S. Irudaya Rajan Ginu Zacharia Oommen Editors Asianization of Migrant Workers in the Gulf Countries Asianization of Migrant Workers in the Gulf Countries S. Irudaya Rajan • Ginu Zacharia Oommen Editors Asianization of Migrant Workers in the Gulf Countries Editors S. Irudaya Rajan Ginu Zacharia Oommen Centre for Development Studies Kerala Public Service Commission Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India Trivandrum, Kerala, India ISBN 978-981-32-9286-4 ISBN 978-981-32-9287-1 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9287-1 © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore Preface and Acknowledgement The idea to bring out this book was conceived owing to the success of the International Conference on Gulf Migration held at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), Teen Murti Bhavan, New Delhi, in October 2014. Due to the overwhelming response of participants and other scholars from around the world, we decided to bring out this edited book as an essential volume on Gulf migration, with contributions from participant scholars as well as other scholars invited to write for this volume. The conference was organized by the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), New Delhi, whilst Dr. Oommen was an NMML Fellow at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, where Prof. Rajan is a Professor. Our journey of collaboration on Gulf migration studies started with our introduc- tion which was unbelievably facilitated by the eminent scholar Mr. S. Krishnakumar, Associate Professor, Venkateswara College, New Delhi, and we are highly obliged to him for his sincere efforts. To organize this conference, the wholehearted support we received from the former Director of NMML Dr. Mahesh Rangarajan and staff was invaluable, and we are very grateful. We are also indebted to our mentors Prof. Prakash C. Jain and Dr. K. C. Zachariah for years of guidance in research in the topic of Gulf migration. We would also like to thank our organizations, the Centre for Development Studies and the administrations and our colleagues for their support and encourage- ment to pursue research on Gulf migration. Dr. Oommen is also highly indebted to his former organization MIGRINTER, University of Poitiers, France. We also express our gratitude to our research team, mainly Nikhil Panicker, Sreeja K. S. and Anu S. Nair, for their sincere efforts in putting this work together. v vi Preface and Acknowledgement It would be remiss if we do not acknowledge our families for their love and care throughout the years. Dr. Rajan thanks his wife Hema and his three children Rahul, Rohit and Mary Catherine, and Dr. Oommen thanks his wife Suvarna and his daugh- ter Rebecca. Last but not least, we thank Springer Nature for the timely publication of this book. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India S. Irudaya Rajan Ginu Zacharia Oommen Contents 1 Asianization in the Gulf: A Fresh Outlook �������������������������������������������� 1 S. Irudaya Rajan and Ginu Zacharia Oommen 2 Labour Migration in the Gulf Cooperation Council: Past, Present and Future ������������������������������������������������������������������������ 19 George Naufal and Ismail Genc 3 Understanding Labour Migration Policies in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries ������������������������������������������ 37 Zahra R. Babar 4 South Asian Labour Unrests and Non-­Citizenry Aspects of Popular Politics in the Gulf �������������������������������������������������� 55 M. H. Ilias 5 Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Citizenship and Human Rights of Migrant Workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries �������������������������������������������������������������� 69 M. V. Bijulal 6 A Portrait of Low-Income Migrants in Contemporary Qatar ������������ 83 Andrew Gardner, Silvia Pessoa, Abdoulaye Diop, Kaltham Al-Ghanim, Kien Le Trung, and Laura Harkness 7 Determinants of Future Indonesian Labour Migration to the Gulf ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 103 Graeme Hugo 8 The Rise of the Philippine Emigration State: Protecting Migrant Workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries ������������ 127 Neil G. Ruiz vii viii Contents 9 Nitaqat – Saudi Arabia’s New Labour Policy: Is It a Rentier Response to Domestic Discontent? ���������������������������������� 151 Zakir Hussain 10 Bangladeshi Fishermen in Oman: Migration as a Gamble ������������������ 177 Marie Percot 11 Labour Migration from Pakistan to the Gulf Countries: An Investigation of Regional Disparities in Outflows of Workers, Remittances and Poverty ������������������������������������������������������������������������ 189 G. M. Arif, Shujaat Farooq, and Nasir Iqbal 12 Labour Migration from Sri Lanka to the Gulf: Current Status and Future Outlook ������������������������������������������������������ 219 Bilesha Weeraratne 13 Migrant Domestic Workers in the GCC: Negotiating Contested Politics and Contradictory Policies �������������������������������������������������������� 233 S. Irudaya Rajan and Jolin Joseph 14 Gulf Migration, Remittances and Religion: Interplay of Faith and Prosperity Amongst Syrian Christians in Kerala �������������������������� 247 Ginu Zacharia Oommen 15 Indian Trade Diaspora in the Arabian Peninsula: An Overview �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 267 Prakash C. Jain 16 The Future of Asian Migration to the Gulf ������������������������������������������� 281 S. Irudaya Rajan and Ginu Zacharia Oommen About the Editors and Contributors Editors S. Irudaya Rajan, PhD, is Professor at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala (India). He has 35 years of research experience. Professor Rajan has coordinated eight major migration surveys in Kerala since 1998 (with Prof. K. C. Zachariah), Goa Migration Survey 2008, Punjab Migration Survey 2009 and Tamil Nadu Migration Survey 2015. He played an instrumental role in conducting the Gujarat Migration Survey 2011 and in the process of initiat- ing Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar migration surveys. Professor Rajan has published extensively in national and international journals on social, economic, demographic, psychological and political implications of international migration. He has undertaken projects on international migration with European Union; International Labour Organization; World Bank; International Organization of Migration; South Asia Network of Economic Research Institutes (SANEI); Rockefeller Foundation; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Migrant Forum in Asia; Department of Non-Resident Indian Affairs, Government of Goa; Department of Non-Resident Keralite Affairs, Government of Kerala; Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-­ Resident Tamils, Government of Tamil Nadu; Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India; India Centre for Migration of the Ministry of External Affairs; Canadian Institutes of Health Research; and International Development Research Centre. He is the Editor of the annual series India Migration Report since 2010 and also founding Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Migration and Development. Ginu Zacharia Oommen, PhD, is a member of the Kerala Public Service Commission, Trivandrum. Prior to this, he was a visiting professor at the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’homme (FMSH), Paris. Oommen has held numerous fel- lowships and has been Visiting Faculty at MIGRINTER (the Centre for International Migration), University of Poitiers, France; Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, ix x About the Editors and Contributors New Delhi; Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin; Gulf Studies Programme, JNU; Indian Council for World Affairs, New Delhi; Centre for South Asia–West China Cooperation, Sichuan University, China and India Centre for Migration, New Delhi. Oommen was also a Hermes Postdoctoral Fellow at MIGRINTER, University de Poitiers France and Visiting Graduate Fellow at the Rothberg International School, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Besides, Oommen was also offered two other prestigious fellowships: the Swedish Institute Guest Postdoctoral Fellowship at Uppsala