The UAE is for the most part pretty safe. Be aware that it is a Muslum country and even though they may appear to be tolerant of different cultures it all still comes down to Islamic rule. It might on the surface appear pretty Western, but it is a foreign country and is not the 'States or an extension of it. There was a report in the paper there that a foreign couple on the way to the airport in the back of a cab were arrested for some passionate lip locking. They had to pay a $5000.00 USD fine before they could leave. There have been other reports of ex-pats getting the short end of the stick but these are probably very unusual circumstances that just tend to get blown out of proportion in the local heavily censored media.
The UAE is a grouping of city states. The largest and most affluent one is Dubai. Dubai is great if you like concrete, glass, steel and sand. Lots of stores, hotels, and clubs. Abu Dhabi is the capital and not as commercial as Dubai. They have put a concerted effort into planting a fair amount of vegetation and inspite of the heat they seem to have been moderately successful in changing the characteristics of the environment - slightly. If you go to Sharjah which is right adjacent to Dubai, don't expect to stumble into a bar for a drink as it is a dry town. Fujarah is a bit more remote, it's not dry. It is much smaller than any of the other aforementioned cities.
There is a very large ex-pat population in the UAE, and it is nearly a caste system. The lower tiers are treated worse than dirt and it is nearly slave labor. From what I have seen it appears to be ranked as such starting from the bottom - mind you these are generalities; Pakistani's, East Indians, Philipinos, Other Asians, Other Arabs, Eastern Europeans, Europeans & Americans.
Mind you I have not lived in the UAE as an ex-pat though at times I would get stuck there and think that I nearly lived there! These are just my observations. I am a woman so my take on it will probably be construed as being decidely different than many others. I think that it's an interesting place to visit, but quite frankly I hate it there.
If you are thinking of living and working in the UAE I think that it would be most important to find out what the ex-pat lifestyle is all about. If you are not one currently this would be the biggest change that you would have to adapt to.
Good Luck To Us All!