No but they are expat muslims, not locals. So therefore KOTS, argument doesn't quite hold up.
EGGW
Well, to be specifically correct, yeah, there are expat pilots of the Islamic faith who fall in to the same criteria as the rest of us expats, and they won't get a pay rise. You're quite correct...
However, in
general terms, I am correct. Without goin' in to a big long lecture, I'm jes' tryin' to place some of what we see in a bit of a historical context... I mean the kinda history that we're not really s'posed to be familiar with... and if you spend enough time readin' it's there waitin' ta be uncovered.
The concept of
dhimmi applies. Often in ways that we don't detect unless we're lookin' for it. For those of you who are not UAE nationals, and rent housin' on the local economy... jus' compare your water (DEWA) and electricity rates to those of a UAE national... this is a soft method of
jizya, a tax that must be paid by non-muslims as punishment for not converting to the superior faith. The concept of the dhimmi applies in interesting ways that us westerners don' always perceive... we just see the symptoms, not the root cause. At EK, there's a nice pension for the locals an' diddly squat for the expat workforce. This is correct application of the dhimmi concept. There's no equivocation on this matter, an' it's not open for negotiatin' either. The western concept of 'equal pay for equal work' don't apply, an' never will because the principle underwriting the concept places non-muslims in an inferior light.
Consider the various inequities within expat life here - the way police have a 'do as I say, not as I do' presence on the roads... consider the phenomenon (harmless as it may appear) of the heavily tinted windows of local's cars an' trucks. Expats, well we can't get away (legally, unless you play games with Drs'. diagnoses and claim an allergy to sunlight, which is a current an' effective method) with that but the locals can. Heavy tint permits anonimity and creates a power gradient: it's like sunglasses... when you can't see someone's eyes, you're at a disadvantage... consider the bizarre situation of an expat making a rude hand gesture to an off duty cop who was driving in a way that irritated the expat... remember what happened to the expat? No consequence for the offensive driving... just for the rude gesture. This is due to an underlying belief system, based on Islamic principles which are there for one to uncover if you take the time an' interest to read... it's not a superficial arrogance, it's embedded in the fabric of the faith which is the lifeblood of the mideast culture.... nuff said.
Good night 'n good luck!
k-o-t-s