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Any one who knows anything about Dubai knows this isn't actually true at all, however; the two systems co-exist because they must, because the sheiks don't wish to drive away the rich Western cash cows.
So, they and their behaviour are generally tolerated.
Sometimes, Dubai's dark heart comes to the fore, however, and one must realise that when the Westerners have left and the desert is reclaiming the resorts, it will be business as usual.
Take the following story; an Australian girl had her drink spiked and was raped by up to three men. When she reported this crime, she received eleven months in prison for having illicit sexual relations, and one month for consuming alcohol.
She was released after receiving a royal pardon eight months into her sentence, and after being back in Australia for five months she told her story to ABC radio:
A BRISBANE woman was jailed for eight months in the United Arab Emirates for claiming she was raped by three men after her drink was spiked in a hotel bar.
The woman, identified only as Amanda, said she ordered one drink from the bar in the United Arab Emirates hotel she was staying, but then remembered nothing until waking up the next afternoon.
Amanda, interviewed on ABC radio this morning, said she was arrested after reporting her rape to police and later sentenced to 11 months' jail for having illicit sexual relations and one month for consumption of alcohol.
"I don't remember anything except for having that drink ... in one way that's a good thing but from what happened following, it's still an extremely traumatising,'' she said.
She was released five months ago after securing a royal pardon after serving eight months, and is now home in Australia.
She said the jails were overcrowded, inmates were often beaten and the water was frequently turned off.
Amanda said she had extensively researched the customs of the largely Muslim country before living there, but was not aware of the laws surrounding women and sex and drinking.
"It was such a glamorous lifestyle and at the moment there are so many Australians working over there,'' she said.
"It is a very glamourous lifestyle and you can make a lot of money but unfortunately there's the other side that people just aren't aware of.''
She said four high-ranking muslim men had to witness penetration to prove a rape charge, so women who reported rapes were typically seen as confessing to illicit sexual relations or prostitution.
"I can move on, and I'm working on that, part of my process is to help other people with awareness of what's going on and making changes,'' she said.
This perfectly demonstrates the discriminatory attitudes which most Muslim states display towards women.
Such thinking as jailing a woman for being raped has absolutely no place at all in the modern world; I would urge anyone who thinks of Dubai as a liberal and tolerant place to think twice.
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One can't help remembering what our Muslim friend had to say about the attitudes in Islamic countries towards women: "in most cases what you get is that almost totally all women in Muslims majority countries are dressed modestly, part of family units and set groupings and that those who are not are in most cases professional prostitutes. This is how it has been for centuries and the problem is now globalization, tourism and the desire by some to change that scenario which will cause conflict."
Nick, and that argument is most cases is sound, but not in all. The UAE has no excuse, and has a rather poor judicial quality that doesn not meet up to standards with the aims of the various States.
That statement is also with the proviso that tribal peninsular Arab culture is sexist, there is no hiding or diminishing that. Add to that fundamentalism and bingo you get all these rather horrid scenarios.
But going back to that statement, it is correct. Whith the above added to the equation, the average ..... let us say for example middle to popular suburb of Cairo, the vast majority of men and boys only know women as modestly dressed, those that they see otherwise are sitting in taxis or tourist busses or are the local prostitutes. It is not an excuse, but it does set the reality on the ground, like it or not. Things change, very, very slowly but they do. Casablanca, Tunis, Alexandria, Beirut, Amman are all cities where modern western dress are common place. I am visting Rabat, the summer is hot and the number of local women in sleevless is large - mind you only in the "chic wealthier suburbs" and not downtown or in the popular areas.... why not? Because they are not stupid enough to go against local sensitivities.
Regarding what happend to the Australian girl and the sentance, such items also get news here in Morocco and the locals will shake their heads in disbelief at the sentance as well. This is local politics and the handling of moral issues correctly, not the religion itself.
"This is local politics and the handling of moral issues correctly, not the religion itself."
Bullshit - this sort of thing can only happen in an atmosphere already fertilised by and all-pervasive, morbid religiosity. In a free, open, healthy democratic society, it would be unthinkable, let alone actually happen.
Madonna whore complex. And I thought the Catholics were screwed up.
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