inquiring about one’s health and family affairs. Separate gatherings are arranged for men and women; women are encouraged to stay at home and invite friends to their places. Respect to elders is mandatory for young people and is considered one of the basic principles of the Emirati social life. Emiratis give high value to their customs and traditions; however, the cultural and social values of other communities are also tolerated. Religious Life Religion is an integral part of the social life of the Emirati people with Islam as the religion of the majority of emiratis. Islamic laws and customs are followed in all aspects of social life including economics, inheritance, politics, marriage, divorce and personal behaviors. The five basic pillars of Islam which include praying five times a day, giving alms, believing in Allah, fasting in Ramadan (the holy Lunar month) and visiting Mecca for Haj are followed by all Emiratis. Mosques hold special prayers on Friday which are attended by a large number of people. Islamic Festivals are celebrated with great zeal. Despite giving great importance to Islamic traditions and customs, all other religious communities are allowed to practice their religion with full independence. Arts Sharjah has been chosen as the Arab cultural capital by UNESCO because of the government’s great interest in promoting Arab culture and arts. The writers, poets, actors and painter and other artisans are supported by the government. The Arabs have historically been known as the people with great memory, therefore most of the literary works have been preserved in the form of poems and stories. Written works are gradually gaining popularity. Women are still not encouraged on stage, therefore, performing arts are in the development phase in the country. Conclusion The United Arab Emirates has a very diverse social and cultural life because of the strong economic implications of the discovery of oil, religious implications, strong adherence to Islam and ethnic implications of a large number of foreigners living in the country. References Abd Allah, M. (1978). The United Arab Emirates: a modern history. Croom Helm. Al Abed, I., Hellyer, P., & Vine, P. (2006). United Arab Emirates yearbook. Trident Press Limited. Augustine, B. (2002). United Arab Emirates. Scholastic Library Publishers. Crocetti, G. (2001). Culture Shock! United Arab Emirates. Graphic Arts Centre Publishing Company. King, D. (2008). United Arab Emirates. Marshall Cavendish. Rugh, A. (2010). The political culture of leadership in the United Arab Emirates. Palgrave Macmillan. United Arab Emirates: Traditional Culture. (n.d.). In UAE Interact. Retrieved May 25, 2012, from UAE National Media Council website: http://www.uaeinteract.com/culture/ Read More