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14 March, 2009

No dancing in Dubai

Farewell to dancing dishdashes and foxtrotting abayas, with the latest fatwa on fun in the sandlands:

Dubai - Playing loud music, dancing, nudity, kissing and even holding hands in public is considered inappropriate behaviour under new guidelines laid down by the authorities of Dubai, a report said on Saturday.

But wait... what about that legendary Gulf cultural phenomenon, the breathtaking choreographed display known as stickdancing?

An entire Dubai-tourism-video-producing industry falls on its knees and weeps.


Comments
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47 Comments:

Blogger Muscato said...

How many feet does Dubai have, that it can so regularly shoot itself in them? This strikes me as just the thing to do as the economy tanks - drive away more tourists....

14 March, 2009 18:01  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wait, i dont get this:

"The guidelines also stipulate that anyone caught under the influence of alcohol - even small amounts - outside designated drinking areas is liable to being fined or imprisoned, the paper added."

so if you are drinking in a bar, and step out to take a cab home, are you in or out of the 'designated drinking area'?
are you supposed to stay at the bar/hotel until you are no longer under influence?

14 March, 2009 20:02  
Blogger Private said...

Sounds like they are being pretty strict.

http://globalartblog.blogspot.com/

14 March, 2009 20:22  
Blogger Rupert Neil Bumfrey said...

More interesting social commentary here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7940501.stm

14 March, 2009 20:51  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh for fucks sake, secretdubai have u got nothing else to bitch about? are those not the same rules they have had for YEARS? in dubai you can do anything you want as long as your rich

15 March, 2009 03:25  
Blogger Kyle said...

But will they still allow dishdashed dudes in bars for a taste of infidel juice(s)?

Ah, the price one has to pay for a handout!

Having said that, I second Anonymous at 3:25. Have money, will dance. Just let the hits keep comin' on!

15 March, 2009 07:44  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

South African news paper isn't a reliable source.

15 March, 2009 08:32  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

tut tut... you mustn't misconstrue this news of the law being instrumental in promoting research & development into state of the art virtual reality & ultra-realistic sensory stimulation technologies.

this is just a driver for innovation & entrepreneurship among the highly reliable, efficient & intellectual pool of indigenous labor.

;)

15 March, 2009 11:13  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@annonymous 0832hrs
http://www.kippreport.com/kipp/dubai-classifies-‘holding-hands’-as-inappropriate-behavior/?subid=1#focusnews

AFP and Al Emarat Al-Youm quoted sources.

SD seems to have got story well ahead of mainstream aggregators!

15 March, 2009 12:44  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.kippreport.com/kipp/what’s-so-funny/

"“Excuse me, I am a girl”

The Emirati government launched a campaign last week to combat masculine behavior in women, and help women avoid ‘delinquent behavior’. And by delinquent behavior they mean homosexuality.
Naji Hay, an official at the ministry of social affairs told Al-Arabiya that “the phenomenon of manly women has become apparent in society… These women are against the normal nature of females. Their deviant behavior threatens other normal girls. This is why we had to launch this initiative to protect society from this menace.”


“This menace”? With statements like that, the UAE is inviting the world media to point and laugh at it.


What happened to all that talk about tolerance?"

15 March, 2009 13:17  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So yesterday Dubai's Chief of Police says he wants to keep debtors out of jail, must be he wants the space freed up for the new transgressors of the "regulations"!
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090316/NATIONAL/583101106/1010

16 March, 2009 08:37  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

All that is happening is a reinforcing of existing regulations. If you live in the state, respect the rules. And, for all the emirate-bashers - at least some countries are standing up for good standards of behaviour. As a Brit (ex-Dubai) it is the British who have lowered our standards of daily behaviour to become laughed at by so many. If we want to dance and imbibe to our heart's content, there are plenty of empty clubs across the UK to play loud music and dance in.

16 March, 2009 11:20  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

check this out.. the other side of Dubai..
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/13742/

16 March, 2009 14:55  
Blogger Gary McFarlane said...

According to respected international lawyer Franklin Lamb a recent CIA report gives the Israeli state 20 years before it collapses. Apparently members of the US Senate Intelligence Committee have seen the report which argues that a two-state solution is no longer realistic and that a one-state solution is the only viable democratic option. It predicts:

"an inexorable movement away from a two-state to a one-state solution, as the most viable model based on democratic principles of full equality that sheds the looming specter of colonial Apartheid while allowing for the return of the 1947/1948 and 1967 refugees. The latter being the precondition for sustainable peace in the region."

According to Lamb the CIA refers to the rapid and unexpected downfall of Apartheid South Africa (unexpected by the CIA that is which was of course a supporter of the racist regime, with the US government refusing to support sanctions, along with Thatcher's Britain) and of the Soviet Union.

http://gazasolidarity.blogspot.com/2009/03/cia-predicts-collapse-of-israeli-state.html

16 March, 2009 17:14  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

thank you for your predictions, i am sure israel will collapse the same way america and europe has collapsed. the same way CIA did 9/11. dream on :-). some more delusions from the clinically delusional region. read some other language also, other than your own language, for god's sake to get a slightly more larger perspective. or would that be asking for too much.

16 March, 2009 18:57  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

sorry off topic, but interesting considering this has been written about for last 6 months and denied by powers who rule. from Khaleej Times now:

Emirates and Etihad airlines seek closer ties
(AFP)
16 March 2009
FRANKFURT - The Gulf airline Emirates seeks closer ties with rival Etihad but wants to remain a separate carrier, a German press report said on Monday in an interview with the company's boss.

"We are still on our own and that is fine," Sheikh Ahmed ibn Said al-Maktum told the daily Die Welt, without elaborating on the form of cooperation under consideration with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad.

The airline boss said that Dubai-based Emirates was not interested in investing in European airlines, such as the low-cost carrier Air Berlin.

"We have decided not to buy stakes. We don't need them," he explained.

Press reports have said the government of Abu Dhabi wants to take over several companies in neighbouring Dubai.

The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has rejected such reports however, saying the two biggest UAE members would cooperate to pull through the global economic crisis.

AS IF HE WILL TELL THE TRUTH. WAIT FOR ANOTHER 6 MONTHS AND U WILL SEE.

16 March, 2009 18:59  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"We have decided not to buy stakes. We don't need them," he explained.

Don't need them or it's because you're broke?

Never mind.

The audience here got the picture.

16 March, 2009 19:14  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We'll be dancing on the ceiling!

Oh...wait.....

16 March, 2009 19:19  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"The law in implementation: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/berkshire/7945543.stm "

(Why is business news creeping in to these comments?)

16 March, 2009 19:35  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

well marie should have thought about it before marrying a slime ball who comes from a place where such occurrences are common place for foreigners who wed local men. many have been known to seek asylum at their embassies to protect themselves from bodily harm, minus their children who will be kept by the husband. the world is a wicked place, and if you are innocent and unlucky, you will realise there are no free meals.my sympathies are definitely not being wasted here.

16 March, 2009 20:17  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have heard about AUH police cars being in Dubai's terminal 3. Have no idea why there are thre, but I never ever saw Dubai/Auh Police cars in each other's emirate 1!

17 March, 2009 08:32  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ anonymous 0832

What an incorrect story about Abu Dhabi!

They only ever use the Private Terminal,surely?

Possibly come June, rumours will surface about Abu Dhabi police cars across at Terminal 2 when Fly Dubai (budget airline) starts operations!

Rumours flying everywhere.

Interesting interview here:http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm?id=ANA20090316T104405ZPJB21&l=104409090316&zawyaemailmarketing

17 March, 2009 09:02  
Blogger Achaemenid said...

http://emaarsucks.wordpress.com/

17 March, 2009 22:06  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I thought Dubai was portraying itself as a Global destination. What will happen to its image now?

17 March, 2009 23:32  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

uae can be so pathetic. ofcourse the government forgets about their local teenagers dressing up in front of their parents and undressing when no one is around ( not trying to insult anyone, im speaking from exprenience). people who like honesty no matter where, how, when, no worries this rule will not last forever.

18 March, 2009 00:12  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dubai is simply pathetic, what do they try to do? What do they try to show to the world? A great place to live, no doubt! How is the economy going? Are there any expats still there or they have run away in flocks?

18 March, 2009 19:46  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I recently received copies of the new "Dubai Code of Conduct" documents in Arabic and English, and I'd like to forward them to you. Do you already have them? They are PDFs. Please contact me if you'd like them.

19 March, 2009 14:41  
Blogger secretdubai said...

I would absolutely love to see them! Thank you for the offer. My email is secretdubai at gmail.

19 March, 2009 15:03  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

These things are bound to be enforced as Dubai needs MONEY from Abu dhabi and KSA? Appeasing religion I guess. So does this mean there are no more prostitutes in Dubai? EXDUBAI

20 March, 2009 16:33  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is nothing more than an attempt by Dubai to show its in control. Yes these rules have been around for a while but since Sheik Mo sold his butt-hole to Abu Dhabi his liberal approach was the price. This is also the price of turning his sheikdom into a shitdome.

Also foreigners are the best thing that happened to Dubai. His own sandarab people are the ones who drain the system, have no moral values, worship the dollar and think all other people are beneath them. In fact locals hate foreigners. It tears them apart when they see us driving cars better then theirs. Hence they make stupid decisions just to make them feel its still their country when its not any more.

20 March, 2009 21:06  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

LOL! Stickdancing! SD, You never cease to amaze me!

21 March, 2009 10:32  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Muslim extremism creeping its way back into Dubai. Not good. Another Crusade will fix that. Fake ass Islam.

22 March, 2009 00:36  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ moo, lol, brilliant!

22 March, 2009 00:42  
Blogger rosh said...

SD, after all the partying that's turned the once beautiful DXB town life into a partytown for party animals, the codes are much needed, I'd think. I just hope they implement and enfore the codes.

23 March, 2009 01:43  
Blogger mahad said...

hey baldwin dude find your comments on islam distatefull. it could only come out of an islamphobe. who likes spread disingenuous hysteria mindless vilification of muslims and arabs. an end product coming from uae's enemies full hate jealousy and envy.and i am not anonymous like the rest of this mercs. fearing an end to the cushy existence the have in the uae.

23 March, 2009 20:39  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ Mahad

After deciphering you poorly written statement I'm glad you are upset. Although I will admit i don't find all Muslims fake (only most). Fake ass Islam exist mostly among gulf Arabs. I see it all the time. They pray five times a day and in between prayers they perform all the debotchary and thievery you could imagine. In general the holier they act the more corrupt they are.

24 March, 2009 10:54  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyone heard any chatter about this?

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-queen-elizabeth-ii-cruise-ship-is-being-dismantled-in-dubai-2009-3

24 March, 2009 16:40  
Blogger Rupert Neil Bumfrey said...

@ anonymous 1640hrs, 24-03-09

I do think this is another "rumour"!

I think original plan was for a two to three year refurbishment to be undertaken, by which time, credit crisis will be diminishing, plus the plans showed funnel being removed.

Possibly this "rumour" may be proof original plans are being followe.

24 March, 2009 17:07  
Blogger mahad said...

RE:BALDWIN yes i agree my statement was poorly written (bit in a hurry )decipher what you like dude you got the message. yes there are people out there with loose morals who pretend to be good muslims its form of hypocrisy being practiced.they deceive themselves.the individuals you refer to are in the a minority.anyhow we are talking "new" laws here are none. not in the uae not in dubai. you just want have go dude. another busybody who wants let some steam off virtually can't do in the real world ?>

25 March, 2009 15:08  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey baldwin, its DEBAUCHERY dude.

06 April, 2009 00:52  
Anonymous Baldwin said...

@ ano 06 April, 2009 00:52

Thanks dude. Would DEBAUCHERIES be plural?

07 April, 2009 01:06  
Anonymous unJane said...

The breathtaking choreographed display know as stickdancing is only upstaged by the amazing talent of hairswinging. These two forms of cultural entertainment leave me at a loss for words.

14 August, 2009 01:08  
Anonymous Ernest Moretti said...

Hmmm, sounds like the rules are pretty strict. If playing loud music, nudity, kissing, dancing and even holding hands in public is considered as inappropriate behavior under new guidelines implemented by the Dubai authorities then it can have a grave impact on the tourism of the country. Although the culture of a country should be given prime importance, the freedom of expression should not be neglected.

15 October, 2009 18:10  
Anonymous Zeeshan said...

Smart a*z expats, self-centered and selfish to the bone. Emirati supported says: "If you don't like, you please leave"

20 October, 2009 00:05  
Anonymous Shamsa said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is nothing more than an attempt by Dubai to show its in control. Yes these rules have been around for a while but since Sheik Mo sold his butt-hole to Abu Dhabi his liberal approach was the price. This is also the price of turning his sheikdom into a shitdome.

Also foreigners are the best thing that happened to Dubai. His own sandarab people are the ones who drain the system, have no moral values, worship the dollar and think all other people are beneath them. In fact locals hate foreigners. It tears them apart when they see us driving cars better then theirs. Hence they make stupid decisions just to make them feel its still their country when its not any more.

---

Generalizations much?

05 November, 2009 20:48  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

DUBAI IS THE GREAT CITY IN THE WORLD IN EVERYTHING.
SO BE SHAME AND STOP TALKING ABOUT THE TRUTH DREAM

17 December, 2009 23:55  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would say it is true that Middle East is not the world's best place to be. Currently living in Dubai myself, I would say this is the most souless place I have ever been to. Racism takes place in other countries but not as obvious as it is here.
The locals are bunch of hypocrites and all these rules seems only for foreigners. I have observed the Arabs drinking in bars, all fully "covered" .They expect the foreigners to respect their culture but they don't do the same when they are in a foreign country and I have seen their barbarian behaviour myself. I dont think I would settle for Dubai or anywhere else in the Middle East for the matter even if I am a filthy rich billionaire. Middle east is the most unpleasant place to be.

05 March, 2012 10:53  

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