Out and About in Dubai

Sharla Musabih founded the UAE’s first women’s shelter for abused women in 2001, called “City of Hope,” and was also instrumental in the Dubai government’s decision to ban child camel jockeys. She is now in the middle of some terrible allegations where she is being accused of accepting bribes, exploiting the women that she was supposed to be protecting, and selling their babies.

The story first broke in Gulf News here and here earlier this month and is another example of poor journalistic coverage by this so-called newspaper. Out of 10 letters-to-the-editor that was published online on March 17, seven were in response to the City of Hope article and expressed such sentiments as, “I never thought I would see Gulf News stoop so low,” and that “The article regarding Sharla Musabih was disgraceful and showed a complete lack of journalistic skills,” and still more, “Publishing Sharla’s response in a separate article shows the disgusting bias the newspaper has allowed into its pages.” I could continue quoting more, but I think you get the gist.

Sharla’s story was covered today in the New York Times: “Voice for Abused Women Upsets Dubai Patriarchy.” Some quotes from the article:

“She founded the Emirates’ first women’s shelter here and she became a familiar figure at police stations, relentlessly hounding officers to be tougher on abusive husbands. She has also earned many enemies.”

“To Ms. Musabih and her supporters, the accusations, which appear to be baseless, are the latest chapter in a long campaign of threats and defamation that began with angry husbands and has grown to include prominent clerics, and even the directors of a new government-financed women’s shelter, who, she says, would like to silence her.”

“Ms. Musabih, 47, a boisterous American transplant who was born and raised on Bainbridge Island, Wash., argues that confrontation is essential in fighting the patriarchal Arab traditions that allow men to beat their wives with impunity. She and her supporters also say the Emirates have not acknowledged the severity of their problem with human trafficking, the brutal business in which foreign women are lured here with promises of jobs and then forced into prostitution or servitude. Last year the United States State Department placed the Emirates and 31 other countries on a watch list for failing to effectively combat the illegal trade.”

If you read the two Gulf News articles I have linked above, as well as the New York Times article, you will see the quality of “news” that I am getting here in Dubai. I complain constantly to DB that it’s like second-grade reporting here.

(But then I remember that “freedom of the press” and “freedom of speech,” two things (of many!) that I had taken for granted in the U.S., do not exist in Dubai. Otherwise, a blog such as Secret Dubai Diary would not be blocked by the government.)

I have not met Sharla in person, but I believe in her cause and applaud all the good work that she has done to help abused women and children. And the Dubai government must recognize her work as well, otherwise, they would not have opened up their own, government-sanctioned, shelter for women and children:

“In the early spring of 2007, government officials approached Ms. Musabih about plans for a new state-sanctioned women’s shelter, apparently intended to replace hers. At first she welcomed the idea, because her shelter was often crowded and she was struggling to manage financially. They praised her pioneering work and said she could help direct the new shelter as a board member.

As the project evolved, it became clear that the government’s approach was vastly different from Ms. Musabih’s. It hired a director with a background in management and a more subdued style. On the grounds of an old rehabilitation center 20 minutes from Dubai with high fences and guards, the new shelter, known as the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children, resembles an American low-security prison.”

At least, I hope they recognize her work. For all I know, this new government shelter could be just another PR stunt so that Dubai and its leaders can show the world that they “care.” If they truly cared, they wouldn’t be trying to defame Sharla and oust her out of her own organization for she’s probably the only person that has made any progress within the police departments and court system in helping abused women and children get help.

Tags: government