As long as I have the obligation to pay taxes and the law says I can work until retirement age, then I believe I have the same right as any other man to apply and be interviewed.
I take it you mean "Man or Woman". We don't want to discriminate, do we?
I was going to let it go, but I can't let a statement as silly as that pass!
AFDS, you claim not to be naive. You do understand that you were applying to Work for Emirates based in Dubai?
1) You have NEVER paid tax in the UAE (nobody does) and
2) Rights are different from country to country depending on their individual laws.
If you are the type of person (and your posts strongly suggest you are) that feel he has an inalienable set of rights and gets upset (as you obviously have) if they are not respected, you've dodged a bullet as you wouldn't have lasted two minutes in Emirates.
This country has laws and rights very different from the West. Locals have different (greater) rights than expats, Women have different (lesser) rights than Men and so on.
As to Emirates, they can pick and choose as they like. If you feel you have a "Right" to an interview, god knows what you would have felt you have a "Right" to once you were here.
Best for all that you didn't.
I would strongly advise you, however, not to trot that attitude out ANYWHERE where culture in an issue. In Asia, the ME, Africa or most other places where you are a cultural minority, a foreigner asserting "I have the Right!!" goes down like a lead balloon!