Why Narendra Modi's UAE visit is of much symbolic importance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not have chosen a more important country to visit than the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It has the largest Indian expatriate population anywhere in the Gulf as well as in the world. The local government values the Indian workforce, skilled as well as unskilled, even though their working conditions leave a lot to be desired. That India-UAE trade, more than brisk, lends added importance to Modi’s visit. The UAE is the second largest trade partner for India. The presence of Indian underworld operators in Dubai, including the most wanted of them all — Dawood Ibrahim — and their connections with Pakistan, however, complicates India-UAE relations. 

On the question of symbolism, the UAE is the first Muslim country that Modi has chosen to visit outside South Asia. The significance of his visiting a Muslim country has been buttressed by his visit to the grand Sheikh Zayed mosque in the country’s capital, Abu Dhabi. The visit cannot be dismissed as inconsequential given that the Prime Minister’s attitude towards Muslims has been interpreted at home as both ambiguous and ambivalent, notwithstanding the protestations of his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

The truth about Modi, Islam and Muslims seems to revolve around the simple fact that he is now the Prime Minister of India, which has nearly 150 million Muslims, and also that India has diplomatic relations with many Muslim countries. Modi, it seems, is only too willing to play by the rule book. That is, he considers himself to be the Prime Minister of India’s Muslims because his 125 crore ‘Team India’— a nomenclature popularised by him — includes the largest religious minority as well. 

On economics and business potential, Modi’s visit to UAE provides an ideal opportunity to him to attract investments to India. The UAE has the potential to emerge as the biggest investor in India. Modi has told the UAE investors that India is ready to absorb $1 trillion investment immediately. At a time when the world economy, especially in Europe and in North America, is sluggish, the Arab investors sitting on their petro-dollar surpluses are eagerly looking out for new investment destinations. They also find themselves more at home in India because of the centuries-old history of commercial intercourse between the two regions. 

Economic interest is just one of the factors that could bring the two countries closer to each other. The UAE government is the most vocal opponent of jihadi terrorism, and more than any other Gulf Arab government, it does not entertain any of the Islamic radical elements. The government has recently promulgated a stringent law penalizing the preaching of hatred in the name of religion. For the first time ever by any Arab Muslim country, this law explicitly states the principle of respect and tolerance for all religions. This principle was put in practice by allowing a Hindu temple to be constructed in Abu Dhabi on the occasion of Modi’s visit. Abu Dhabi is the most conservative of the seven emirates that constitute the UAE. 

It would be possible for India to persuade the UAE government to check the anti-India jihadi and underworld elements using Dubai as a passageway, and the UAE leadership may be quite receptive to such overtures. An extradition treaty between the two countries already exists. But the cooperation of the UAE government is quite important to make it productive. As a matter of fact, many of the suspects of the 1993 Bombay Blast Case were brought from Dubai with the help of the UAE officials. Modi and his government can find satisfaction in having a firm ally in the UAE government in fighting the menace of Islamic terrorism. Compared to this, the euphoria of the Indian community in Dubai on meeting Modi, and Modi’s own satisfaction in meeting his constituency of core admirers abroad is of secondary importance.