Dubai: Respect local culture, 
Embassy tells Britons


Khaleej Times

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The British Embassy in Dubai has urged its citizens to respect Emirati culture, as it attempts to clamp down on avoidable problems with the law.

 

 

 

Britons are more likely to be arrested in the UAE than anywhere else in the world except Thailand, Consul-General Guy Warrington said at a community gathering held at the embassy’s Dubai Creek headquarters on Tuesday.

 

There are currently 100,000 British citizens living in the Emirates, with another one million visiting on holiday every year, and the consumption of alcohol continues to prove a sticking point between Western and Middle Eastern sensibilities.

 

“Having an alcohol licence doesn’t give you the right to be drunk in public,” said Consul Mandy Smith. “And even though you may have purchased alcohol legally you can still get in trouble.” Smith recalled the case of an unmarried couple who landed in trouble after a post-brunch stumble into an Emirati lady.

 

The holidaying pair, who had been living together for 15 years in England, spent the next 48 hours in Bur Dubai police station for being drunk in public and sharing a hotel room outside of wedlock. In another case, a 16-year-old British Muslim youth was sentenced to lashes for drinking alcohol in an unspecified emirate (withheld for confidentiality purposes).

 

“It was awful,” Smith said, remembering the desperation of the lad’s parents — though adding that the embassy nonetheless had to respect the decision of the courts.

 

Smith told assembled guests that Dubai Police have announced plans to crack down on ‘milkmen’ — bootleggers who target Westerners with cheap and potentially unsafe alcohol.

 

Smith also handed out cautionary advice about appropriate clothing, drink driving, offensive language, hand gestures, bouncing cheques, drugs and solvent abuse.“If you get arrested, don’t argue with the police,” she warned. “Emiratis are being tolerant of us with alcohol and (unmarried couples staying in) hotels.”

 

She added that the cost of hiring a lawyer for any legal case would be steep — anywhere upwards of Dh40,000 — and some expats had ended up homeless after having their passports confiscated by police. “But we don’t want to make out that Dubai is a dangerous place to live,” she said, adding that the country was far safer than the UK and that the vast majority of Brits enjoyed their time in the UAE without incident.

 

“Dubai has gone through a massive transformation, although the traditions, the values and the culture have remained the same. We’re invited here as guests and we must follow the rules. What doesn’t offend us may offend some other people – this is advice for everyone.” Britons in distressing circumstances can contact the British Community Assistance Fund (leave a message on 04-3371413). For further advice or to register with the British Embassy, visit www.ukinuae.fco.gov.uk

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