Emirates stand tall

摘要

Tuesday November 2, 2004 was an aberra- tion in terms of the UAE's social and economic development, in that it was a day of bad news. The cacophony of diverse languages and music babbling over the airwaves was silenced to make way for wall-to-wall Koranic readings. The message, though ultimately inevitable, was one that Emiratis had dreaded hearing. After 86 years of life and 30 years as president of the federation that he was instrumental in creating, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan had died. In so many parts of the Arab world, the death of a leader is a trigger for official mourning without much in the way of heartfelt sorrow. The thronging crowds on the streets of Abu Dhabi and the tributes that poured in from around the world gave clear indication that Sheikh Zayed left a very different legacy. His domestic and international philanthropy, his ability to walk the delicate tightrope between support for the US war on terror and Arab fury at the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian and Iraqi conflicts, his' religious tolerance and his top-down support for a thriving private sector economy have all contributed to building a country that punches above the weight of its 4.3 million inhabitants.