UAE commentator rejects ‘Indian’ as slur, highlights India’s contributions
Dubai — Emirati commentator Abdulqader Almenhali said in a video posted on social media platform X on Monday that the United Arab Emirates and its citizens were facing racially charged online abuse, after what he described as trolling that used the term “Indian” as a slur, prompting him to publicly denounce the language as racist.
In the video which received 1M views, Almenhali said Emiratis, including himself, had recently been targeted by online attacks that framed nationality as an insult. He rejected the characterization of the exchanges as rivalry or banter, describing them instead as racist behavior that relied on reducing an entire nationality and culture to a derogatory label.
“This is not rivalry, this is racist,” Almenhali said in the recording. He added that using nationality as an insult amounted to discrimination regardless of intent, and said such language reflected prejudice rather than legitimate criticism.
The video, shared on his X account, was presented as a direct response to what he described as repeated online comments. Almenhali did not address governments or public institutions, focusing instead on individual online behavior.
Framing of India and historical references
Almenhali’s remarks included references to India’s historical role in global civilization. In the video, he cited contributions he attributed to India in areas such as mathematics, medicine, astronomy, trade and philosophy, and argued that these achievements undermined any attempt to use “Indian” as a pejorative term.
He also linked those historical references to the modern global economy, saying contemporary technologies and systems relied on foundations developed over centuries. His comments framed the use of nationality as an insult as historically inaccurate, according to his remarks.
UAE and expatriate partnership
Almenhali also addressed the role of Indian expatriates in the UAE, saying the country had built partnerships with skilled professionals rather than merely accommodating them. In the video, he referred to engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs and builders from India as contributors to national development, describing this approach as a deliberate policy choice.
“The UAE didn’t tolerate Indians, it partnered with them,” he said, characterising that relationship as one based on mutual benefit and capability rather than weakness. He added that attempts to demean people through racial language failed to account for this dynamic.
His remarks positioned multicultural cooperation as integral to the UAE’s development model and rejected narratives that portray diversity as a liability.
Online discourse and wider implications
Almenhali’s video circulated widely online, drawing responses from users across the region. The comments were confined to social media and did not prompt any official statements from authorities. No government response had been issued by the UAE or elsewhere at the time of publication.
Almenhali ended the video by urging viewers to recognize the difference between criticism and racism, and said that the use of racial slurs reflected on those employing them rather than on their intended targets.
