DUBAI PROMOTES OWN FONT AS A SIGN OF FREE EXPRESSION; OTHERS DISAGREE

Dubai has a grand announcement: The city now has its very own typographical font.

The new “Dubai Font” integrates the Arabic and Roman alphabets and will be available for use in 23 languages. The font will soon be used by the Dubai government in all official correspondence, Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid alMaktoum said Sunday.

But praise for the font was accompanied by something else: biting criticism of the United Arab Emirates.

Critics focused on the language used to promote the font, which focused on free expression. The BBC noted that UAE “has been criticized for its restrictions on free speech.”