Night Life of Dubai
Dubai remains a bastion of ‘liberalism’ here in the Middle East; the place is hated by ultra conservatives (of which there are but a few) but flocked to by increasing numbers of foreigners—including Americans. Perhaps what happened on New Years Eve is one of the reasons.

While my Syrian, Canadian and Iranian friends and I spent a quiet evening at Dunkin’ Donuts (sad, isn’t it?), we could have paid upwards of $175 to attend any number of celebrations. One of the biggest parties happened on Palm Island, a massive construction project of the government. They are building entire islands that will feature dozens of resorts and planned communities. The Palm Island New Year’s Eve party saw revelers walking around the beaches, in some cases topless, drinking champagne from bottles, and, more tellingly, dancing naked.

Some may say, ‘well big deal, it was New Years Eve’; others are probably shaking heads rather moralistically. Goodness, naked women and drunkards. But what’s interesting is that it happened here, in the most conservative part of the Islamic world, the Gulf. Neighboring Saudi Arabia, remember, lashes women (even Westerners) who show a thigh. That Dubai can get away with cross-dressing parties and wild partying shows that perhaps they are preparing for the future. How so?