Sex on the beach in Dubai
British expats learn the limits to an Islamic culture's tolerance of Western behavior
A word of caution to Westerners planning to visit Dubai, said Karen Beaudoin in Maine Today. Leave your libido at home. A British couple convicted of having drunken sex on a beach in the United Arab Emirates have been sentenced to three months in jail, followed by deportation. “Sure, doing the nasty in public is frowned upon unless the cameras are rolling or you're at a Sandals Resort, but yikes.”
The local authorities did nothing wrong, said Mark Blanksby in the British construction magazine Building. “Dubai is extremely welcoming and tolerant”—probably more so than any other city in the region. But these two lovebirds—Vince Acors and Michelle Palmer—wore out their welcome by trampling on the rules of their conservative Islamic hosts, so they deserve to be punished.
Palmer lost her publishing job in Dubai over this, too, said Janet Street-Porter in the British daily The Independent, but it‘s hard to feel sorry for her. She “behaved like a trollop”—even if she was only making out with Acors as she claimed. If police back home would punish drunken misbehavior half as severely, maybe expats would conduct themselves in ways that reflected better on Western culture.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published