Title:
The legal eagle
Many of us travel throughout the region for business and pleasure on a regular basis. What’s acceptable in one country doesn’t fly in another and the region is full of strange, funny and nonsensical laws. In order to help you avoid spending the night in gaol, Bespoke presents our guide to odd Middle Eastern laws.
The issue of gender is always an interesting starting point, and the Middle East is home to some odd gender-biases, the majority of them are fairly harmless, and some of them are downright strange. For example, did you know that it’s considered acceptable for a woman to divorce a man in Saudi if he fails to keep her adequately supplied with coffee? How about the labour law in Kuwait banning women from working after 8 PM but that allows for the government to exempt certain people?
We’ve all heard about the various drugs laws throughout the region, they’re harsh and with good reason, but in Morocco you can be arrested for being in the presence of someone who has drugs on their person, even if you don’t know them. Good luck defending yourself against that charge.
Thinking of practicing Wicca in the UAE? Just make sure it’s not in Abu Dhabi where you can be prosecuted for engaging in “black magic”. That’s got all the tarot readers running for cover, we’re sure.
You’d better watch your mouth too, there’s a story floating around about an Australian-Kuwaiti national who’s facing seven years behind bars for insulting a member of the ruling family. Not to mention the fact that if you swear in public in the UAE and Bahrain you could be facing a pretty severe fine. Remember, bad language doesn’t pay.
One that we found particularly amusing was the recent announcement in Syria that failure to publicly object to polling fraud was illegal and that, technically, the whole country could find itself in the dock.
And gentlemen, be wary of your choice of pet in Saudi Arabia. Apparently, the only reason for buying a dog or a cat is to improve your chances of success with the ladies. That’s right if a single man buys a cat or dog there’s a good chance it will lead to confiscation of the animal and being made to sign a document promising never to do it again. Spare a thought for our furry friends.
However, perhaps the most fun is to be had by taking a quick look at some regional traffic laws. Having travelled around much of the region, we’re aware that people take a different approach to driving, depending on where you are. But, the laws are often decidedly odd, irrespective of which country you’re in. Here are a few from Dubai:
You can face three months in gaol for repairing damage from an accident without the written permission of the other party. Three months in goal. You can be fined for having a vehicle of an “invalid” colour; it makes me wonder what an invalid colour actually is, Fuchsia? Perhaps the most confusing one was the fine for “not writing numbers of the doors of vehicles”. We’re at loss.
If you can explain any of the above, send your answers on a postcard to usual address, please.
