The Federal Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced a change in weekend days. From January 2022, the Sunday-Thursday weekdays applied in most Arab countries changed to Monday-Friday in the UAE, though Friday remained a half-day holiday. The increase in the holiday period by extending it to two-and-a-half days instead of the previous two days was presented as a step to increase global integration and boost productivity (Bostock, 2021; El-Naggar, 2021). Even though the media focuses more on the international financial integration of the system and the PR campaign than what this shift may mean for future anti-modernization movements (Financial Sector to Benefit Most from UAE Weekend Shift, 2021; UAE Becomes First Country to Transition to 4-and-Half Day Work Week, 2021), this shift may be used as a powerful instrument against the state in its provocative modernization.