The dark side of Dubai Laws

 With hubby and our G-Nome at the
Fujairah corniche on the Oman
Sea in December 2007

Before going to live in Dubai or even visiting Dubai very few check out the local laws. Sure it appears to be a very liberal Middle Eastern country but looks can be deceiving. Admittedly the laws in the UAE are far more modern then in Saudi Arabia. Women have the right to drive and on the surface men and women appear to have equal rights.  Dubai is the most "open" of the 7 Emirates. They are more conservative in both Abu Dhabi and Sharjah for instance. However no matter how open and modern Dubai appears, the law haven't kept up, and while there is both civil and Shari'a court, often matters are resolved using the most conservative approach.

In the Dubai Desert during a desert
safari in December 2007

Don't get me wrong it's not up to foreigners to decide how Dubai or the UAE should design their laws or apply their laws.  As I stated before, women have far more rights in the UAE then in some other gulf states. However if you're going to travel there or go work there you may really want to know what goes on so you adjust your behaviour accordingly and avoid being one of those who land in jail and then gets deported. 

Pack very carefully. Dubai, and the UAE has a zero tolerance drug policy.  We're not just talking standard common sense rules that apply to most countries like travelling with marijuana, cocaine or heroin. We're talking about common things like POPPY SEEDS. You had a bun with poppy seeds at the airport  somewhere in Europe and they find one on you in Dubai it can land you in jail. So can anything with codeine and various other over the counter medications easily found in most other countries, like allergy medications.You can even be arrested and jailed if someone says you consumed drugs like this man. You'd better have prescriptions for your prescription drugs, otherwise you'll land in jail too. They say prescription from a local doctor, but I suspect if you have just the quantity of medication related for your stay and a script from  your doctor that it's probably ok. I  didn't have any issues travelling with asthma medications.

Public Beach on Al Sufouh road
Dubai December 2007

One Emirate, Sharjah is dry - or alcohol free. Don't get stopped by the authorities with alcohol in your vehicle in Sharjah. In Dubai, so long as you aren't Muslim, you have a resident card and a Interior Ministry liquor license, you can buy alcohol. There are bars and nightclubs but the majority are part of international hotels. Don't get caught with alcohol in your system if you're Muslim like this man.  Don't get caught driving drunk. They also have a zero tolerance  drunk driving policy. You get stopped and they smell alcohol, you will be jailed, fined and then deported.  Good luck trying to ever come back into the UAE even for a visit.

One of my favourite photos because
it reminds me of a Club Med ad.
Public Beach on Al Sufouh road
Dubai February 2007

The worst part is, Alcohol is surprisingly easy to find, and easier to get addicted to while in you are in the UAE. The isolation many expats who live in Dubai find themselves in, coupled with long work hours does seem to fuel the drinking. In fact the authorities in the UAE are now realizing there is a huge drinking problem among the expats, and some Emirate's too. 

People forget because it appears to be so modern in Dubai, that it's still a Muslim country and they still have rules about intermingling between genders. This is still a somewhat segregated society. Generally you either see people together as a family unit, or you see men hang out together and women hang out together. You rarely see large mixed groups of locals.  You can find a copy of the code of conduct here.

Hubby and I hamming for the
camera in the Mall of the 
Emirates in February 2007.

When I travelled through the UAE in 2007, they were pretty tolerant of western style dress, but I'm told it's a bit more conservative now, here's the dress code.  They really frown upon public displays of affection between members of the opposite sex.  Sure they turn a blind eye if you don't go overboard.  I have several photo's of my hubby and I in a form of embrace while in public in Dubai, but it could also have gotten us in trouble. At the time we needed to take as many photo's of the two of us as possible to prove our relationship to the Canadian government when he applied for residency as my spouse.  Photo's of us aloof would not have been as effective as photo's of us close together.

Dressed in Emirate style
Abaya and Hijab.

It depends a lot if the locals complain or get offended, we thankfully did not appear to offend anyone at the time. Hubby had several different women as roommates at different times while he was in Dubai, usually to help them out short term. It is forbidden to live with a person of the opposite sex who is not your spouse or relative in the UAE. Thankfully when I visited hubby the first time, his sister was staying with him, so we had a "chaperone". The 2nd time we were married and we had our marriage certificate with us. I also found since his apartment was in new Dubai that people were more relaxed. If we had been in "old Dubai" people might have been less tolerant.

However people have been thrown in jail and deported for inappropriate and immodest behaviours. These two Brits were accused of kissing in public.  I remember two Brits a few years back who met in a nightclub in Dubai and went on to make out on a beach. Someone complained and they were arrested and thrown in jail. It goes without say that consensual sex will also get you a jail sentence, be it straight or gay sex. Here's the story of 2 men caught having oral sex. Here's the weird story of a trio caught having "illegal sex". Here's another strange story, where cab driver called the police.  Also don't have an affair while in Dubai as this woman found out. There's another bizarre story here, where 3 men and 2 women go to jail for 'illegal sex".

Fountain at Marina Mall in  Abu Dhabi
Notice the cuddling Emirate couple!

Here's where it becomes nasty. Don't get raped while in Dubai. Chances are if you report a rape you will be the one who gets arrested.  Whether you're a male or female. Here's one story. Here's another. It amazes me. The police really have no interest in investigating the crime you report. Instead they try to see what rules you might have broken, charge you with crimes, jail you and then deport you.

Here's a story about an Emirate woman who was gang raped, who ended up in jail for year for reporting the rape. Here's the story about an Australian woman who landed in jail for reporting a rape. Here's the story of a maid, who gets accused of illegal sex after being raped by the 15 year old son of her employers.  Here's the story of a 15 year old  girl who was raped by two men who is getting deported.  This Emirate woman was raped by her uncle, and ended pregnant and in jail too.  This Russian woman claimed to be raped, but was charged with consensual sex.

Top of Jebel Hafeet at sundown,
December 2007

How about one where a 14 year old schoolgirl is being accused of committing adultery? I mean she's not even an adult, and by the UAE's own laws, usually you cannot be a suspect of a sexual crime unless you're 15 years old.

Among other strange laws, if you attempt to commit suicide and fail, you might land in jail this like this Marine. Also do not take pictures of the locals without first getting their permission. You could be arrested like these women.

Here's an article about shock tactics taken by two embassies to prevent arrest of Britons in both Thailand and the UAE.

On Jebel Hafeet December 2007

Now I'm not saying Dubai or the UAE is bad and you shouldn't go. As a tourist the first time and a visiting spouse the 2nd time I had a great time in Dubai. In fact my hubby who lived there 2 years got to see more of Dubai in specific and the UAE in general in my company.  I figured if I travelled this far even if it was just to visit him, I was going to see as much of the country as possible.

Admittedly if I had the opportunity to go back I would, as there are still things I'd like to see, like the oasis in Al Ain.  I'd also like to visit several castles, ruins, springs, mountains and archaeological sites in Fujairah as well as the Al Bidya Mosque and go on another desert safari and hope not to puke!  There's the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi that I'd like to see, I hear it's impressive and it is open to visitors, and there's the pink Jumeira Mosque in Dubai that can be visited, and I'd love to see it too.