Dubai
Travel news: bikini tourist charged with indecency in Dubai
A Brit tourist was hauled before a judge in Dubai yesterday after walking through the world's biggest shopping mall in a bikini.
The London woman, in her 20s, was on holiday in the Middle Eastern emirate, when she upset locals in the Dubai Mall with her "revealing clothing".
She was wearing clothes on top of her bikini, but after getting into an argument with an Arabic woman over her outfit, it was alleged the Brit stripped off.
The Londoner was charged with indecency and forced to surrender her passport.
But yesterday after spending an hour explaining her behaviour to a judge in a Dubai police station the charges were dropped.
She is due to fly home tomorrow.
Dubai attracts more than a million Brit tourists a year, but it has strict laws on decency, and many Brits have been prosecuted in the emirate over behaviour which would be tolerated in the UK.
Estate agent Charlotte Adams, 26, and Ayman Najafi, 24, were jailed for a month in Dubai earlier this year for kissing and fondling in a restaurant.
Comments
How come the world has to abide by the Islamic laws, but Islamic people dont abide by their same laws in other countries such as Thailand?
How come Islamists find it upsetting to abide by France's laws about the veil but insist that all women must be coverd in Saudi?
Dubai may come across as a rather open and cosmopolitan place, but that does not change the fact that one has to respect local laws.
Going into a shopping mall with a bikini is not acceptable socially in many Western countries, let alone Dubai !
I worked in Dubai and was surprised how often it was Brits in particular that got nabbed for unaccepted behavior. Their defense was usually "I am a tourist and I can do what I want".
No pity, if you cannot accept local customs and traditions, either stay at home or face the consequences.
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