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17 November, 2005

Sharjah the Stone Age emirate

Here is why anyone with any sense should despise Sharjah, the "Stone Age" emirate. Two women are abducted and raped by fake taxi drivers and complain to police.

What did Sharjah police do?

Charge the women with being "in privacy with a man" and get them three month jail sentences:

"The men got out and dragged the women, at this point screaming for help and pleading for mercy, from the vehicle. One was thrown on to a pile of rubble and was put through a horrific sexual ordeal before her purse was stolen. Her friend was raped close by and after the ordeal the two attackers fled in the car.

"Police took statements from the victims, who are in their 30s, but both were left stunned when they were eventually told they were being charged with “being in privacy with a man”."


Fortunately, the appeal court in Sharjah has shown slightly more sense than Sharjah's moronic, misogynistic, misguided police and prosecution authorities, and the women are now free, the rapists sentenced to death.

So here's another reminder to anyone planning to visit the UAE - don't bother with Sharjah. It might have a lovely wildlife park and the famous Blue Souq, but unless you're travelling with only your husband, father or sons, you may as well lock yourself up now.

Labels: , ,

65 Comments:

Blogger Mohannad said...

absobloodylutely horrible!
i can imagine the police officer caressing his jungle of a beard looking at the women with disdain.. i think dubai should work on eliminating dubaians' need to go to sharjah, wildlife park? blue souq? there's nothing dubai can't do.. but it's rather the soar of rents that need to be tamed.. don't you think so?

17 November, 2005 09:42  
Blogger CG said...

yes, this is worrying indeed. Although since they brought they rule out in Sharjah that women must never be found to be in the company of a non-related male I did wonder what the situation would be about getting a taxi. This falls into the category, does it not? BUT of course I am not so thick as to not see a crime when it is obvious who is the criminal.
I was worried once when I bumped into my brother-in-law in a Sharjah mall, and we wanted to go for a bite to eat. I decided against it, just because I did not fancy getting battered over the head with a coppers stick like I once saw somebody get in Sharjah souk for having a sip of water during Ramadan (he had fainted). The guy was pounding him and whacking him like he was trying to detain a murderer who was escaping....except this guy was laid out on the ground and someone was pouring the water in his mouth....so technically he was not doing it himself, and I do believe that swallowing when something is in your mouth is an involuntary action, is it not?
Anyway, I have gone off on this one but you get my drift. Sharjah is absolutely loopy.

17 November, 2005 09:44  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If I could punch someone at the courts, I would.

The next thing will be:
- murdered victims will be charged with being irresponsible enough to be killed
- being charged for bargaining at the blue souk because that means that someone would get less money and would thus result in forcing such people to crime
- those non muslims who venture to sharjah from dubai, must be infidels and be charged for probably having has alcohol before.

17 November, 2005 10:00  
Blogger Jassim said...

@ dodger. 'Jungle of a beard'? Ok whatever.

@ chevy , if your fast puts you at a serious health risk, then you are aloud to break it, so it shouldnt matter if he was pouring the water into his mouth or someone else was doing it. i dunno whats with the police there.

At the end the courts eventually acted correctly and sentenced the scum to death. Something which should be applied to EVERY rape case when the evidence is overwhelming.

Personally I like sharjah. I find it more palatable than Dubai my native Emirate. The only problem I have sharjah is that I cant play my car sterio (aka night club) at a very high volume.

17 November, 2005 10:16  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Damn, I always knew Sharjah is a total mayhem. I cannot imagine how UAE government lets this emirate cease to exist.... :(

No other comments!

17 November, 2005 10:37  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I had to go back and read it again to make sure I read "Sharjah" and not "Saudi".

Those poor, poor, poor women...

17 November, 2005 10:42  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I recall an incident at Khorfakkan beach where a couple of my friends were having a BBQ. A park warden comes up to us and orders that the girls get back in the water because they were wearing swimwear and he ordered the guys to pull their shorts lower coz apparently shorts above the knees are not permitted. He later went over to our picnic table and sniffed all the soft drinks and water bottles to check for signs of alcohol. I know that Khorfakkan is governed by the emirate of Sharjah. So if you go to the culture capital please wear a tuxedo and swim guys and women dont have to even go there. People it just reminds me that the place is the Saudi Arabia of the UAE.

17 November, 2005 10:59  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's disgusting, police should be charged with kidnapping the women as they were held for no reason, they should get compensation for the trouble too. Don't agree with the death penalty though.

17 November, 2005 11:02  
Blogger Tim Newman said...

At the end the courts eventually acted correctly and sentenced the scum to death. Something which should be applied to EVERY rape case when the evidence is overwhelming.

By definition, rape is impossible to prove absolutely, as it requires proving that consent either was or wasn't given (that a sexual act happened is easier to prove, but does not in itself mean rape occurred).

Rape can only be proven "beyond reasonable doubt", which leaves room for error. Therefore, the death penalty should never be considered for rape cases.

In my opinion the death penalty should never be used, but that's a separate issue.

17 November, 2005 11:03  
Blogger Jassim said...

Ok Tim. Go ahead and play with legal semantics while your sister, wife, girlfriend or daughter has to risk her future or even life because some horny disease ridden pervert couldnt control himself.

17 November, 2005 11:39  
Blogger Tim Newman said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

17 November, 2005 11:59  
Blogger Frank Partisan said...

I found this blog surfing.

Your Sharjah post was well written and made a strong point.

Regards.

17 November, 2005 12:00  
Blogger Tim Newman said...

Ok Tim. Go ahead and play with legal semantics while your sister, wife, girlfriend or daughter has to risk her future or even life because some horny disease ridden pervert couldnt control himself.

My opposition to the death penalty is based on a more solid platform than legal semantics, i.e. one of burden of proof, and basing a justice system on the emotions of a man whose wife, girlfriend, or daughter has just been raped is probably not going to deliver much in the way of justice.

17 November, 2005 12:01  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

'keep discovering'

17 November, 2005 13:05  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's just awful. What a barbaric system ! Instead of counselling the poor victims they are criminalised in a typical holier than thou attitude. Hypocritical.

17 November, 2005 13:11  
Blogger samuraisam said...

absolutely terrible, and a severe stain on the UAE's reputation once again.

17 November, 2005 13:23  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

that's what you get when you sleep with the devil. Take Saudi money, lose your soul and everything that defines enlightened and civilized humanity. Sharjah defines that.

17 November, 2005 13:35  
Blogger CG said...

Tim, you may be correct that SOME rape cases are difficult to prove but I know of many that were easy to prove. What you are missing here is the point that the ladies get the blame, whatever. I remember a few years ago a young girl around the age of 8 being abducted from her garden (RAK or Sharjah, cant remember) and the judge claiming it was her fault for being indecently dressed. Now tell me if that was justice done or not.
I know these were adults but there are still sometimes ways to prove it was rape rather than consensual sex. I agree the death penalty should only be applied when there is no doubt whatsoever.
I personally would not let a man even comment on this or judge it in a court, as no man can ever know what rape really means or feels like.

17 November, 2005 13:36  
Blogger KJ said...

horrible!!!!awfullll

17 November, 2005 14:29  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It has been proven over and over again that the death penalty has no effect when it comes to reduce criminality

17 November, 2005 15:07  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

yes, you are right anon 15:07 but this isn't about reducing criminal or making an example...is it?

17 November, 2005 15:20  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

cg said " I personally would not let a man even comment on this or judge it in a court, as no man can ever know what rape really means or feels like."

excuse me, but in recent years there has been an increase in the number of sexual assaults on men 'by' women. It is not the norm, but it also tends to be overlooked as society looks down on these ' so called weak ' men.

17 November, 2005 15:24  
Blogger Tim Newman said...

What you are missing here is the point that the ladies get the blame, whatever.

No, I'm not missing that point, I can see it loud and clear in SD's post.

I am opposing making the death penalty in rape cases, even those whose convictions appear to be very secure.

17 November, 2005 15:33  
Blogger Tim Newman said...

I personally would not let a man even comment on this or judge it in a court, as no man can ever know what rape really means or feels like.

Couple of problems with this....firstly, men who have been raped knows quite well what rape really means or feels like.

Secondly, a judge should not become involved emotionally with the case and "know what rape feels like". He or she should judge the case purely on the facts and not on how much he or she can empathise with the defendent.

17 November, 2005 15:38  
Blogger algergawi said...

I probably was in the air when this posted, cause last i checked this wasnt up. so let me try to sum it up.

Sharjah, unlike all other emirates, follows the hanbali order, a sunni sect that is origin of saudi's wahabi movement. Also, saudi arabia has been very supportive of sharjah over a many years pre and post oil. In fact the connection is so strong that sharjah royal family contrary to the rest of uae actually adopted the frequent saudi-unique names i.e. faisal, saud, & khalid. It is also safe to say that sharjah's relation with the rest of uae's emirates is quite fragile and deplomatic at best. So we can understand why this may come as no surprise. On the other hand, we have an extreme failure in addressing many economic and social issues. i.e. infrastructure is decades behind dubai, poverty, lack of employment opportunities, etc. but in a token of fairness to a city which I lived in for 9 years I can say that there is a beautiful side to natives of sharjah, they are very nice people plagued with socio-religeous half-harted vigilante.

17 November, 2005 16:01  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I really do not understand the rationale of the laws governing Sharjah. The lack of respect for women, as an underpinning of this so called "society", is something that feeds into the stereotype of countries in the Middle East.

With regards to this incident, its ALMOST in par with the Saudi Religious Police refusing to let young girls escape from the school fire. Just almost...

17 November, 2005 17:33  
Blogger AkaRound Peg said...

Good you posted this on your blog. Good that such attitudes are made public and people see these countries for what they actually are.

Cant depend on SaCraleej Times or others to give the full picture!

17 November, 2005 19:25  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It is weird to see how so many people here are labeling what the police in Sharjah did as some "Wahhabi" act. It is a convenient and diplomatic way of insulting Islam as a religion and then trying to fool others by just saying "oh it is just a distorted form of Islam that Saudis and some others follow!"

Coming back to the case at hand, I ask all these armchair critics that why don't they comment on the courts decision to give justice where it was due? So the evil of the police was a saudi/wahhabi sponsored act, but the justice provided was not? It just goes to show the brainwashed mentality of people these days. I don't want to draw parallels, but you wouldn't have to look too far to see how western laws can not just detain a person on wrong pretences, but also punish them. Whose fault is that then - Saudis/Wahhabis?

On a more conciliatory note to Mr. Tim: I respect your views on not prefering death sentences in the case of rape. Do you hold the view that death should not be awarded for any kind of crime? In other words, do you subscribe to the views of the "humanists"?

As Muslims who hold Islam as our guidance in all aspects of life (including judicial laws) we have our own arguments and rationale for awarding the death penalty for certain crimes (mind you, capital punishment is awarded for very few crimes that wouldn't even go in double figures). Someone here commented on how it is "proven" that crime does not decrease with capital punishment, but that is very far from the truth! What is a fact is that countries that award the death penalty for certain acts have very little cases of those crimes.

17 November, 2005 20:33  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

geez, i'm really amazed of perception of westerners towards sharjah. for the information of everybody, sharjah has alcoholics, fornicators and adulterers just like dubai. they havent worked out yet the issue on the attacked on women. tell you what, the moment sharjah tolerates prostitution, i'm sure attacks on women will drop. always remember, don't be stupid wherever you are in UAE, dont fall for taxi service of private vehicles....although sharjah cops are a pain sometimes.

17 November, 2005 21:20  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"What is a fact is that countries that award the death penalty for certain acts have very little cases of those crimes."

Ummm... no. That's not proven at all. In fact, there are very few civilized countries with the death penalty - of any kind - any more. Most have discovered that it does nothing to prevent crime, nor does it provide a clean solution.

If you would like a case that proves that the death penalty has no effect on crime, study the United States: states with the death penal (such as Texas) have significantly higher crime rates at all levels than states that don't (like Massachusetts).

The only thing the death penalty does is make people feel as if something is being done. Given the fallibility of all justice systems, there is absolutely no justification for death. Besides, I've always felt that a life spent in prison is worse than death; try it some time and you'll see.

17 November, 2005 21:34  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think the death penalty should exist.
Kill those sheikhs and everything will be far better in these countries.

17 November, 2005 22:38  
Blogger Tim Newman said...

Do you hold the view that death should not be awarded for any kind of crime?

Yes, for the same reason an anonymous has pointed out: that no system of justice is infallible. I might possibly think it acceptable for those convicted of genocide or other gross crimes against humanity, but I'd need to think about it further.

In other words, do you subscribe to the views of the "humanists"?

No, they oppose the death penalty on moral grounds, i.e. that nobody has the right to take a life. That isn't my position, in fact morally I have little problem with the death sentence for murderers, rapists, and those who stand on the left of airport travellators. But I could not support a justice system which could kill an innocent man.

17 November, 2005 22:50  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Although it is completely disgusting how thos women were treated by the police, I must admit that things like that are sort of what makes me love the UAE. You have Dubai, Sharjah, RAK, etc.. all very different.

I know I would rather chew broken glass than live in Sharjah, so I live in Dubai. It's that simple.

Now, as for the death penalty -- to the person with the comparison of states in the US who do and don't impose death penalties, your comparison ignores a lot of important factors. For instance, Texas has a very high immigration rate whereas Massachusetts does not. Immigration means low income bracket people, meaning higher levels of poverty, translating to more crime. The only way you can actually make such a comparison is by seeing Texas today with a death penalty and another Texas without, cetrus paribus.

I personally find the death penalty to be morally wrong as no one has the right to take the life of another. Having said that, one must admit that the death penalty does save the law enforcement money. Handing out life sentences means you have to provide food and shelter to those sentenced.. for life! Killing them seems to make financial sense.

Back to the subject, I think those police officers involved should have their names published and shamed.

17 November, 2005 23:52  
Blogger Emirati said...

ive written an article about this, read on aethoughts.blogspot.com

18 November, 2005 02:12  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

mohamed Elzubeir, I fully agree with you. But why don't people show the same compassion when it comes to animals. What gives people the rights to kill animals. I guess that's a different issue altogether :)

18 November, 2005 14:41  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To Tim Newman, who replied back to my earlier question regarding not supporting death penalties: It's good to see that in your response you did mention your own doubts regarding some cases (like those who are proven war criminals etc). As per your argument that "no justice system is infallible", I can concur with the general theme of the statement. What I would ask you to ponder over is that are you willing to let this same fallible system hand out life terms and imprison persons?

Fallibility is an integral aspect of human behavior and I wouldn't want to make that as an excuse because then we wouldn't need courts and judicial systems as per implicative deduction. That is where consensus figures into human life. Basically, the inherent nature of man to err is negated by not just physical evidences against a criminal, but a consensus among people that an act is wrong and should be punished likewise. A death sentence is NEVER handed out unless there is overwhelming, unequivocal, and absolute evidence to suggest so. Like Umar ibn Abdul Azeez (one of the most just rulers in Islamic history) suggested about handing out of death sentences, "It is better to err in the side of caution!" So clearly death sentences, Islamically, are only to be handed out if there is overwhelming and authentic proof against the criminal.

Finally, to the person who made the ludicrous parallal between Texas and Massachusettes, please check out the UN's yearly report on crime - Saudi Arabia ranks top most amongst all countries with the LEAST amount of crime! I already know what your rebuttal to this would be, but I guess I will let you say it so that you feel a little good about yourself. By the way, I am NOT Saudi!

18 November, 2005 20:58  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Could you please provide a link to the report stating the Saudi ranks high among nations with least crime?

19 November, 2005 00:21  
Blogger secretdubai said...

HELLO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE - YOU GET WHAT U ASK FOR

And just how did these ladies "ask" for rape? How does anyone ask for it?

As for "bad reputation" - try joining the 21st century. That has absolutely no bearing on being raped.

19 November, 2005 00:26  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And just how did these ladies "ask" for rape? How does anyone ask for it?


they got into a landcruiser with an omani plate on it...they thought it was a cab bwehehehehe...

same with a gay colleague of mine who hitch a ride with a stranger because he was hot. he ended up being mugged and took his christmas bonus.

19 November, 2005 07:38  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I personally feel that in some, if not all, rape cases the victims are also to be blamed. Ask yourself again. Would these women have to go what they went through if they were not drunk. Would they have got into the "Land Cruiser" if they were not drunk. Whats more, it took them 2 days to report the crime. The Chicago Women's Liberation Union of the US even suggests that "the police will never believe you have been raped if you don't notify them immediately". The police were probably acting on what they have been trained for.

19 November, 2005 09:25  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

mohamed Elzubeir and others:
Here is the link
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_rap_cap

For those who think death sentence does not reduce the rape rate, check this web site. Among the list of surveyed countries, you will find Saudi Arabia with the least rape rate.

I did a quick google search about a country where the death penalty is not given for rape cases, USA.
The results I got were shocking, to say the least!
The US has the highest rape rate in the world! In the U.S, a woman is raped every 2 minutes. Whats more, Less than one third of all rapes are reported to the authorities.

Check these web sites for more info:
http://sa.rochester.edu/masa/stats.php
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/rape.html
http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/ohe/library/violence/statistics.htm

I agree there are a lot of factos that contribute to rape. Its not enough to say a death penalty for rapists will completely eradicate rape crimes, but it will certainly reduce it. There are other social and cultural factors to be considered as well. But a death penalty will certainly make a rapist think twice before committing such a violent crime.

19 November, 2005 09:36  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thats a very bad experience. I reckon you were probably in the Industrial area where the only thing female that the people have seen is a car engine (PS. Is a car considered female?). Well, lemme ask you one question. Are you white? Most people think all white women are moral-less, because of the kind of image the West exports through its movies, songs, music videos, all the talk about liberalism, etc, etc... So the moment these guys see someone white and a woman, they think she is promiscuous. Cant really blame Sharjah here. You probably never encountered such people in Dubai, because these guys probably never encountered you. I wonder if you have ever been to a place in Dubai that is full of bachelors (married or unmarried), places where the only women people see are hookers. I dont think so! And i hope you dont!

19 November, 2005 11:42  
Blogger secretdubai said...

they got into a landcruiser with an omani plate on it...they thought it was a cab bwehehehehe...

I personally feel that in some, if not all, rape cases the victims are also to be blamed.

What the flying FK is wrong with you people?

Just as I think this country is starting to develop, along come a bunch of complete twats who frankly should go and live in bloody Riyadh or Taliban-run areas of rural Afghanists rather than a humane, civilised country that the UAE is supposed to be.

I can't believe one of you (or are you the same person?) is LAUGHING over these women's fate? Do you find it funny that people are raped?

You are sick, disgusting people - fortunately in a minority given the other, more enlightened comments here - an absolute disgrace to your nation, wherever the hell you are from.

19 November, 2005 14:25  
Blogger secretdubai said...

Re rape and death penalty: one problem is that it gives rapists a bigger motive to murder their victims, if the penalty for rape and murder is the same. Quite apart from the fact that it's harder to be caught if your victim is dead.

Not saying rapists don't "deserve" to be dead, but there are practical problems.

If there was a death penalty, I would reserve it for murder and violent torture (which may be rape-associated violent torture) but especially for cases such as "date rape", imprisonment would suffice.

19 November, 2005 14:39  
Blogger samuraisam said...

uhh.

19 November, 2005 20:16  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

desertdamsel:
You got my comment wrong. Nothing ever gives anyone the right to touch anyone. I was explaining the "probable" logic why some people behave the way they did. And I dont think the attitude of the people was anything to do with Sharjah. What I meant was you have such people all over the place. I guess things in Sharjah are just too much given the minimum amount of police patrolling. Thats it! Please dont get me wrong. NOTHING gives anyone the right to do ANYTHING wrong! NEVER!

20 November, 2005 07:51  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

when i was new here i was told how safe this place was. but i noticed arabs dont even let their daughters go on their own and let them stay late at night outside the house. then i find out the freakin truth, these scumbags will hit on you even if you are a guy...then again you have to be street smart, act tough, when they stare at you stare back at them. you ladies should get one of those retractable batons that can fit on your bags...if under attack aim for the shin, balls, throat...if these guys grab you from behind, step on their foot, most of the times they are in sandals...there's nothing more painful than being step on with a 6 inch heels...

20 November, 2005 07:54  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

secretdubai:
Tell me one thing. If a women is walking in the middle of the night and drunk. Her clothes are revealing. She is in a place that is completely deserted. Isnt she inviting trouble? Which insane, totally screwed in the head guy will not want to try his chance on her. Get my point! You dont need to be in a "civilised modern" or "rural" country to understand that! In rape cases, you will find that lawyers of rapists try to get lighter sentences by proving to the judge that the victim "invited" (willing or unwillingly) the attention of the rapist. I am not saying that this justifies rape. What I am saying is you have to have some common sense.
"I can't believe one of you (or are you the same person?) is LAUGHING over these women's fate? Do you find it funny that people are raped?"
Of course not!! Never! In my opinion, rape is one of the worst crimes (or maybe even the worst) that can be committed on a human being.
As far as Riyadh or Afghanistan is concerned, I feel women are much safer there than in this place. People there have much more respect for women than in the UAE. Or maybe they dont! But they are forced to by the tough laws. I dont know if the same applies to post-taliban Afghanistan, as one woman rights activist once claimed on TV that women have become much more unsafe after the fall of Taliban. This is a political issue, subject to more debate.

"If there was a death penalty, I would reserve it for murder and violent torture.."
So you consider rape to be a lesser crime that murder? Ask women who have been raped. They would most probably tell you that they wished they were dead!

20 November, 2005 08:22  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Should we believe that all rape cases are reported in Saudi Arabia ?

20 November, 2005 09:00  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Neither are all cases in the USA or any other country for that matter

20 November, 2005 09:10  
Blogger secretdubai said...

Tell me one thing. If a women is walking in the middle of the night and drunk. Her clothes are revealing. She is in a place that is completely deserted. Isnt she inviting trouble?

She is not acting as wisely or as safely as she could, but she still does not DESERVE rape. It does not make the crime any less appalling.

I would welcome statistics on this, but my understanding is that there is very little correlation between alluring clothes/attractiveness and rape. Old ladies get raped, little girls get raped.

So you consider rape to be a lesser crime that murder?

No, both are abhorrent. But I would rather have a legal situation that maximises the women not being murdered also, because the rapist "may as well" as the penalty is no harsher.

Women do survive rape. They go on to marry, have children, have good lives. The wish to die isn't necessarily a permanent one.

My outrage at someone laughing referred to this:
...they thought it was a cab bwehehehehe...
I don't know which Anon that was: I could try and track different IPs but I don't - but by god it was a sick reaction.

20 November, 2005 13:42  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It probably doesn't take too much to work out that the stigma of rape, male or female makes it a difficult choice to report it. It is probably harder to make that choice in countries where the populace will shun you thereafter even if you are proved innocent of asking for the rape. It strikes me then that the figures for reported rapes in those countries might well be skewed and in the more enlightened parts of the world may prove a little more reliable.
Anyway, all those who recommend a little street savvy are right. At the end of the day rape occurs - everywhere, if you ignore that fact then you probably need to wise up, just reading the views of some people here should help you realise that it's not safe out there.

20 November, 2005 13:57  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am very interested in where SIGYA got the 'factful' info from and how come he/she claims to know so much. Why feel the need to divulge personal information of the victims such as place of work?? What a sad little person you are.

20 November, 2005 13:59  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think what SD was highlighting was the 'official response' to the act itself.
We're not discussing the pros and cons of the dealth penalty or whatever although quite a few here however seem to want to pass judgement on the alleged victims.

These kind of situations can happen in any place in the world. All of us need to be smart and take care.

However as someone also once said " common sense is not very common" and it all goes out of the window after a few bevvies..

20 November, 2005 16:43  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ok guys here's the deal. There have been two previous occasions in Sharjah where a woman was raped and the courts held her to blame as she was 'asking for it'. I guess that refered to her clothes or her walking unescorted at night.
The long and short of it was this... I had a high-ranking member from the DUBAI Police verify this and agree with the judgement.
Not saying that all are bad..but practice a little common sense in the whole country plz!

20 November, 2005 17:31  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Secret Dubai, new to your Blog and captivated. However, wouldn't it be an idea to reference your sources? You use quotation marks, but those of us from outside the UAE may not be familiar with the content, as we don't see your local press. Referencing would reinforce your points.

Keep it up,

Bob

20 November, 2005 22:14  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I actually like Sharjah and prefer it to Dubai, Why? because its focus is on education and culture. Not shopping!
The story is horrible, fortunately the appeal court got it right (apart from the death penalty - I'm with you on that Tim). You must remember the UAE is a developing country despite its wealth, and change takes time.

20 November, 2005 22:28  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please forgive me Secret, I've just discovered the links within your posts. Please ignore my previous message about referencing.

Keep it up,

Bob

20 November, 2005 22:44  
Blogger secretdubai said...

No problem Bob! My minimalist colour scheme (if you're not Picasso, keep it simple being my motto) does tend to disguise links, especially on some browser settings.

21 November, 2005 00:32  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ok, you people need to get some facts straight yeah?

All you idiots make Sharjah to be some weird ass place. Fact is, I have a brotherand his wife living there for the past 10 years, hes got a sweet villa, and hasnt had any issues since he moved there.

Why did he choose to live there? Since his business is near by and he doesnt want to spend hours commuting from Dubai everyday.

Granted, Dubai has more stuff to do and is more chilled out. But nothing wrong with Sharjah at all. I actually enjoy myself when I head down there since I get away from the "in your face" feel of Dubai for a while.

As for cops, Dubai has its share of old school cops who barely speak a word of English. And dont you all kid yourself into thinking shit doesnt happen in Dubai. Trust me, it does more often than not. You just dont hear about all of it, since Dubai has a rep to protect (with tourism and all). The cops in Dubai can be as nice or as messed as any other emirate. Main difference is booze is tolerated more than other emirates.

As for this case, it is indeed unfortunate it happend. But given the fact that the two women were trashed and willingly got into the car, what were they expecting? A nice hi how you doing, well drop you home now, and a kiss good night? Come on, whether you are in Sharjah, Dubai, or the US, a situation like this usually leads to trouble.. You have to have your wits about you, esp if you are female and walking in a deserted area and 4 am! I do feel for them, but point is, this can happen anywhere. Granted the cops could have acted much better, but this reaction could have been seen from Dubai cops as well, just as easily.

So your those of you who dont have any idea of what sharjah is actually like, havent lived there, let alone visited and just shoot your mouth off from "stories", it is better you dont post here.

18 January, 2006 10:44  
Blogger secretdubai said...

But given the fact that the two women were trashed and willingly got into the car, what were they expecting?

Regardless of how unwise they may have been, it doesn't make rape any less a crime. Nor does it make them any more deserving of it.

I very much doubt Dubai cops would have been allowed to act this way. Certainly if they had, the victims would very quickly have been released and given apologies by higher authorities. This is a far more progressive emirate.

18 January, 2006 15:07  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I very much doubt Dubai cops would have been allowed to act this way. Certainly if they had, the victims would very quickly have been released and given apologies by higher authorities. This is a far more progressive emirate.

I know from experiences to mates that this is not the case. It really depends on who the cops on duty is... you do not hear these incidents for obvious reasons.. A mate of mine 3 years ago was chilling with his girl in their car in jumeriah, and they were huggin and making out a little (nothing more) and a Dubai cop passed by, stopped and asked them to come with them to the station for "questioning". Then, he gave the alternative to let him sleep with the girl to let them both off.. My mate said no and he went down to the station and got it sorted cuz of his influence..

So shit happens everywhere.. you have to be careful and have your wits about.. sound advice that is given by long term expats.. "do not put yourself in a position that can tip you over the line, onto the wrong side of the law" and you'll be ok...

Sound advice really esp in this place..

18 January, 2006 18:02  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Regardless of how unwise they may have been, it doesn't make rape any less a crime. Nor does it make them any more deserving of it.

You are right, it doesnt make it less of a crime. I was just saying you have to have your wits about and the incident could have taken place in any setting..

18 January, 2006 18:04  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Last night in Jumeirah a close (Western) friend of mine was raped by the security guard of her building. She lives alone and arrived home at 4am after attending a function. The man in question forced himself into her apartment and she called me soon after, before my husband and I contacted the police, who located the man and thought it sufficient, once he had denied the charge - having accused her of being drunk and needing assistance to let herself in – to leave, as though we were wasting their time. After we objected, we were horrified to have the attacker led into her apartment before the police asked us again exactly what the problem was. As they spoke the poorest of English an impasse was reached before my friend reminded her attacker of the offence and he went "yeah, sorry" before both he and the police walked out with no mention of a penalty of any nature. I thought it best to call her embassy before discovering an answering machine and no after hours contact number. By the time the embassy opened at 8 am, four valuable hours had passed, evidence had been lost, and most devastingly, my friend had lost her confidence, so humiliated by her inept treatment by local authorities that she thought the case a lost case. My warning to expatriate women considering moving to Dubai independently would be to reconsider. The whole experience was just appalling and left my husband ashamed of his sex.

04 July, 2006 16:48  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It is not Just Sharjah...
I live in THE USA..
Some parts women do not dare walking in... even in high class cities..
Those High Class Morals do not prevent people anywhere from acting the way they do.. It is not JUst Sharjah.. Any Where in the World..
If you walk straight and not showing your goodies... The probability of getting rapped is very low..
Non Covered women should not blame men because they are showing thier goodies...
Hell.. If i got a diamond I will keep it in a safe place.. I wont be showing it to any body.. SO that is why women have to cover up and not show the goods for US Hungry Men.. And that is a FACT.. For all of you high society out there

08 January, 2009 13:13  

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