I would have to second Yoshi's advice in this case, personally I would very much try my best to avoid the UAE if I was in your shoes.

The article brings up some great points, however if the debt amount wasn't something extraordinary I doubt they would go as far as getting the Interpol involved

The UAE does have very good relationships with their neighboring Arab countries, so if you can, I would try to avoid the immediate gulf region all together as they share information in many ways. I am not sure how interlinked their immigration computers are, but I would not be surprised if they crosscheck arrest warrants, Libya and the North African part of the world should be safe though.

The transit part can be a hit or miss, generally they would not pick you off an aircraft unless they have a lot of time on their hands or you are wanted for something serious, this generally takes place at passport control. But you never know. If yo believe that you need to visit that part of the region, I would strongly suggest to contact your creditors and perhaps setup a consultation with a local law firm.