To Solve Traffic Problems In Dubai Poor People Could Be Banned From Owning Cars

Too much traffic? Too many cars on the road? Dubai is contemplating a novel way of solving that problem- increase cost of gasoline, parking fees, insurance, and, here's the kicker, limiting car ownership to those making over a certain amount of money. In other words, only the rich will wind up being allowed to drive those fancy gold Lamborghinis on the roads of Dubai, if the director general of Dubai Municipality, Hussain Lootah, has his way.

“Everybody has their luxury life,” said Hussain Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality. “but the capacity of our roads cannot take all of these cars without ownership laws.”

A salary limit scheme that would restrict car ownership to those earning above a certain monthly income is one of several options that could be considered.

“We should increase parking fees, increase fuel costs, insurance prices,” he said. “It costs Dh30 [in Germany] to park for half an hour — Dh1 per hour in Dubai.”

Carpooling?  No way.

“There are more than 200 nationalities in Dubai,” he said. “I can’t see [education and awareness] having an effect, and soft [regulations] don’t work any more. Even in Europe and America it doesn’t work. Unless you go hard, no one will obey.”

More on the story here.

Emirati Couple To Spend 1 Month In Jail For Kissing

Dubai has nothing better to do than jail couples for kissing. Some man who must have been peeking inside a dark-tinted car, claimed to have witnessed a 32-year-old Emirati banker and her 19-year-old colleague kissing, he then ran off to report the alleged activity to the police.

They will have to spend one month in jail.

Story here.

Of course it's not the first time someone has been jailed in Dubai for kissing. Back in 2010, a 26-year-old British woman, Charlotte Adams, spent 23 days in jail for what she claims was a mere peck on the cheek (and I believe her). She was finally allowed home after a harrowing time in a Dubai jail with murderers and prostitutes. Adams did admit she flirted with 25-year-old British ex-pat Ayman Najafi, but insists she just gave him "a peck on the cheek". In fact, she had some harsh words for fellow Brits Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors who were arrested and jailed for having sex on the beach, back in 2008.

"I thought they were stupid to behave like that in a Muslim city. Everyone was affected by what it meant. You'd have been stupid to ignore it," she said.

But she denies that her conduct with Mr Najafi compared to that of Miss Palmer and Mr Acors. "I may have pecked him on the cheek at one point but we weren't drunk and I would never have snogged someone in the middle of a crowded restaurant – especially in Dubai," she told The Mail on Sunday.

Apparently she was very fond of Dubai- although I have no idea why- and said she would miss it, though she was relieved to be home. The tattle-tale 38-year-old woman in the restaurant who reported the couple to the police told two very different stories

"She told the police that she saw them kissing, while she told the prosecution that her children saw them," he said, adding the defense is arguing that the couple only kissed on the cheek "as a greeting" which is allowed.

Didn't seem to make a difference. They were also charged with drinking alcohol, to which they pleaded guilty, and Charlotte was fined £200, and then deported. She's not allowed to return.

I wouldn't be caught dead in Dubai, not because I'd have a problem sticking to their strict religious laws, I don't drink so no biggy; I would never visit on principle. 

Raped Norwegian Expat Pardoned In Dubai

The Norwegian woman who was raped by a colleague on a business trip to Dubai has been "pardoned."  Marte Deborah Dalelv is free to leave Dubai. One would hope that women might think twice before choosing to live in a Middle Eastern country where such draconian laws can land a rape victim in jail. Being "pardoned" for being raped is as egregious as the sentence itself, though I'm happy that she can get the hell out of dodge.

A Norwegian woman at the center of a Dubai rape claim dispute said Sunday that officials have dropped her 16-month sentence for having sex outside marriage and she is free to leave the country.
"I am very, very happy," Marte Deborah Dalelv told The Associated Press. "I am overjoyed."
The sentence against the 24-year-old Dalelv last week stirred widespread outrage in the West and highlighted the frequent clash between Dubai's Western-friendly image and its Islamic-based legal codes.

Dalelv claimed she was raped in March by a co-worker, but was charged with having sex outside marriage after going to the police. Her decision to go public about the sentence last week in a series of interviews appeared to put pressure on authorities in Dubai and tarnish the city's reputation as a cosmopolitan hub, including possible fallout on its high-profile bid for the 2020 World Expo.

"I have my passport back. I am pardoned," said Dalelv, who worked for an interior design firm in Qatar and was in Dubai for a business meeting when the alleged rape took place.

More here.

UPDATE: Norwegian Rape Victim Gets 16 Months Jail Time In Dubai

UPDATE: 7/22/13 Marte, who was working for Janet Jackson's Qatari billionaire husband's company- Al Mana Interiors- was fired from her job. Her co-worker rapist received 3 months less of a jail sentence than she did.

UPDATE:  More info on the Norwegian woman. Marte Deborah Dalelv is an interior designer living in Qatar.

Only in a Muslim country would a woman be victimized twice: raped and then jailed. And tragically it happens all the time.  Although it often happens to Muslim women, this time the victim was a non-Muslim foreigner.

A 25-year-old Norwegian woman on a business trip in Dubai was raped last March. When she went to the police to report the sexual assault, rather than arresting the rapist, they confiscated her passport and dumped her in jail because they did not believe her story.  So she gets to spend 16 months in prison for being raped, although the official sentence was for sex outside of marriage, drinking alcohol and perjury.

The United Arab Emirates is probably trying to discourage women from reporting rapes because it would give the nation a bad image.

This is what Sharia law gets you, a free pass for the rapist since he won't be convicted unless he confesses (as if he would), or if four adult Muslim males witness the rape, which means men never get convicted. 

The Slaves Who Build Those Sparkling Dubai Buildings

BBC reporter Ben Anderson shows us how the shiny, glittery city of Dubai is being built- on the backs of slave labor.

Three million workers, mostly from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, are recruited under the pretext of good wages they can send back to their families. They pay $2,000 to recruiters for what is essentially an illegal visa fee (which includes air fare), and for the privilege of working and living like an animal. Upon arrival their passports are confiscated (also illegal) and they find themselves living in squalid conditions, receiving half of what was promised- if they get paid at all- and working long, grueling hours.

When former Indian recruiting agent, Almass Pardiwala, discovered just how appalling the conditions are, she wrote to every NGO and human rights organization about the situation. Only one replied.

You might want to reconsider that trip to Dubai.

Dubai Businessman and Sister-in-law Acquitted Over "Lewd Act"

Emiratis obviously have nothing better to do with their lives than trying to get other people into trouble, and for no legitimate reason.

M.M. an Egyptian business man (35) and L.H. his Emirati sister-in-law (39) were hauled into court after a man who was eating with his wife and mother-in-law at a local Dubai Chinese restaurant claimed M.M. and L.H. kissed while M.M. was teaching L.H. how to use chopsticks.

Some torrid, illicit affair between the man and his sister-in-law? No. His wife happened to be chowing down on Chinese food as well.

For whatever reason, the nosy Emirati man and his wife became offended by the threesome and fetched the police.

According to the wife of L.H. the Egyptian:

“One of the women who was present with the claimant was constantly looking at us. We were dining, chatting and laughing. When the waiter served us the food, my sister asked my husband to teach her how to use chopsticks, and he did so. Shortly after we left the restaurant, the woman and the claimant came to us accompanied by a policeman, who asked us to go to Jebel Ali Police Station. I explained to them that my husband did not kiss my sister. I said that it is impossible because M.M. is my husband.”

The claimant's side of the story:

“He started teaching her how to eat with chopsticks. He hugged her and kissed her neck. Then he kissed her cheeks and to my surprise he kissed her lips in front of all the diners. My wife informed the restaurant management, who said he could not do anything. My wife then called the police. They were seated just four metres from us and nothing was blocking our vision. They hugged and kissed in front of everyone."

They had been charged with "committing a lewd act in public", but were acquitted.

Even if they had kissed on the cheek (which L.H., her sister and M.M. all deny),

“It is impossible for me to kiss my sister-in-law and especially in front of my wife [L.H.’s sister]. I am innocent,” said M.M.

L.H. also said she could not have kissed her brother-in-law in public and in front of her sister.

that's considered a lewd act?

What a colossal waste of time.

No Acquittal For French Expat Who Flipped Off Dubai Police

In another case of- why on earth would you want to live in Dubai?- a 59-year-old French expat who allegedly flipped off plainclothes policemen on a Dubai bridge and asked to be acquitted on indecency charges has lost his court appeal.

The Dubai Court of Appeal upheld a six-month suspended jail term against the 59-year-old French engineer, D.M., and convicted him of flashing his middle finger in the faces of two Emirati policemen while driving on Business Bay Bridge.

Yes, indeed, giving someone the finger or swearing at them is a criminal offense in the UAE.
Although he pleaded not guilty, the Frenchman also faces deportation.  Chalking it up to cultural differences, his lawyer Hussain Al Jazeri told Judge Rifaat Tolba Othman during the trial:

"Out in Europe and several Western countries, it's an Anglo-Saxon habit that someone flashes his middle finger unlike in our culture… where it is an act punishable by law. The two cultures differ, whereby when someone flashes his finger in the West he/she has to raise his elbow then flip up his finger.
"In the West it is a normal reaction. Here it's only flipping up the finger. My client, D.M., did not flash his finger. The claimants misunderstood his hand sign. He is very well educated and enjoys good behaviour. His social status does not permit him to act this way."

The story goes, at least according to the policemen:

"We were driving a civilian police pick-up on Al Khail Road. Suddenly the suspect's car jumped into our lane in a reckless way… I overtook him from the left meanwhile my colleague showed him his police ID then asked him to pull over. When he flashed his middle finger, we reported the matter to the Operation Room," said one of the policemen.

Al Jazeri explained the story from his client's perspective:

"When the pick-up driver signalled for him to pull over, he was astonished. The pick-up did not have any sign that it was a police car. Then the passenger showed him something like a walkie-talkie. My client could not look at the other car because he was driving on a highway. Had he looked left or right, he might have caused an accident.

"He moved his hand but he didn't flash his finger… his social and academic background does not allow him to stoop to such offensive behaviour."

The Frenchman's other lawyer, Obaid Ali Obaid, asked for the case to be dismissed because it would have been impossible for the policemen to see the gesture:

"How could they have seen him flashing his right-hand finger… supposedly he did, but he should have flashed his left-hand finger because they drove to his left."

His lawyers have 27 days to file another appeal, but he'll probably be deported. He should be thankful. A free trip home to civilization.

UPDATE: Woman Fired - Drunk Couple In Dubai Accused Of Having Sex In Taxi

A foreign couple in Dubai were allegedly caught having sex in the back seat of a taxi, but were they really going at it? One can never tell when dealing with Emiratis. They find any public displays of affection offensive, and an innocuous peck on the cheek can actually land a couple in prison. In 2010, expats 24-year-old Ayman Najafi and 25-year-old Charlotte Adams found themselves spending a month in jail, fined £200 for drinking alcohol, and then deported to England after a woman snitched on them to the police. Apparently, her very young son  had seen the couple "kissing" in a restaurant where they were all eating, and that was enough to send them to jail.

This latest couple was also drunk, but deny they were having sex. The Irish man and British woman identified only as C.M. and R.B. (27) were in a taxi driven by an Asian man, but whether the driver snitched on them or they were pulled over by a policeman that "saw" what they were doing has not been determined yet.  The couple are being investigated and face charges of consuming alcohol, consensual sex, and public indecency- all no-nos in Dubai.

"C.M. and R.B. were boozed up when they were reported to a nearby police patrol that they indulged in sexual activity in the taxi's rear seat in an area close to Dubai Marina," a source told Gulf News.

According to primary police interrogations, the arresting police officer alleged that the woman was not wearing a shirt when he arrested the couple.

"Meanwhile C.M. countered those claims, according to his statement, contending that R.B. is his fiancée and that she was sad when he hugged her only."

"They couple deny involving in any form of sexual intimacy or public indecency."

The source added: "The suspects were said to have been sitting behind the driver's seat.

"It took nearly two minutes from the point where the taxi picked them up till the point where the police patrol stopped them.

"It would have been impossible for the woman to have taken off her shirt and initiated a sexual activity within a time span of two minutes.

"They admitted that they consumed alcohol… but they remained dressed and were not caught naked or involved in any form of sexual interaction."

It's quite obvious where the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stand on public displays of affection, but the whole alcohol issue is very confusing considering it is allowed for non-Muslims.  So why couples are being fined for consuming liquour like Najafi and Adams, or facing charges like the Irish and Brit couple is baffling.

As for the couple's alleged sexual activity, a  prosecution source told Gulf News,

"We are still waiting for forensic reports to prove whether the couple had sex or indulged in any form of sexual activity."

"On May 30, the investigating prosecutor will hear the statements of the Asian driver, Q.K., who is believed to have reported the incident, and the arresting officer.

"The suspects were released on bail after spending five days in detention in Jebel Ali police station."

The incident happened some time after midnight. It could not be confirmed whether the driver reported the matter or whether police officers on patrol spotted the couple engaged in an indecent act.

"Apparently DNA and forensic tests seem to be negative so far," the source said.

I'm not sure I even want to know what forensic exams they performed on the couple.

It's still my contention that you have to be pretty stupid, or pretty drunk, to break UAE laws, and even more stupid for going to Dubai in the first place. Far too many restrictions that can land you in jail, fined or both. Including bad language. No thank you!

UPDATE 5/28/12:

They've now identified the couple: 29-year-old Rebecca Blake and Conor McRedmond. Since the initial report, Rebecca has been fired from her cushy £100,000 per annum job, and now admits she had been on an all day drinking binge. Though she still contends she did not have sex in the taxi, she claims everything that day was a "blur."   Apparently she started off her day at the Rotana Hotel at midday for its "all you can drink" brunch. Yes, instead of an "all you can eat" buffet, there is a hotel in a Muslim country (that will jail you for being drunk) that serves alcohol instead. Rebecca continued drinking throughout the day and into the evening.  The alleged "deed" occurred when Conor and Rebecca decided to head home.   She also complained about cockroaches biting her during her 5 day prison stay.

This latest news about the incident is a game changer. She does not have my sympathies.  First of all, if most of the day is a blur, then in her drunken stupor she very well could have been going at it with Conor in the back seat of that taxi. And living in that country, she should have known what the consequences of being caught would be.  Same goes for spending the whole day drinking. Though jailing someone for being drunk or having sex outside of marriage is outrageous, it is their country and their rules. 

I still wouldn't recommend going there.

15 Years For "Stealing" Teddy Bear In Dubai

Only somewhere like Dubai would an individual be sentenced to 15 years for stealing a teddy bear. I suppose the kid, a 20 year-old student from the Comoros Islands (off the coast of Africa), is lucky he won't actually lose one of his appendages, since under Shariah law thieves can lose both hands. But 15 years?  And since he claimed he was innocent, the courts could have showed some mercy since they had the option of sentencing him from 3 to 15,  but 15 years it is.

Apparently he stole the bear from a booth in a shopping mall, and then attacked a Pakistani worker who attempted to detain him. But according to the young man's lawyer, he was simply walking to his car when he saw a teddy bear on the ground and grabbed it.

Whether he did indeed willfully steal the teddy bear is irrelevant. What's notable is the severity of the sentence for a relatively harmless action.  And what if he is innocent?  Fine the kid, deport him (which is also a possibility), but 15 years is overkill.

On April 24, the student will find out his fate when the judge passes his verdict.

His lawyer argued that it made no sense for a person to steal an object worth 25 dirhams when he is able to afford a car.

Filipina Maid and Pakistani Worker Get Two Months Jail Time For Having Consensual Sex in Dubai

Only in the Middle East:

A Filipina maid (27) and a Pakistani worker (23) living in Dubai will spend two months in jail before being deported. Their crime?  Having sex without being married.  Apparently, the couple fell in love (after they met on Facebook) and the cook (where the maid worked) snitched on the couple after he caught the worker creeping out of the maid's room in the wee hours of the morning.  According to the worker,

"We chatted for two weeks on Facebook and fell in love. She provided me with her contact number… she helped me sneak into her sponsor's villa , where we had sex," said I.A. when he was questioned by the prosecutors.

Meanwhile, another Filipina suspect, D.D., was fined Dh2,000 for aiding and abetting I.A. to trespass into the villa.

Court records said the lovers were exposed by the sponsor's cook, who spotted I.A. sneaking out of N.S.'s bedroom around 3.15am.

The cook fought with I.A. in an attempt to stop him, according to prosecution records. I.A. was said to have pushed down the cook to the ground and escaped by scaling the villa's wall.

Police identified I.A. from his passport that fell off his pocket when he jumped over the wall.

Police records said the cook informed his Emirati sponsor that he spotted I.A. leaving N.S.'s bedroom after midnight and handed him I.A.'s passport.

I guess the cook had nothing better to do than spy on the Filipina maid at 3:15 a.m.