HRH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al Maktoum Visits the American School of Dubai

My wife works half time as a nurse at the same school my kids attend here in Dubai: The American School of Dubai. It's the oldest American curriculum school in Dubai and they just moved to a brand new campus in Al Barsha. The campus is spectacular.

Today Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid al Maktoum visited (one day notice) to tour the new facility. Flags were handed out to all the students and the day was spent getting ready for his arrival and then in welcoming him.

When we arrived 9 years ago I saw Sheikh Mohammad driving down the road or on the beach several times during the first couple years.

Then as Dubai exploded in growth and Sheikh Mohammad became the countries Vice President, rather than Dubai Crown Prince, he became less prominently seen in public.

Here's a picture my wife snapped with her phone camera this afternoon.

Dubai Muslim Christian Dialogue - Raw Audio

The following is the 3+ hour audio of the recent Muslim-Christian Dialogue held in Dubai on March 6, 2011. The event featured Thabiti Anyabwile and Bassam Zawadi as speakers. Video is being currently produced and will be available in April.

http://www.mediafire.com/?83g6artz4tsp1p9

First 'official' gurdwara in Dubai - Chandigarh - City - The Times of India

First 'official' gurdwara in Dubai - Chandigarh - City - The Times of India

This Sikh temple has been under construction about 200 meters from the church we attended up until planting Redeemer Church in February. They've been working on it for over 2 years I would say. I think it's pretty progressive for the country to allow this temple to be built. And it's kind of interesting that it's been given space right next to the church compound in Jebel Ali where there are about 12 churches meeting each week.

Some might be upset about it but I hope it provides an opportunity to engage some new Sikh neighbors in conversation about who is God and what is true about the world, people, and our eternal destiny.


By the way, I (hope) think this might have been a misquote?... "Sikhs don’t worship idols like in Islam and once authorities were convinced that setting up a gurdwara was not anti-Islamic, things quickly started falling in place. My dream is to make Guru Nanak Durbar the best, second only to the Golden Temple in Amritsar," adds Kandhari."

Email Campaign to Protest the UK's Rejection of Zakir Naik

An interesting development has come about as a result of the UK's rejection of Dr. Zakir Naik to enter the UK for a Muslim event in Sheffield.  An email is circulating here in the UAE with this message:

World Briefing - Europe - Britain - No Entry for Preacher With Radical Views on Islam - NYTimes.com

World Briefing - Europe - Britain - No Entry for Preacher With Radical Views on Islam - NYTimes.com

This article above is about Dr. Zakir Naik, an Islamic preacher based out of Mumbai.  I heard him speak in Dubai several years ago and I was on some type of Islamic mailing list and was sent an announcement of his Sheffield lectures recently as well.  I have some Muslim friends here in Dubai who know him.  I'm sure they're disappointed with this outcome.

New Video Game Set in Dubai

Below is a new video game trailer showing us the storyline and scenes from an upcoming game set in Dubai.  The city seems to have been hit by a cataclysmic dust storm and the gameplay takes place among the wreckage of all the amazing buildings of Dubai.  Pretty interesting for those who see the buildings everyday we drive from home to work and back.  The game is a first person shooter.

Foreign Policy Mag: "Dubai's Troubles Have Just Begun" ... Yikes.

I think these are not just nay-sayers. I'm concerned that denying these kinds of things will only add to the problems here.

Local Dubai Opinions on the Economic Downturn

Over the last year I've been informally polling various friends in business and industry here to ask about the economic downturn and whether things are changing; getting better or worse.  Sometimes it's difficult to tell from the local media reports.

Here's a quick and brief sampling from friends...

Experienced Safety Engineer

"Our company is very precarious financially..."
"(The Dubai economy) will not get better... it cannot."

Experienced Industrial Designer

"Many companies were trying to hold on until after Eid to see if business picked up but there's just not enough to go around.  There are some 'big players' in the market that are going to go under soon... or just pull out."

Higher Education Administrator

"Enrollment is down significantly this year"

Taken together, these opinions paint a pretty bleak picture.  We'll see what happens.

Post Ramadan "Exhortation"

For those of you not familiar with an Islamic view of what Ramadan should accomplish in a Muslim's life I've cut and pasted an exhortation from a local Islamic learning center near my home.  The people there are kind and I've visited a few times before.  It will give you a sense of what Muslims feel Ramadan is and should be.

========================================================================

Assalamu  Alaikum Wa Rahmathullahi Wa Barakathuh.

Ramadan is over.

Yes, here we go again: Back to our "normal" lives, away from the obedience of Allah and back to disobeying Him, away from working towards the Hereafter back to working for something in this temporary glitzy world.

To attain Allah's Forgiveness and His Pleasure (i.e. Paradise).
 
Take Islamic classes as this will keep you in a religious environment. Volunteer in some Islamic/charity centre (okay, I'm heading somewhere with this, see below) so that you can continue to benefit others.

One of the signs that our Ramadan was accepted is that we continue to do good deeds after it, and one of the signs that our Ramadan was NOT accepted was that we continue with our pre-Ramadan ways and show no signs of improvement after Ramadan.

The Islamic Learning Centre has some ways for you to continue the "Ramadan spirit":

a) Send your children to our kiddie classes: Teach your child the beauty of Islam and complete your responsibility as a parent.

Aged group:  3yrs-4yrs. twice a week ; 3.30p.m.- 5.30p.m.(days will be notified later)

Aged group 5yrs - 6yrs.  twice a week; 3.00p.m. - 5.00p.m.(days will be notified later)

Aged group 7yrs - 13yrs (girls) & 7 yrs - 10yrs. (boys)  Saturdays 9.00am.-1pm.

 Please call us for further information and register your child.
 
 b) Volunteer to teach the kids: We are looking for committed volunteers, with  knowledge of Islam and Arabic Language. You must be patient (you're dealing with kids, after all). Creativity is a bonus. Those interested are requested to email ____  giving a brief note on their credibility. Do remember an excellent command of the English language is a must.
                    
c) Join our Arabic and Tafseer classes: One of the aspects of Ramadan was that it is the month when the Quran was revealed. It was revealed so that we could apply it and how can we apply it if we don't understand it? Arabic is a must as is understanding the explanation of the Quran (tafseer). Don't say "Tomorrow, insha-Allah". Say: "Today, insha-Allah!"

• Classical Arabic Module I starts on 3rd October, 2009
  Fee AED 3500/-/per module 
  Time  2pm. - 5.00p.m. every  saturday
  
  All those interested are requested to make the payment and join us for this course.
  
• Tafseer class will resume on Tuesday 29th September 2009 at 7.30p.m.
  
  Remember that there are only three things that will continue after we die:
  
  1) A righteous child that does dua for us - How will he/she be righteous if they don't have any knowledge of the religion of Allah?
  
  2) Beneficial Knowledge - For example, you take lectures and then teach others. Teaching kids is another way to benefit others with your knowledge.
  
  3) Ongoing charity - Perhaps you can help out at the centre in some way.

Amazing Video Model of the Spread of H1N1 (Swine Flu)

There is a lot of concern here in the UAE about H1N1. It is an international place with many people traveling through from other countries. When we arrived from holiday we were scanned for fever with a special video camera that could see body temperature. I think there are 6 reported deaths here in the UAE so far.

Muslim - Christian Dialogue 2009 - Full Video and Trailers Up!

Some of you may have noticed that over 2 months ago I spoke on this blog about an upcoming Muslim - Christian Dialogue being held in Knowledge Village. It took place on March 2 and it was attended by close to 300 people. It was a scintillating evening of conversation about "Who is God and how are we saved?".

The company I work for here in Dubai was a corporate sponsor and we also arranged for the event to be professionally filmed. Later we will offer the DVD for sale. But the video production is done!

Click here to go to our youtube channel to see all or part of the dialogue.

Embedded below are the two video trailers to whet your appetite for entire thing.

Trailer 1

Trailer 2

Entire Dialogue (~3 hours long)

I heartily recommend that you embed the videos in your own blog or link to it on your facebook page.

The flow of the dialogue was:

Muslim speaker opening statement (25 min)

Christian speaker opening statement (25 min)

Muslim questions Christian (15 min)

Christian questions Muslim (15 min)

Audience Q & A (1 hour)

Muslim closing statement (15 min)

Christian closing statement (15 min)

All of it is excellent. But if you have to choose I'd say to watch the opening statements first. Next the questioning sections (very entertaining), the closing statements are excellent as well. Audience Q and A is just as good but a little long.

I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.

3rd Bienniel Knowledge Village Muslim - Christian Dialogue

Four years ago, the company I work for helped the students of the Christian Fellowship Club and the Muslim Student Association put on a Muslim - Christian Dialogue. Close to 100 showed up. That was 2005 and we think it was the first public Muslim - Christian dialogue to be held in Dubai or the entire Arabian Peninsula; perhaps the entire Middle East.

Two years later they did another one. This time almost 200 came. And video of the event hit youtube and google video.  I posted about it when it happened.

Next Monday, March 2nd from 7pm to 10pm the 3rd Bienniel Dialogue will take place in Knowledge Village Auditorium with seating for 350.  The Muslim speaker will be Bassam Zawadi (his website) and the Christian speaker will be Thabiti Anyabwile (his website).

If you know students, freezone workers, or others who might be interested please pass the word for this event.  Others who attend will not be turned away as well.  And I'll provide a followup posting to recap how it went in the days following the event.

Dubai and the "Downturn"

This is a graph about the indebtedness of Dubai that I've had on my desktop for months. This was published before the economic crisis. It seems ominous in retrospect.

Anecdotally, I've noticed the roads in Dubai are more clear more often. A sign of reduced population here. The malls also seem to be more empty as well. I was in a somewhat deserted Times Square Mall last night and shoppers were few and far between despite Dubai Shopping Festival sales all around.

Day before yesterday I went to close out a small checking account at a local bank here. When I told the man I wanted to close the account he pulled out a paper and asked, "Are you leaving the country?" Replying no, I then asked if a lot of people were leaving the country and closing out accounts. He paused, nodded his head, and said "yes, they are".

This is a telling article from the NYTimes titled "Laid-Off Foreigners Flee as Dubai Spirals Down". Pretty grim.

2008-09 Global Village - Dubai Part 2; Obama Inauguration Special

Here a few more shots from Global Village in Dubai. And to cap it off you'll see below some photos of Obama and family. That huge poster and t-shirt were in the Kenya pavilion. They are tremendously proud of the Kenyan ancestry of Obama!

And regardless of your political "stripes", the inauguration of the first minority President of the USA is an amazing event. I'm praying for him and I hope you do too.

2008-09 Global Village - Dubai

We enjoyed visiting Global Village in early January. It's like a "world's fair" of sorts. Hope you enjoy the pictures as well.



Lots of Landcruisers in the parking lot as we arrived.



The Yemen pavilion is one of our favorites. Lots of silver jewelry...



... and khanjars...



And Yemeni honey (about 15 different booths for that including some honey labeled "for married only". I think it's supposed to have "viagra-like" qualities. :)



I love the Indian shoe shops.





More pictures in the next few days!

Arif's Quranic Talisman

From 2008-10-12 Dubai Beach Volleyball Etc

I bought a new car recently. The 1983 Mercedes was just having to go to the repair shop far too many times PER MONTH! So I found a 6 month old Altima in the classifieds and purchased it from a guy named Arif.

Arif was a fascinating guy. Very "Dubai". I couldn't seem to place his national identity through his facial features or his accent. When I asked I didn't feel so bad for not figuring it out. His parents are Pakistani. He was born in Tanzania and grew up there for half his life. They later moved to Sweden where he got citizenship and grew up through adolescence. They now live in Dubai and were about to move back to Sweden (I guess it was too much good weather here :). Pakistani, Tanzanian, Swedish, Dubai resident. Very "Dubai".

While I sat next to him as we were waiting to transfer the car registration I noticed this little container on his arm (pictured above). I asked him about it. He said that it contained Quranic verses and was constructed by an Islamic Sheikh from Australia. The family evidently follows the teachings of this Sheikh in particular. When I asked it what function it served he told me that he had recently received it as a wedding gift. It would prevent other family members from getting jealous of your life and possessions (maybe your wife too?) by preventing them from even seeing those things in your life. I guess the thought is that it almost makes them "invisible".

Comments or thoughts on this from readers?

Newsweek Article on Dubai: Is the Party Over?

From Desktop

This very interesting article showed up in December's Newsweek. It was the cover story on the edition that was released in the Middle East and Dubai. I saw a whole rack of them at the Geant store in Ibn Battuta mall a month ago. The downturn has just been hitting Dubai in the last two months. Seems that we're hearing of layoffs almost every business day. Projects are being cancelled. A friend who runs a job search coaching business is having business boom for him; not a good sign for the economy in general here. A number of friends have noted that the slowdown has visibly effected the number of workers you see on job sites just driving down the road. I talked to a construction safety engineer this morning who told me that his company was instituting mandatory salary cuts starting with 2% for laborers and up to 40% for top level people. It will be interesting to watch and see how Dubai weathers this 'storm'.

Great Blog on UAE Economics

Here's a great blog on economics in the UAE... Check it out if you're interested in following the effect of the worldwide economic downturn on the UAE... which is significant.

Emirates Economist

Synchronized Spotlights Show Up on the Burj Dubai

The Burj Dubai, currently under construction near my home, has added quite a few lights and moving synchronized spotlights on several different floors. My 'point and shoot' digital camera couldn't get the video adequately but I did manage a few lowlight shots from my rooftop. Enjoy.

From 2008-11-7 Volleyball & Musical & Etc

From 2008-11-7 Volleyball & Musical & Etc

Another Neighborhood Encounter

I wrote in the last post about meeting the three guys from the mosque. Well, I was walking the dog with my wife one night last week. On the other side of the street, three men in dishdashas approached. I handed the dog leash to my wife and crossed over to greet them with a traditional Arabic greeting.

They seemed genuinely stunned and pleased. They introduced themselves and said they live in the neighborhood. Then one of the men said "That was noble of you to come and introduce yourself... many people are scared of us 'guys in white' (a reference to being a Gulf Arab person in a white dishdasha)."

It seems that many expats are reluctant to make friends with 'locals' here for one reason or another. Sometimes I think they just don't see them as people they COULD get to know. Other times I do think they're genuinely afraid because of rumors they've heard about locals not being friendly.

On the contrary, I've found locals to be extremely friendly and open to friendship. If you're an expat here in Dubai or the UAE, what's been your experience? Or, if you're a local, what's been your experience with expats?