Submitted by Jeremy Bendik-Keymer, Feb 7, 2007 07:51

The editorial is flawed. It omits facts. There are a number of serious educational endeavors in the region -for instance, the American University of Sharjah, accredited in record time by the Middle States Commission and doing strong work, and there are more than enough expatriots to enjoy the museums, with the local population increasingly interested in what the author calls culture. The Dubai International Film Festival, for instance, is very popular, and the Sharjah Bienial has been going on for a while. Qatar is not a center of Wahabi fundamentalism, either. That's just a falsehood, rather than an omission.

I find the article's use of selective facts and the tone of condescension and inflammation troubling. The author is magnifying some things that still do need work in the region: that the educational systems are not yet entirely integrated from K-16, that there are uneven parts of culture, and that there is rampant materialism. (The US also has a version of these problems too -poor public schools, class divides, wanton mall culture and infotainment, and rampant materialism.) But it's too easy to magnify these and brush aside the complexity and considerable successes of the region. After all, to take the most obvious, the UAE did not *have to turn to serious art or serious institutions. It could have drained all the money into less worthy projects. Following in the tradition of funders in the US, it has attempted to create some great institutions, and will continue to do so, insha'allah (as people say here).

Best wishes.

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