Originally Posted by dlish

i thought it was about time i set the record straight.

im still dumbfounded that as smart and intellectual this forum is, that there is still people here who wont raise a finger to find out the facts before they make silly statements.

did anyone bother reading any other article other than the link posted? i think not. the link was a russian website, obviously in defence of the russian girl in question.

given that i live in the UAE, i think im in a better position to tell you what this whole thing is about and to explain the scenario and the ramaan environment so to speak. im here to call a spade a spade. im not here to defend any side, just giving my views on this thing.

so lets look at the facts in question shall we?


2 people get arrested for drinking juice in public during ramadan in daylight hours. they were charged and fined.

is that all we know? did anyone bother do any reading?? were they together? were they seperate cases? the article doesnt really say.

so lets get to it.

FACTS

1) there are laws in place that forbid everyone from eating and drinking in public

2) these laws are everywhere. evento the extent that they are advertised in the newspaper, in the local buildings, as part of the radio stations broadcasts in arabic, english and hindi.

3) there are designated areas in parts of shopping centres where non fasting members of the community are allowed to eat and drink. this usually comprises of restaurants that put curtains on their windows to accomodate for this part of the community.

4) the laws are in place not just in public, but also in the workplace. you cant eat at your desk in front of fasting members, but you are allowed to eat in the lunchroom etc away from fasting members of the community.

5) the laws are set as a sign of respect for the fasting members of the community.

6) the vast majority of the population is non muslim. only 10% of the population is local emirati. the remainder come from mainly asia, europe, UK, mid east and africa.

7) non fasting members of the muslim community (pregnant women, children, those that are unable to fast for health reasons etc) do not have to fast, but still must abide by the laws, so it is not just a non muslim issue.

do i think it tough? hell yeah. do i have sympathy for those two that got arrested? no not really. why? lets see the facts of the story then


1) the two people in question were at a service station
2) two people - a male and female are arrested for drinking in public
3) they are seen by some local emirati who was offended by them drinking and called the police.
4) the police arrested the two and charged them.
5) the two were the first case out of almost 5 million people. surely these guys arent the sole people that have eaten in daylight hours?
6) as mentioned earlier the male that got arrested was lebanese. even if he wasnt muslim, he would have known that he was not allowed to eat or drink in public. she being with him would have been aware of this also.
7)the 'seller or facilitator' doesnt get punished. he sold them both a juice bottle, why is it his fault that he be punished for selling juice? it was their decision to drink it.

for those saying this is a muslim country and it doesnt accomodate for non muslims, i dare say you have yet to set foot here. the only time you hear things like this is when the western media picks things up and makes a big issue out of what is a flagrant flaunting of the laws. ie- when sunbathers bathe topless, or people have sex on the beach, or when people get busted for bringing drugs into the country. i dont see why people jump on the bandwagon when the laws are well known by everyone living here.

so ok - the rules are very tough. granted. i agree, but there are things in place to accomodate the non muslim population.

there is an extremely large indian population here..about half the population in fact. they dont have these problems and issues. why? because they are aware of the rules, cultural restrictions and taboos. westerners on the other hand have less regard for the cultural sensitivities and a lot are ignorant of the cultural and religious influence on society.

these laws are not overbearing. nor are they unreasonable. i just wish there was a bot more common sense and understanding before people decide to make a judgement.

when in rome, do as the romans.

Originally Posted by MSD

I guess I'm just an asshole if after the reality check I haven't changed my mind.