Middle Eastern Shangri-La?

Just finished reading this piece by Johann Hari of The Independent called "The Dark Side of Dubai." Such a fascinating article exposing - as the title suggests - the dark side of Dubai that rarely ever makes it to the press. Looks like there's trouble in paradise..

Some interesting things to note from the article:

In the 70's Sheikh Maktoum wanted to follow in Israel's footsteps and 'make the desert bloom' so he essentially invited the world to come to Dubai tax-free. Millions of people came, dominated the now 5% local population, leaving the Dubai we see today with 3 very different distinct classes...the Emirati's, the Expats, and then the omnipresent foreign slave class who built the city. These foreigners (who mostly come from Bangladesh and surrounding countries) are tricked into leaving their lives and families behind in their native countries and promised the world in exchange for hard labor. Once these workers get to Dubai, their passports are taken and they are forced to work 14-hour days in extreme heat and made to live in less than desirable conditions.

The author talks about the many things wrong with Dubai, citing it as "a city built from nothing in just a few wild decades on credit and ecocide, suppression and slavery."

In keeping with what I was talking about earlier re Islamic banking and the current financial crisis, he also notes, "And today? Sheikh Mohammed turned Dubai into Creditopolis, a city built entirely on debt. Dubai owes 107 percent of its entire GDP. It would be bust already, if the neighbouring oil-soaked state of Abu Dhabi hadn't pulled out its chequebook."

Something else very interesting, but probably a known fact amongst M.E. scholars like myself, "In every large city, gay people find a way to find each other – but Dubai has become the clearing-house for the region's homosexuals, a place where they can live in relative safety. Saleh, a lean private in the Saudi Arabian army, has come here for the Coldplay concert, and tells me Dubai is "great" for gays: "In Saudi, it's hard to be straight when you're young. The women are shut away so everyone has gay sex. But they only want to have sex with boys – 15- to 21-year-olds. I'm 27, so I'm too old now. I need to find real gays, so this is the best place. All Arab gays want to live in Dubai."