Hooters in Dubai!
20 Mar, 2007 
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Not to be outdone once again by Bahrain, Dubai will be getting some Hooters pretty soon now, even though Dubai is not in Hooters’ expansion plans,
The investment requirements of the world famous franchise are not that onerous, on the contrary, these are easily available in any of our countries. The issue; however, is not the required investment, the entertainment, nor tourism value of such an enterprise. I am not against the move per se, it doesn’t make any difference to me and I have enjoyed visiting Hooters before – in a journalistic research capacity of course! It is up to the patron’s own set of values if they wish to enter such a restaurant or any other establishment, it is a personal choice after all.
The issue; however, is the continuing disappearance of the Arab and Muslim culture from that thriving city, a fact which has been quite evident for some time. If they understand and appreciate this state of affairs, then all power to them. I hope they make their residents and visitors happy. But is there space for both to coexist?
In Bahrain we have seen already several instances where these issues have come to the surface, and although ours cannot be compared in daring as what is being proposed in Dubai, feathers continue to fly in our parliament. Fortunately this time the liberals were not afraid to clearly stand against the Islamists and come out vehemently against them. I hope that this will be the turning point in which the Islamists will understand that there is a growing reaction to their pompous morality police mentality, and that the liberals do not let their guard down and stand their ground against that retroactive mentality.
I am wondering though if in fact Hooters becomes a reality, will that affect the countries around Dubai as well? Will that sort of openness drag its neighbours into the same era, if indeed such a thing could be regarded as modernity?
If Hooters does open in Dubai; though, they should first and foremost hire burly bouncers to keep the peace even before the first stick of furniture is ordered! Can you imagine its patrons living by the rule of “look but don’t touch” after a drink of two? Especially if bodyshots are also included on the menu?
I think I will pass on the opportunity of checking that restaurant out! But that should be quite a subject for a documentary!
i dont believe in ‘sins’ mahmood, and being idealistic is not neccessarily antithetical to being pragmatic. i am.
and if you’re suggesting i should be more ‘tolerant’, well 1) i am plenty tolerant thanks 2) i dont think hooters is a very tolerant place judging by its employee rule book and 3) the sexist ideology it promotes and rakes in profits from is certainly intolerant to the majority of REAL women who don’t conform to such ridiculous fantasy-stereotypes.
i hope you realise that middle aged people need to continually ‘find room to grow’ too. being idealistic and tolerant can help, as well as age and experience. sometimes.
Zara ,
What about the measure by which most Bahraini and Arab woman decide to get married? Where the priority is on the man being somewhat wealthy as oposed to being faithful? Where most women would never dream of working in Hooters, but they keep their mouths shut on the character discrepancies of thier husbands because they dont want to rock the boat on their social status or financial status and end up turning a blind eye to almost everything short of murder?
That, to me, is MUCH more exploitative to women than someone choosing to work at Hooters where she signs a contract that is legally binding and enforcable. And in the example that i just brought up, women are enforcing it upon themselves.
Zara, my dear,
I don’t think you’re going to get ahead as a woman if you see women as victims. It goes both ways, you know. I say hello to a fair number of cute young girls who turn their nose up at an old fart. In a perfect world, I would be their image of a Sex God, but sadly it is an unjust world where young women harshly discriminate against us deserving elder men. In fact, young women in general are rather drawn to young, handsome, rich men. Take a look in some women’s trash novels and you might say that such men are objectified. Women don’t really care much what such men are like as persons, but rather see them as winning lotto tickets who will give them the good life.
As far as employment conditions at Hooters, in a free society you can leave your job the second you’ve had enough. That imposes a check on bad behavior by bosses and customers. You can’t keep good employees by mistreating them.
Comparing a corporation to fascism is pretty silly. By your definition, most families would be fascist because they have an authoritarian structure. Some differences that should have occurred to you are tha corporations can’t have you executed, can not impose a pollitical position on you, and must treat you well to keep you. A corporation is a voluntary organization where fascism definitely is coercive. A corporation is basically a way to accumulate capital to finance a large enterprise by drawing investment from a large number of investors who bear only the limited risk of losing their money. Corporations have built much of modern life in the West. They’re a good thing. In general, you are treated much better in a corporation than you are working for a small business where owners tend to be more eccentric and autocratic.
Steve
Steve , my love ..
HAH. Looked at the stats in Iraq lately?
HAHAHAH. Remember the will of the american people that elected Gore by a majority only to be subverted by the american legal process that was enforced and tweaked by the Republican war machine? Not to mention the fundamental voter recount system?
And really, hasn’t it been kinda boring without me?
Just wanted to respond to one point. Mahmood said:
The problem with this is that Hooters won’t show “our women” that they have a real choice, but will provide society with just another male-defined image of how women should look and behave. How is this any different from those women who choose to choose to cover up and stay hidden at home so as to conform to the idealized image of the “pious woman” created by men?
There is nothing inherently wrong with someone choosing to cover up or wear skimpy clothing. But what we need to bear in mind is the context in which these images of women are being created. Are they created freely by society, or do they have something to do with the power relations between one group over another?
admin edit: see 109
Sounds like you have gone some kind of experience, rejection may be? Now I can understand the reason
this replaces post 107 which wa messed up. sorry
actually, i think partly it might be because women are not turned on so easily by visual gimmicks
when you apply for a job there, you can discuss this with the boss.
no that just means they are not right for hooters
then, they don’t work at hooters
every single business does this. they aren’t telling the world what to think (not directly). they decide who is their target market, what that market likes and create something to satisfy it. it would be totally infeasible for them to create an individualized product for each and every customer to satisfy their individual taste, so they focus on the creatable common denominator in their own target market.
generally speaking, most businesses do. when you own the business, what you say goes. you set the tone, you decide the guidelines, you decide how formal the atmosphere will be, you decide whether or not to provide customer service, you decide whether or not customers are important, you decide how much salary you are willing to pay, you decide whether or not the company is going to be socially responsible, you decide how much training your staff will get, you decide whether your staff are important, you decide how you will motivate them, and last but not least, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WILL DECIDE WHETHER YOU WILL CHOOSE TO BE LESS AUTHORITARIAN WHEN IT SUITS YOU.
that’s the number one reason why people want to own their own business, so they no longer have to answer to someone else!!
democracy is a political system, capitalism is an economic system. they are not mutually exclusive. they are independent. you can practice democracy in your business as far as you want to, in the same way as you can do it in a family. in a “democratic family”, the five year olds don’t get to vote on whether the father should go for invasive surgery, chemotherapy or go without, any more than employees get to vote on whether the company should change suppliers or close an unprofitable branch.
true
ok, you lost me
every company has a “culture”. and if that culture includes a dress code or not smoking or not doing drugs or covering up from head to toe or not wearing jewelery or not wearing tight clothes or only wearing tight clothes, as long as you know what you are accepting, … it seems to me the type of girl who would work in a sleazy place like that would have no problem with the issues you raised. it’s not as if she doesn’t have a choice. her fredom is whether to work there or not, not how she would their business to be run.
i think this business is based more on respecting the freedoms of men to make fools of themselves than by disrespecting women who also happen to choose to be there.
i could understand you wanting to ban it more than you trying to change it. if you changed it, it would become another run of the mill chain selling bad food. lets be honest, at least.
i find the product distasteful, but i don’t have to like it or the people who work there or frequent the place. if others want to, that’s their right.
however, your idea of defending women’s rights and freedoms consists of imposing your moral high ground on other females because you think you know better than them what is good for them.
and did i not read somewhere on this blog you advocating legalizing prostitution? how do you reconcile the two positions? does the latter not “objectify and sexualize” women?
You are 100% right.
Wow… talk about a bad thing to take from the west… instead scientific persuit and intellectual creativity, we grab elements of – imho – the broken social structure… soon we’ll end up with their set of problems on top of our own.
I’m fairly liberal but I’m now starting to wonder if the government should indeed step in and help preserve at least some of the basic moral values we pride ourselves in – while outsiders cannot understand them, gotta love culture salad.
That said, I’m more concerned about corruption in society – the “Wastas” and the ineffective justice system when it comes to civil matters – than hooters.
These problem just keep piling up, a shame.
Hmmm. While you are all worried that the introduction of Hooters will introduce a scandalous American disrespect for women and erode Muslim custom, the Army of Islam is hunting women down like animals and shooting them to death in Gaza.
Perhaps women in the Middle East have bigger things to worry about than Hooters, where nary a waitress has been murdered.
Jasra: “HAHAHAH. Remember the will of the american people that elected Gore by a majority only to be subverted by the american legal process that was enforced and tweaked by the Republican war machine? Not to mention the fundamental voter recount system?”
You’re a little confused about how we elect presidents, which is not by simple majority but by electoral votes. If we elected by simple majority, any local region could throw the whole nation-wide election with vote tampering. Breaking the electorate up into states with electoral votes limits the damage. The downside of electoral blocks is that you can elect somebody who has a slight majority of votes, as Gore apparently did, although that majority was less than 1%, well within the margin of error for voting.
Bush won fair and square according to the system we have in place. Gore and the Democrats have not called to change that system to one of simply majority, so they must not think it’s unfair.
And really, Jasra, your criticism of my debating style as “me good, you bad” would be more credible if you did not reflexively spout jargon like “Republican war machine.”
Back to Hooters, I say,
Steve
Ahem…
http://www.southparkstuff.com/images/stories/epiimgs/epi714/epi714img13.jpg
As long as you don’t pick up any trans fats, I’m good to go! Anytime.
Those that are older than thirty may have found – looking back a decade or more that the world is getting a lot “smaller”, and practically all countries are picking up restaurants and ideas from other cultures. Satellite TV and movies are instrumental in this. We visited Dubai last year and that is what we found in Dubai perhaps more than in other Muslim countries, and the same thing is happening in the US. I find it a good thing. I have seen Dubai several times over the years and decades.
I would think that Hooters management, as a successful international chain, did its homework. I have doubts as I said above about their success in Dubai or anywhere else in the Muslim world, but they obviously think that the timing is right. In the end, the local people decide. Not governments or religious leaders. And that is just great. Businesses improving in a competitive environment to better serve you, the customer, the local people.
Just because a place becomes more international and more progressive, it does not mean that they lose their culture.
Best regards,
Vic
There is no doubt that the world would be better off without exploitation of any kind. This can only happen if everyone agrees to reject it, thereby removing the market. As the bumper sticker says ‘Human Kind…..Be Both”
Steve darling.
I know about the electoral system. I was just using an example, albiet loaded, to prove to you that your your earlier point, in #82 ..
.
The fact that the law will follow the will of the people is not always true. Sometimes, the law has to be placed first, and the cultural norms then adapt and follow.
Jasra,
There is a kernel of truth to what you say, but if people don’t support a law, it simply won’t be enforced. Prohibition, for example, and laws against homosexuality. Both are wrong-headed initiatives to legislate morality. The schoolhouse and mosque are better places to start a culture of individual liberty than the legislature. People must accept the justice of the idea first.
Zara your right that it can be exploiting. In the US I doubt that you will find women being exploted just to work and be viewed by men at Hooters. You might find that some of those same women were abused or exploted by fathers or boy friends but even then its going to be a very small minority. I know several ladys that worked in bars over the years and made a $100 an hour and all they had to do is serve drinks and talk for tips. One of my lawyers makes the same sort of money and sometimes has to defend a guilty sleezy lowlife and yet she is considered to have the better job.
Well do you think that the men in the middle east could handle a hooters??? Most men that are not married STILL LIVE AT HOME with their mommies and daddy’s. I have met grown men that still bring a paid esort out with them, in the Middle East. Too bad they got to pay someone to go out with them!!
Most Middle Eastern men stare at women as if they have never seen one before, oh, yeah they haven’t they’re all covered up!!! In most cases, if it wasn’t for this group of men in the market many strip clubs and “escort” services would be out of business. Why is it that when most people think of Arab men only negative thoughts surface in the minds of many: Sexual straved, oil rich, violent people. Let’s change that first. Where are our examples, of straight up gentlemen? Loyal fathers, hard working men, that can be all that a man is suppose to be?
I think the culture of the Middle East needs to deal with they’re own women before they bring in another B/S western idea. Why not bring in other some other ideas, such as, the concept of respecting your own women before exporting more women to disrespect??? Just a thought.
However, thanks Mahood for opening up your blog and being a real man and stepping UP to the plate allowing people to think!
well, that is both patronising and insulting.
can we conclude that you have conducted some research after which you arrived at these conclusions?
and for your information, we are not all covered up. those that want to be are and many of us choose not to be and that’s fine too.
and another baseless statement.
there are many many many decent respectable real men, loyal fathers, hard working men who are are not sex starved, oil rich or violent people in our country. we know them, they are our fathers and our brothers and our colleagues and our neighbours and our friends..
and then there are some socially deviant people here as there are in any society, middle eastern or not.
i don’t know where you get your information, but i would look for better-informed sources if i were you
oh, and i forgot the best ones.. our husbands bless them
Hello all – its a matter of life that men (well normal men) like women and there bodies… if they didnt, well no population – the problem here is religon. im not saying religon is bad – it gives people morals and a sense of direction. youve all gone of subject, its not about whether or not hooters itself is bad – as a male i personally feel its okay as long as there is a strict anti-sexism system set up. I live in dubai – have done for 15 years, i know the people here – sorry for generalising but men here are extremeley sexist. The question here should be whether or not hooters should be allowed in a muslim country like dubai? i belive it should be – we have night clubs, drugs, fights that are un recorded and unknown about, underage drinking and smoking etc. If dubai is marketing itself as a holiday destination then it cant complain and has to be loose on the old anti- islamic habbits. Im 15, and i drink and occasionally smoke (stupid i know) but to be honest – are any of you even living here – no, excuse the possible 2 or 3. If you are muslim of course your going to find hooters unethical but again it is a pesonal choice if you want to go in there. If your worried that your husband will be more attracted to a fit waitress then you have problems – i find it hypercritical tho that the local men in this country want there wifes covered in an abaya while they go look at young european women – it continues to amaze me! cheers – email me if you want to continue this convo…. leonsingle@gmail.com
Well, when talking about issues like hooters, prostitution, or pornography, talking about freedom of choice is alien to the subject.
Many people have the freedom to choose wrong decisions, and doing wrong acts .. I’ve seen a documentary on the CNN about the growing number of children ” below 18 ” who chose to take prostitution as a way to get fast money .. And yet many of those children and teens are doing it based on their own choice ! No one stuck a gun forced them to do so !
But is it – from an ethical P.O.V – correct or is wrong ? eventhough they chose to doit freely !
Freedom of choice does not make things right or acceptable ..
Some here – from the US – might feel offended that islamists “hijack” their freedom of choice to go to hooters, well islamists in a conservative country like Bahrain might feel offended if a hooters has opened. Similar to this issue that many have been against the arabic version of the Big Brother show in Bahrain, and many have stood against it, until the project is off, why ?
Because of participants of both genders mixing and living in one house, which is against beliefs and religion to many conservatives in Bahrain.
In the islamic world, many believe that such acts have bad influence that affects their identity, their children, and find it offending. As an example, what would you feel about someone entering the house and walking around with muddy shoes ? Is it ok with you ? OR would you be offended and feel that you are not being respected in your own house ?
People would feel the same when hooters opens in an islamic country ?
Hootersmay not occur in Dubai after all.
I just noticed this link
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=495351:plans-for-dubai-hooters-deflated&Itemid=0
I’m sure there is more to this than meets the eye . . .
I
Damn. I was looking forward to their wings and buns!
hooters girls are lame. the restaurants stupid and the wings suck. any brainless nitwit who was rejected from a legit modeling agency could prance around in one of those horrible 70′s jazzercise looking outfits with the push up bra and cheeks hangin out while they serve beer and greasy food to horny men. wow, mom and dad are probably thinking “everything we ever hoped for!” LOL
Salaams Mahmood,
I FULLY agree with you when you mentioned in your post about the reduction of Arab culture and heritage. That scares me because I think the culture, with many negatives, has wonderful things! I lived in Bahrain and know what I am talking about. I am now majoring in Cultural Anthroplogy with a concentraition in the Mideast. I can’t wait to go back! I plan on learning Arabic soon. Inshallah.
Tiffany