What is it like to be a former center of international commerce and political power, next to the now globally known city of Dubai? Sharjah, the next emirate to the north of Dubai, which, together with Abu Dhabi and four others makes up the nation-state of the United Arab Emirates, was once a significant center for international commerce and shipping in the Arabian Gulf region. Sharjah is actually connected to Dubai, part of one continuous urban area, with a drive from the middle of Dubai to Sharjah taking only around 30 minutes. Due to a number of factors, including influence from the British Empire, Dubai eclipsed Sharjah – everyone has heard of the former, many have never heard of the latter.
The government of Sharjah’s Supreme Council for Family Affairs offered us the chance to change that for this group of students and faculty from ASU. The group also learned firsthand the meaning of Arab hospitality, as we were hosted and welcomed to this city that is quite different from Dubai. The ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, has stated “we have done enough building with the concrete, now it is time to build up the individual human being.” Sharjah has emphasized the development of cultural institutions and education; it has the largest number of museums and several well regarded universities. The city was named the Cultural Capital of the Arab world in 1998 by UNESCO. The Council that hosted us has a myriad of programs aimed at education beyond the formal sector, including special education and teen programs for girls. Our visit made it possible for ASU students to talk with female Emirati students, from both high school and university.
While in Dubai, references to Sharjah usually were prefaced by ‘it’s a much more traditional and conservative place…’ We wondered what this really meant. For one thing, more traditional did not mean a lack of foreign companies, modern technologies, Western restaurants, and brand new sky scrapers. While not boasting the world’s highest building, the city has a contemporary looking skyline along the water front. More traditional also did not mean less tolerant, as we discovered while talking to our hosts, who stated that it was certainly possible to retain values and customs and at the same time embrace globalization… to some extent. You could see Islamic tradition in the style of the relatively new government, university and museum buildings, as well as in the way that people dressed. These symbols of tradition seem to exist comfortably alongside Westernization; however there was also a concerted effort to preserve Islamic values and traditions, with for instance, families remaining physically close and staying in the emirate.
When compared with Dubai, the people of Sharjah that we met indicated that it was fine for Dubai to grow and globalize rapidly, but it was mentioned that not all places have to develop in the same way; Sharjah, which has more income from oil than Dubai, and receives support from Saudi Arabia, follows a different development route.
About the Author: Mary Jane Parmentier is a senior lecturer with ASU’s School of Letters & Sciences and CSPO.
