Emirati society has traditionally been open to other cultures. Even before the federation was founded in 1971 and before the discovery of oil in the 1960s, ports received sailors and traders from Iran, India and many parts of Africa and Asia.
At the same time, Emirati sailors and traders also travelled to distant parts of Asia and Africa seeking better opportunities.
Through these exchanges they brought with them many things that are considered today as traditional elements of Emirati culture.
Concerned
But today Emiratis are very concerned about their national identity, as the number of foreigners is rising rapidly and nationals are now a minority in their own country.
Khalfan Musabih, cultural adviser at the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Foundation, said: "We are not afraid of others but we are concerned about losing our identity, heritage and language. National identity is to feel you belong to your homeland and to feel zeal toward everything related to it," he said.
Musabih is concerned about the new generation "who feel like they do not belong to this land".
He said Emiratis feel increasingly isolated "because they only make up about 15 per cent of the total population".
He said expatriates who come to the UAE for a short time to earn a living do not have a sense of belonging or necessarily feel loyalty to the country. Arab expatriates who have lived here for a long time, on the other hand, do have a sense of belonging since they share a common culture, he noted.
Musabih said he did not see why expatriates could not observe Emirati culture and adapt to it.
"If this situation were going on in France or elsewhere in Europe, it would be considered offensive," he said.
He continued: "I'm not asking to close the open doors because, personally, the multicultural society allows me to enrich my culture and experiences. I just think expatriates should understand our concerns."
Dr. Ameenah Al Daheri, Associate Professor of mass media at the UAE University, said: "Nationals are concerned about their identity because they are a minority in their homeland."
Although it is hard to find a definition for national identity, she said, "It includes culture, heritage, traditions and loyalty to the UAE."
Elements of Emirati identity that are most under threat are "social values, culture and traditions", she said, recalling the freej (traditional neighbourhood) she grew up in where "everyone knew one other and felt secure".
Today, demographics have changed as nationals have moved out of city centres and have been replaced by expatriates who have a different lifestyle, she added.
Property
"Property investments inside the city now target foreigners, while nationals are moving to the desert where they are offered houses by the government. That is why we don't see Emiratis in some cities".
Another issue Dr. Ameenah worries about is language, which according to her safeguards local culture.
She said economic dev-elopment does not necessarily mean depending less on the national language, citing the example of China as an economic powerhouse that has maintained its language.
Dr Ebrahim Al Marzouqi, a legal consultant and cultural figure in Abu Dhabi, said Emirati culture and the Arabic language will "vanish" as the number of expatriates grows.
The Gulf region, he said, has always been open to foreigners, "but that never threatened national identity".
"Now the number of foreigners is really high and they are the people on the street," he said.
Everyone in society is responsible for this, he said.
"Employers must ensure that employees learn Arabic, strict rules must limit the open immigration policy, and the percentage of foreigners in the country should be decreased to ensure an Arab majority," he suggested.
"This year was declared national identity year but so far nothing has changed in the media, education, and the language spoken on the streets," he said.
"It is our right to observe our culture, heritage and traditions as it's any society's right to hold on to its identity."
Growing population of the UAE
- 1972 - 332,000
- 1975 - 557,887
- 1980 - 1,042,099
- 1985 - 1,379,303
- 1990 - 1,773,000
- 1995 - 2,411,041
- 2000 - 3,247,000
- 2001 - 3,498,000
- 2002 - 3,754,000
- 2003 - 4,041,000
- 2005 - 4,104,695
- 2006 - 4,229,000
- 2007 - 5,122,000
