Love chooses neither its characters nor its setting. A 26-year-old Australian working on a contract in Dubai met here a 26-year-old German woman, an employee of some firm. The newspaper Gulf News, which reported this story, gives only their initials. They, of course, did not familiarize themselves with the instructions on how to “love the Emirati way” before arriving in the UAE.
The “misfortune” happened on the evening of April 28. According to the investigation, the German woman drank two cocktails in her hotel, after which she was drawn to her boyfriend. They met in his hotel room, where they spent some time alone. After midnight, the woman decided to return, and her companion offered to walk her. Embracing, they walked on foot through the night city, along asphalt still not cooled from the midday heat. They did not see, and could not see, anyone around them.
Meanwhile, to the lovers’ misfortune, Dubai turned out to be not so deserted at this hour. When they approached her hotel and it was time to say goodbye, a police patrol noticed the couple. The law enforcers recorded a passionate “French” kiss and immediately detained the “violators of public order”. They tried to justify themselves: they said that in their homeland all this was normal. But alas: the UAE is one of those states where public (and there may be no public) display of affection is punished by law.
They were still lucky. Recently in Iran, famous actress Gohar Kheirandish at the award ceremony of the film festival winners in the city of Yazd pecked the winner of the main prize on the forehead. Now both, released on bail, face a year in prison or 74 lashes for an “act of immoral behavior”.
Kissing and hugging in public is prohibited in India, China, in several states of the Arab world and Africa (for example, in Saudi Arabia, Mozambique). Foreigners who come here simply need to know this and not forget it even in moments when the soul sings. Moreover, the memo “on the norms of etiquette” concerns not only kisses in public places. In Singapore, two citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany were sentenced to caning for cigarette butts thrown onto the roadway. In Japan, the fine for this (as well as for spitting on the ground) is 2,000 yen ($120), in Turkey - $2,000, in China - only from $3 to $6.
And in some places there are completely curious normative legal acts approved from time immemorial. It is not necessary to know them, but just in case you can. For example, the American states. In Idaho, anyone who tries to fish while sitting on a camel is subject to immediate arrest. In Florida, children are prohibited from crossing the street on a tightrope after midnight. In Utah, a girl in shoes with heels higher than 3.8 centimeters faces a fine of $20. In Vermont, one cannot whistle underwater. In the city of Baltimore, a person who comes to the theater with a lion is fined $500, and in Chico (California), the same amount will be lost by one who explodes a nuclear bomb in the center of the city...
All this is no joke. Just as it is no joke that residents of Copenhagen are not allowed to salute low-flying aircraft, Swedes - to twirl a finger at the temple of their king depicted in a portrait, Brazilians - to walk naked in the building of the National Opera in São Paulo, and Chileans - to clean boots with smelly creams. It is just unknown whether foreign guests can afford such things. But in any case - it is better not to try.
Semyon Gennadyev, general director of the capital’s travel agency:
- Our clients always receive memos that describe in detail the rules of behavior in the host country. In Arab countries, rule No. 1 is not to approach unfamiliar women. You cannot even ask for directions or the time, because a complaint to the police will automatically follow. Rule No. 2 - long sleeves are mandatory for everyone, closed shoes, and in no case a short skirt. Well, and, of course, no alcohol!