I have often said that Dubai and the UAE serve as an example of what could happen to the USA if illegal immigration is not controlled. About 80% of the population of the UAE are immigrants, typically uneducated manual laborers who come to earn money in the Dubai building boom. If you travel the Emirates, you will hear mostly English and Urdu. English because that language is now almost the universal language used to communicate between different cultures, and Urdu because most of the population comes from India or Pakistan and they speak it between themselves.
However, Dubai has now passed a law making Arabic the national language. Obviously, there were concerns about losing the national identity. It will be interesting see what happens because with the majority of the population speaking a language other than Arabic, provisions will need to be made for non-Arabic speakers in government transactions or the system will grind to a halt.
No comments:
Post a Comment