Once again cultures are clashing in Dubai, where the region’s forward-thinking architecture and business plans belies the region’s backwards-thinking laws and rules.  When Ayman Najafi and a female friend were out to dinner, they exchanged a kiss of greeting, which is very common even in the Muslim world.  However, what one side claims was a simple peck on the cheek, the other side claims was kissing, inappropriate touching, and (somehow) the consumption of alcohol.  Hence, Najafi gets thrown into jail for a month and fined 1,000 dirhams ($272 US dollars).

I don’t care how much you love giant aquariums, camel burgers, and the world’s tallest closed building.  Once you’ve lived in the west (Najafi was born and raised in Great Britain), I don’t see how you could go back and live, full time, in a place with laws that restrictive.  I can understanding wanting some public decency, and like most people I’ve wanted to pepper spray teenagers at the mall for their PDAs, but to do that to adults is just crazy, especially in a he-said, she-said situation like this one without a legitimate witness.

Image: Geekologie

Tags: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, British pair arrested for kissing, arrested for kissing, British man jailed for a month for kissing, jail time for kissing, unusual crimes, Ayman Najafi

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