Sex on the beach trial highlights Dubai cultural divide

DUBAI -- Sex on the beach or drunken trysts may not raise eyebrows in many cities, but a recent case in Dubai has exposed a growing cultural divide between native Muslims and Western residents seeking fun in the sun.

I have seen this same story recently in a number of online news sites. It makes me wonder if I'm the last conservative on the planet. "Sex on the beach or drunken trysts may not raise eyebrows in many cities"??? I would sure as heck raise my eyebrows. I'm not some radical Christian. I think that what goes on between two (perhaps 3) consenting adults in the privacy of their own homes is their business. And I will admit to fooling around on a deserted beach late at night in Vancouver (but that's another story). But, for a long time, I've been bothered by the lack of separation between what is considered acceptable private and public behavior in Canada and many other western countries.

I think that a kiss on greeting or parting is fine, but, if a couple want to play serious tonsil-hockey, that should not be public. Whatever happened to polite behavior? Whatever happened to self-control? If you really feel the urge, can't you wait a little.

So, I have two problems with this story. One is that I think the basic behavior is inappropriate at any time in any place - including Canada. I'm not advocating years in the slammer, but I do think a few days - maybe a week - is fine. (The sentence hasn't been handed down yet, so we don't know if it will be excessive or not.). The second problem is with the idea that we can go to another country and act any way we want. That just seems impolite. Admittedly, Dubai is like the Wild West in many ways, and it sometimes seems like anything goes, but this couple should get a little jail time and they should be expelled from the country. The story that I got was that this was took place during the day, and they were given a warning by a police officer. It wasn't an unsuspecting couple holding hands and walking down the street (which, by the way, is perfectly acceptable in Dubai).

This story has also been accompanied quite frequently by this picture as though this fully-veiled woman represents the average Emirati. "Oh, yes. Look at how different they are." What a pile of c**p. The majority of Emirati women wear long black dresses with long sleeves, and they wear head-scarves. Very few Emiratis wear veils.

The picture below is much more common.


This whole story smacks of a nasty intolerance and racism that I find disturbing.