M&R gets caught in crossfire in Dubai
November 26, 2006
By Mzwandile Jacks
Johannesburg - South African construction company Murray & Roberts (M&R) has been drawn into a storm that is brewing in Dubai over what Muslims believe is a Christian cross designed into the 321m-tall Burj Al Arab hotel and restaurant complex.
Muslims in Dubai claim a cantilevered restaurant that intersects the central spine of the Burj Al Arab, shaped like the billowing sail of an Arab dhow, makes the defining feature into a cross.
The row has been fuelled by talk that the Burj Dubai, set to become the tallest building in the world when completed in 2008, would also have something that resembles a cross.
M&R moved to the Middle East when South Africa's construction industry was in the doldrums. The work that it was doing in Dubai boosted the company's profits and the order book at the time.
During the construction of the Burj Al Arab, M&R worked with Al Habtoor and has been involved in constructing some of the landmark projects that are said to define the development of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The intensity of the discussions among people who have taken offence at the design of the building raised fears of a backlash, echoing the protests that followed the publication of cartoons that satirised aspects of Islam.
Brian Bruce, the chief executive of M&R, said this week that he had heard talk about the cross-shaped element in the building.
But he did not think that the design was meant to be controversial.
"The building was designed by other people and we just built it as we are just visitors there. I feel unqualified to comment on the design … but I do think that if anyone looks for something specific, it can be found in anything one observes," Bruce said.
Burj Al Arab, which has become a landmark synonymous with Dubai, was designed by British architect Tom Wright of WS Atkins.
Standing on a man-made island, it is one of the world's tallest buildings used exclusively as a hotel and restaurant. The hotel boasts the tallest atrium on earth and an underwater seafood restaurant, a two-storey aquarium and a hanging restaurant.
Burj Al Arab, which in Arabic means the Tower of Arabs, stands in the Persian Gulf 280m away from the shore.
It is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge.
The construction of the hotel began in 1994 and its doors opened to guests on December 11 1999.
At the time, the world was told that it was built to resemble a sail. But today critics are claiming that Wright designed the cross after he had a dream to have a Christian influence in a Muslim country.
James Deakin, a professional artist writing on his website, said: "This issue may just be small talk … but if you look at the hotel you will notice that the restaurant intersects and casts a shadow of the cross on to the ocean."
Deakin has visited the hotel on several occasions and has been mesmerised by the beauty of the hotel so much that he has written many positive articles about it.
It is believed that many Muslims are worried sick about the cross on the structure of the Burj Al Arab, with many saying this can be interpreted as an affront to the Muslim faith as there are few Christians born and brought up in the UAE capital.
Muslims in Dubai are not only worried about the cross that is depicted on the Burj Al Arab. They think the Burj Dubai will have some Christian influence.
Said Bruce: "I have heard [the story of the cross] of Burj Al Arab, but not of Burj Dubai."
Burj Dubai, which in Arabic stands for the Tower of Dubai, is a skyscraper whose exact height remains a closely guarded secret.
But it is believed to be about 705m tall.
Many think this will be the world's tallest building.
Contractors involved in this project include international construction companies such as Samsung Construction Company.
There are also a few Muslim contractors involved, such as the Arab Technical Construction Company.
It is feared that the possibility of having another building with the resemblance of a huge cross might spark a backlash that could only be matched by the one that followed cartoons published in a Danish newspaper late last year.
It is not clear whether the issue of the Burj Al Arab and Burj Dubai having the resemblance of a cross could spill out of control like the cartoon story.
But the widespread way in which this is being discussed has left little doubt that the community will take this issue up, considering that the names of the two buildings mean a lot to the Arab nation.
M&R has a record of constructing some of the landmark projects that define the recent development of Dubai and the UAE. These include the Burj Al Arab and Concourse 1 at Dubai International Airport.
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