<p>We shall see. Currently, things seem to be moving in the opposite direction, as more moderate Arab countries are embracing Islamic law and sharia. Since those are in direct conflict with “civil-liberal societies offering basic human freedoms”, I’d say this isn’t likely to happen any time in the near or distant future.</p>
<p>And why haven’t they so far? What is stopping them? And yes, they are going in the opposite direction.</p>
<p>For a modern country, they don’t seem to show it much</p>
<p>I know some posters at CC who are muslim women, would they live there, with not rights? and just wait it out? I wonder</p>
<p>cgm:</p>
<p>What’s stopping them? To a large degree, it’s the same thing that stopped Europe from offering those things after the fall of the Roman Empire until ca. the 19th century. And Europe had the Greek and Roman examples from which to draw.</p>
<p>First, the ME is politically fractured along house/family/clan lines. It is also fractured along ethnic, economic, cultural, and religious lines. It might have overcome those things, and did for many years, except for double hammer blows; the Crusades from the West and the Mongols from the East.</p>
<p>Then, the Seljuk and Ottoman Turks made a bigger mess of things. Finally, the Europeans, looking for spheres of influence or, in the British case, secure rail lines from the Levant to India, messed it up even more.</p>
<p>The area is doing what monotheistic societies have done for ages. When things go wrong, they look to their god and decide it must be because he is displeased. The polytheists did the same thing, sacrificing humans even as late as the Mycenaean culture when things started to go bad.</p>
<p>It will take a long time of political and economic stability before the ME can experience its own Enlightenment.</p>
<p>inshallah-</p>
<p>Absolute fact although historical. Date was early February 1981. Issue was adultery. A van with loudspeakers circled the streets of Abu Dhabi advertising the stoning. I lived in all the Emirates for a period of over three years. Dubai was much more modern I agree. I have not been back to the area for over 12 years and certainly things change.</p>
<p>Ah. I wasn’t aware it was in 1981! 
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<p>But nowadays, Dubai is far ahead of other ME cities in terms of progression both socially and commercially. New technology and financial parks have opened up with many International firms setting up regional headquarters here. Just this week we had Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Henrik Stenson, Retief Goosen and many others play at the Dubai Tennis Classic. Later this month Roger Federe, Rafael Nadal, Henin, Sharapova et al will be playing at the Dubai Tennis Open.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that there aren’t problems with the way things are progressing. Rents are going up, cost of living is increasing drastically, but the salaries are constant. Teh gap between the rich and the poor is increasing at an alarming rate.</p>
<p>Things are looking good atm and hopefully will continue in teh future.</p>
<p>Bam Margera is having his honeymoon in Dubai, the UAE is not the issue, the real issue is militant Islam and Saudi Arabia. When people in your country riot over a cartoon, there is a problem. This situation is a lot worse than people think, and it doesn’t help when we have people over here questioning every thing the military does. I know the military is not in SA right now, but once Bush is out of office, maybe it will be who knows? I know we got rid of our bases in Saudi and the final solution is near.</p>
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<p>That sounds pretty ominous. What do you think the “final solution” will be?</p>
<p>The U.A.E. is quickly becoming the world’s leader (yes, I said world’s leader) in architecture. Use Google images to search for the “Burj Al Arab Hotel” and you will understand what I am talking about. While Iran is using its oil money to build weapons to terrorize its neighbors, the UAE is building buildings few other countries could even imagine much less build. I predict that the UAE will become a major economic power in the middle east.</p>
<p>Check out the Burj Dubai, soon to be the worlds tallest tower.</p>
<p>Re Cartoons, from what I’ve seen of life at my tender age of 17, Muslims are much more intense about their religion compared to Christianity. In Islam, one is ‘religious’ if they pray 5 times a day etc, but I’ve heard fo christians who say their religious because they go to church on Christmas and Easter. That is the difference.</p>