A Visit To Dubai Inc.
Steve Kroft Reports On A Success Story In The Middle East (60 Minutes-CBS)
"(CBS) This segment was originally broadcast on Oct. 14, 2007.
Chances are you have seen or heard something about Dubai during the past year. If not, it is one of seven tiny sheikhdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates, a small, oil-rich country nestled on the Persian Gulf on the east side of the Arabian Peninsula. Dubai is a city state that has transformed itself from desert into an international business hub and tourist destination.
As correspondent Steve Kroft reports, it is also a Middle East success story, an island of stability in a region torn by conflict, a political, economic and social experiment that is the vision of one man. He is Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, an international horseman of some note, not to mention one of the world's richest men. He rarely gives interviews and but he gave one to 60 Minutes, along with a tour of his sheikhdom.
No matter how many articles you read or how many pictures you see, they don't quite capture the enormity and the energy of Dubai. It is a physical manifestation of Arab oil wealth set in concrete, glass and steel, a place so rich and ambitious that is changing the geography of the world as a business center, transportation hub, and tourist destination.
It's a 21st century city at the crossroads of a new world. Skyscrapers rise in clusters, man-made islands rise from the sea, and entire neighborhoods with hundreds of office buildings and apartments that rise from the sand. And it is all Sheikh Mohammed's vision.
One project, called by some the "largest construction site on earth," was just desert seven years ago. The site employs half a million laborers, working 12-hour shifts on a reported $300 billion worth of projects, building Sheikh Mohammed's dream of a modern, efficient and tolerant Arab city with fine restaurants, a vibrant nightlife, that is both the playground and business capital of a new Middle East.
"What are you trying to do here? What do you want this place to be?" Kroft asks.
"I want it to be number one. Not in the region, but in the world," Sheikh Mohammed says.
Asked what he means by "number one in the world," Sheikh Mohammed says, "In everything. High education, health, housing. Just making my people the highest way of living."
At 58 years old, he is one of the richest people in the world, a member of the Maktoum family which has ruled here for nearly two centuries. He is a former air force pilot and an avid horseman who competes in grueling cross country endurance races and is one of the largest breeders of thoroughbred race horses in the world.
By Western standards his marital situation is a little complicated. He’s married to Princess Haya, the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, but he also has another wife who is rarely seen in public.
He is frequently described as a workaholic and, as 60 Minutes found one morning, always in motion. The sheikh, who likes to stay on his feet, walks around without a security detail.
He is famous for dropping in unannounced at construction sites and government offices to see how things are going.
He uses his cars as mobile offices, traveling most of the time by himself.
There is a little bit of Donald Trump in him, at least when it comes to showmanship and getting people to come to Dubai. "You know this building up here? This is where we have snow skiing," Sheikh Mohammed points out.
The strange looking building the sheikh had pointed out is the world's tallest indoor ski slope. Outside it may be 120 degrees but inside it feels like the Alps.
There is the Dubai World Cup, showcasing the fastest horses in the world running for the world's richest purse. Not to mention the most luxurious hotel in the world, the Burj al Arab, where the cheapest room is $2,000 a night.
"Why do you want everything to be the biggest, the tallest?" Kroft asks.
"Steve, why not? Why not? If you can have it in New York, why can’t we have it here?" Sheikh Mohammed asks.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Most people would try and do this in a lifetime, not five years," Kroft asks.
"I want my people to live better now. To go to high school now. To go to good health care now. Not after 20 years," the sheikh explains."
-Message
Jojimon's Speech - Part 1 [Malayalam Christian Speech]
"This speech is divided in to 5 parts and you will be able to locate the remaining 4 parts in my channel.
Its amazin to see God is using this 6th grader to magnify his Glorious name across different parts of the world.
Location: Held in Abu Dhabi, Uae "
Related Sites: Wikipedia-Abu Dhabi "is the capital of the emirate of the same name, largest of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates and is also the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is said by some to be the richest city in the world[1] and is located in the north central UAE. The city lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast. An estimated 1.8 million people lived there in 2006, with about an 80% expatriate population. Abu Dhabi city is located at 24.4667� N 54.3667� E. At the head of Abu Dhabi and across from the Corniche is Lulu Island, a semi-natural landmass that is arguably the most strategic and valuable piece of property in the Emirate."
Related Sites: Wikipedia-Dubai "Dubai has the largest population and is the second largest emirate by area, after Abu Dhabi [4] and, with Abu Dhabi, is one of only two emirates to possess veto power over critical matters of national importance in the UAE. [5]"
"The World Islands, are a collection of man-made islands shaped into the continents of the world, located off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It will consist of 300 small private artificial islands divided into four categories - private homes, estate homes, dream resorts, and community islands."
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Dubai's police chief said Monday an 11-member hit squad carrying European passports and disguised in wigs, fake beards and tennis clothes was behind the mysterious killing of a Hamas commander in his hotel room last month. Authorities also released photos of the 11...
"DUBAI, UAE (ANS) -- A unique Christian oasis is being built in the shape of a cross on the edge of desert in the blooming United Arab Emirate state of Dubai. (Pictured: The Sign of the Cross on the outside of DECC building now being constructed).
Once it is completed, the Dubai Evangelical Christian Center (DECC) will eventually become a focus of evangelical activities in this country of 1.2 million people, 800,000 of which are overseas workers mainly from India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, though there are about 30,000 British people also working in Dubai.
One of the leaders of this exciting project is Carl Sherbeck, an American from Madison, Wisconsin, who is a fluent Arabic speaker. �The Dubai Christian Center is a ministry of evangelical believers involved in a number of different congregations who will jointly use this facility once it is completed. It is difficult to get property on which to build a church, but the government of Dubai has been very good to us and given us this sizable property to build this center.�
Carl said he initially came to Dubai to work with a hospital which was established here back in 1960. �When we came back for our second time in 1972, I became more directly involved with the church and eventually my sponsorship here has been under the church. (Pictured: Carl Sherbeck and Nicolaas Duursema on the site of DECC).
�This project has been a major highlight for me,� he continued. �To see this dream come into being so that we could have an evangelical church center here in the city of Dubai, a city of 800,000 people or so. Previous to this, we have been involved in the development of a similar development in Abu Dhabi City.�
When asked what the Christian church was like in Dubai, he replied, �The government has not interfered with us at all and so as long as we keep the church ministry within our premises and so from that perspective, it�s much like we find back home and we are thankful for the measure of freedom that we have in this country.�
Carl then asked for prayer for DECC. �We need people to pray that all of the potential for the spread of Gospel of Christ maybe realized through these churches that will utilize this new center. You know sometimes, church can get bogged down in sectarian strife or inter-personal problems or in some hobby that is not central to gospel and people might pray that all of God�s servants here, and there are several, may be spared from all of that. We have had good times in seeing the Lord delivering us from those energy-wasting things in order that we might concentrate on building the Kingdom.
Nicolaas Duursema, a huge 6� 7� ex-Rugby player is also a key player in the DECC development. The Project Manager, he said that he came to Dubai to work as a businessman and soon God began to work in his life. �The highlight for me was to be baptized again and to get close to God after some difficult times,� said Nicolaas. �I began to realize that God is in control of everything. My role with DECC was to get in place a project that is viable and make it work and to set up a business. Today we are sitting on the edge of having a facility in place and a business in place to do a lot of work for God.� (Pictured: Carl Sherbeck and Nicolas Duursema at the entrance to DECC).
Then he said, �We are here on the edge of the desert. Our building is in the shape of a cross, which in uncommon out here. Even on the walls, we see crosses also being depicted.
�Once we have this completed, we will have classrooms, the Bible Society will be here, and there will also be a coffee shop, a mum�s and toddler�s group, some schooling. We will a library with Christian books and CDs, and computers. There will also be a contact center for one of satellite channels and so it really like a home for people who are coming from all over the world that sometimes are not allowed to believe in Christianity where they come from, but they can do it out here. We also will have a lot of people who are far from home who can sit down here and get together for fellowship.
�We sit with 40 nationalities in our own church (which meets in a village in the city) and have an Arabic church and others, and I think it is going down to basics. Because we are coming from different cultures, you can only go down to basics and ask, �What is the message here and what is important?�
�If you attended one of the international days where the people sing, it is the most amazing event because you are sitting with people singing in Mandarin, Hindi, Afrikaans, and English, and realize that they also singing about Jesus and what He is going for them and the people are so hungry that I think if we stick to the basics, it doesn�t matter where you from.
He said that funds are urgently needed to complete the facility. �It�s been a battle to get a lot of the things in place, but numerous people from all over the world have already contributed to this building and we deeply appreciate it.�
DECC AFFILIATES
He said that there are many Christian organizations affiliated with DECC. The Charter Churches are the United Christian Church of Dubai which has 40 nations represented in its congregation and the Arab Evangelical Christian Church of Dubai, a non-denominational Arabic Evangelical Church comprising about 200 persons including Egyptians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis, and several other nationalities. Many expatriate Arab Christians working in Dubai and Sharjah are making AECD their church home
The United Bible Societies who distribute the Bibles and Christian literature throughout the world will also be represented in the DECC building by way of The Bible Society of the Gulf. They will operate a 100+ square meter showroom, storage and office space on the ground floor of the building.
UCCD and AECD Member Affiliations
Many members of the Charter Churches are sponsored by or involved with national and multi-national Christian organizations. Some of those organizations are:
* Mennonite Brethren Mission Services International
* The Christian and Missionary Alliance
* The Council of Evangelical Churches in the UAE
Spread over 83,600 sq. kilometers of harsh desert land, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is situated on the Arabian Gulf and is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar. The seven emirates that together make up the UAE are Abu Dhabi (the capital), Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah. The population totals nearly 3 million people of which UAE nationals make up less than 20% all of whom are Muslim. Islam is the state religion; however, there is freedom to worship and witness within the ex-patriot community.
For more information on DECC, you can e-mail them at info@uccdubai.com. You can also log onto their website which is http://www.deccc.com. "
"..is a Middle Eastern country situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, comprising seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajmān, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. Before 1971, they were known as the Trucial States or Trucial Oman, in reference to a nineteenth-century truce between Britain and several Arab Sheikhs. The name Pirate Coast has also been used in reference to the area's emirates in the 18th to early 20th century.[1] It borders Oman and Saudi Arabia. The country is rich in oil and, although it lacks other natural resources, it expects recent additional economic diversification to draw more financial and banking firms. The United Arab Emirates, a desert-and-coastal nation, has become a highly prosperous country after gaining foreign direct investment funding in the 1970s. The country has a relatively high Human Development Index, or HDI, for the Asian continent."
"My wife, Denise and I carried the cross in each of the seven Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Each of these Emirates is independent, yet part of the one UAE.
We flew into the country at Abu Dhabi and left from Dubai. We rented a car and would carry the cross in one area and then drive to the another Emirate and carry the cross there also.
It took a miracle to get the cross through customs at the airport. After much discussion the officials concluded it was for 'sport' and let the cross in!
We had a very wonderful time in these Emirates. We met many people who stopped their cars to talk with us about the cross and Jesus.
We walked in the desert areas and also in the heart of the cities as you can see from the photos.
Most of the people who stopped to talk were the foreign workers or tourists. On the entire trip, the police never stopped us. Not one person said an unkind word to me.
Denise would drive up the road with water and food and wait for me to arrive with the cross. We stayed in hotels during the UAE crosswalk, as this was a requirement of our visas. "
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Movies: The Passion, Crucification, Easter, Resurrection, etc..
Music
Christian Song-with Dubai Views
"Praise The King of Glory, Christian Song - TPM Dubai Convention Song"
"The construction from Januari 2005 till September 2006 with music of Tiësto."
Related Sites: Wikipedia "(Arabic: برج دبي "Dubai Tower") is a supertall skyscraper currently under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. When it is completed in late 2008, it is predicted to be the tallest man-made structure in the world. Scheduled for occupancy in September 2009, the building is part of a 2 km² (0.8 sq mi) development called 'Downtown Dubai' and is located at the "First Interchange" (aka "Defence Roundabout") along Sheikh Zayed Road at Doha Street."
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