sharia, monarchy and moolah

One thing always intrigues me.

Many of my (highly educated) compatriots – and relatives - live in the United Arab Emirates for years, then either come back with plenty of money or use some of that money to buy a citizenship in Canada.

Not only do my compatriots troop down to the UAE lured by the moolah, an army of Americans and Europeans regularly head to these rainbow-ends every month.

Come to think of it, I have known may western expatriates who have been loth to leave Bangladesh – for here they get a mansion, servants, chauffeur, and all mod cons. Back home, they'd have to live in a cramped little apartment.

Now, getting back to my relatives: these moolah-seekers never complain about the UAE. I am most surprised at the total absence of complaint regarding the sharia law.

These good, unhypocritical folk don't mind the monarchy either.

Take my uncle: he and his whole family battened on the oil-proceeds of the emirates, then emigrated to the freer climes in the west, from where he harrumphs and humphs and hoomphs about the evils of autocracy: having made his pile under autocracy and the sharia law, he finds it convenient to sound like an American.

Corruption is part of human nature: no amount of legislation or moralistic preaching or fire-and-brimstone sermons are going to rid corruption from our genes (not even in science fiction).