Emirati women in Dubai find themselves in an exceptional situation: they live in a city of superlatives, where the gigantic skyscrapers threaten to overshadow any customs. They perform a balancing act between centuries-old nomadic traditions and the capitalist influences of modernization. Globalization and the oil boom catapulted the Emirati population from nomadism to modernity in a very short time. This change has resulted in locals making up only about 20% of the total population in Dubai today, with the remaining 80% mostly being male guest workers. The ratio of men to women is three to one. What effects does this ambivalent development have on gender relations? Is the national identity of the Emiratis at risk? And what is the situation of Islamic women in a modern metropolis like Dubai?.