Please forgive the pedantry in my answer, but I have to bite I'm afraid. I worked in Dubai for quite a while and yes much is true in the article posted by the OP. Particularly the piece about the poor Indian workers (who, as it said, built the place.
But don't let the article put you off. It is a fascinating place, and BY FAR the most relaxed of the muslim states (bars are plentiful, for instance).
Here is where I find a few issues
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Forgive me but I'm always amazed when information like this proves so astonishing. Dubai is a country...
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No, it is an
Emirate - one of 7 in the
country (capital: Abu Dhabi) known as UAE (United Arab Emirates).
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... which in a generation has, thanks to oil production...
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Nope! Only 6% of the GDP of UAE comes from oil, and most of that comes from Abu Dhabi. Dubai's oil reserves are almost non-existant, which is why the (now deceased) Sheikh decided to re-invent Dubai as a high-class tourist city. His son (mentioned in the article) carries on that work. Most of the 'money' used to build Dubai into a rich resort has come from foreign investment. Actually, Dubai is in severe debt as a result of speculative building (now that said foreign investment has dried up due to world recession). If they had loads of oil, they'd have no problem!
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...Sharia law can be, to non Muslims, very unforgiving and I'm sorry, but it's a fool who takes on a job/the ex-pat lifestyle in the UAE without giving this any thought. The same goes for the tourist/visitor. Conform or suffer the consequences. No quarter will be given...
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That is true to
an extent, but as I said above, Dubai's laws have been made intentionally lax. Remember the Brit couple caught having sex on the beach (not a cocktail!)? All that happened to them was deporation. They deserved FAR harsher treatment, in my opinion. The police actually ignored them at their first visit, returning half hour later to find them still 'at it'. If you want to see Sharia Law in action, try Saudi Arabia. I visited many times on business. Now THAT is a place to avoid at all costs (unless you are muslim - though I have an Egyptian muslim friend who lives and works in Saudi and hates it almost as much as I did!).
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The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Harsh, but true.
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Now that I
do agree with. But I do miss Dubai a great deal and thoroughly enjoyed living and working there. I will definitely return soon - the city changes very fast and will be entirely different on my next trip.
As I said earlier - do not be put off by the bad publicity. See it for youself. It ain't cheap, it's often gaudy (think Las Vegas on steroids), but it is
fun 