DUBAI'S CITY OF HOPE CLOSED

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBAI 000242


STATE FOR G/TIP, NEA/ARP, CA/OCS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/11/2019
TAGS: PHUM CACS PGOV AE
SUBJECT: DUBAI'S CITY OF HOPE CLOSED

REF: A. A) DUBAI 222 B) DUBAI 220 C) DUBAI 205 D) ABU DHABI 269

B. E) ABU DHABI 377 F) ABU DHABI 476

CLASSIFIED BY: Paul Sutphin, Consul General, Consulate General
Dubai, State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)


1. (C) As presaged in reftels A, B, and C, Dubai's only
non-governmental women's shelter, City of Hope (CoH),closed on
June 2, 2009 with neither fanfare nor press coverage. As
reported, this unfortunate event followed political controversy
about suspect allegations reported in some local newspapers
regarding practices at the shelter, and the activities of its
founder and erstwhile director, Sharla Musabih. Although hard
facts are murky, it appears to us that what brought COH down in
the end, however, was a lack of financial support and management
vacuum in Sharla's absence since the summer of 2008; in
addition, it appears the villa's private owner decided he no
longer wanted his property used as a shelter. The villa,
located in an upscale Dubai neighborhood, is now padlocked.


2. (U) All, except for one, of the women residing at CoH were
successfully relocated prior to the formal closing of the
shelter. The last resident was an Iranian woman unable to be
placed with a volunteer. In a unique development, the Dubai
police pressured the woman's ex-husband to restart alimony
payments and provide her with housing.


3. (U) CoH Director and founder, Sharla Musabih, currently
residing in the U.S., has not communicated with Post regarding
the closure of the shelter.


4. (SBU) Per reftel 222, CoH's one Amcit resident departed CoH
prior to its closure and is in contact with the Consular Section
via cell phone.

SUTPHIN