Image source: BBC News

2-year olds are cute, full of energy, stubborn, inquisitive, and in Dubai they also police the expat community.  Their word is final, and what they see is the absolute true representation of what goes on around them.  Even when they’re sleepy … at 2am.  But I shouldn’t judge a 2 year old, maybe it doesn’t sleep at 2am, because 2am evenings are good for going out – party time, toddler style.

This case has me a bit confused.  A sentence based solely on a “statement” from a 2 year old, to her mother, mother who keeps on changing her mind on what happened, depending on who she’s talking to.

As I wouldn’t know first hand about the communication abilities of a 2 year old, I did some searching, and it appears that your average 2 year old has a vocabulary of about 50 words.  Apparently kissing on the lips and touching – in an inappropriate way, are part of THIS toddler’s vocabulary.  Amazing!

Another very interesting point about this case is that the mother who reported all of this to the police is unavailable to testify, and her contact number has been disconnected (according to BBC World News). No witnesses were interviewed to prove the “couple”‘s innocence, and most definitely the brilliant 2 year old was not available for comment.

I agree, that “when in Rome, do like the Romans,” and I do think that I should respect the people, the culture and the values of the society I live in, but when 2 year olds are allowed to make decisions that alter people’s lives – I get thinking.  Is it about the fact that Ayman Najafi is Muslim and he “should know better”?  Because the couple was also fined for alcohol consumption – so he definitely should know better.  But where did they consume this alcohol? Was it possibly in the restaurant that legally serves alcohol? I don’t know the answer to that.

If I ever thought that the Dubai judicial system had any credibility, it just lost all respect in my eyes.  It’s not about the fact that the two are British, and that they should get preferential treatment.  It’s about justice – and second guessing a 2 year old’s statement – made at 2am …  in a restaurant.  Why isn’t anyone investigating the mother’s parenting techniques?  What is she doing out with her 2 year old child in the middle of the night?

Read the story in:
1. The Gulf News
2. Al Jazeera
3. The National
4. BBC News

Image Source: Gulf News

The country mourns once again, this time it’s the death of the 41 year old Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al Nahayan – brother of the ruler of the country – Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahayan.  He died in a crash, which took place on March 26th in Morocco.  3 days of mourning have been announced, starting Wednesday.  Here’s the news reported in Gulf News, The National and Bloomberg.

On a brighter note, Sharjah Heritage Days are back!!! If you’ve never been, you absolutely HAVE to give this event a try.  Taking place from April 4 – April 18th, Sharjah Heritage Days are exactly that … a celebration of the UAE national heritage.  Taking placing at the Sharjah Heritage Village, around Souk al Asra (the Old Souk).  If you read Arabic, you will find more info about the event here.

Image source: Dubai Vision

I heard a re-run of  a previously taped program last night, in which Wael al Sayegh, an Emirati national was discussing the Oprah ‘fiasco’.

He mentioned a few interesting things, some of which that I didn’t even pick up on.

1. Oprah, in her introduction of Dubai, mentioned that the UAE is positioned around the Persian Gulf, which is known as the Arabian Gulf to the millions of Arabs worldwide.

2. Dr. Lamees was indeed incorrect when stating that electricity is free in the emirate of Dubai or in the UAE in general.  Apparently ALL Emiratis pay their electricity bills, BUT water is free. –> if someone has more info on this … feel free …

3. Sheilah vs hijab.  The issue that has caused A LOT of comments from Emirati ladies.  Dr. Lamees mentioned that the sheilah and the abbayah are cultural – and she is 100% correct in stating that.  It is thought that many are misunderstanding what she said, for “hijab” is a form of cultural expression – which is not what she said.

Again, a very interesting program, which you can listen to, in 4 parts, from the Dubai Eye podcast site.

Image source: Ahlan!

Oprah issued an apology to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, for printing incorrect information on her website, following an interview with Dr. Lamees – an Emirati woman living in Dubai.

Read the story in Ahlan.
Read the story on 7Days.

I wonder whether Oprah will now come to the UAE, and investigate herself.  Time will tell.

Image Credit: Gulf News

It seems that Dr. Lamees from Dubai has landed herself in a lot of hot water with her fellow Emiratis.  Some are supporting her, but many are attacking her beliefs, as they obviously differ from their own.  The issues are many, two of them being: the Islamic vs. cultural role of the abbaya and the sheilah (veil) and whether or not Emiratis pay for electricity.

This is being reported in the news here in the UAE.

Nov.16th – an update.

I found this article written in the National, and you can read one of Oprah’s forums to see what some of the UAE residents think of the interview.  More here and here (Dubai on the Oprah Show) and here.

Very interesting!

Image Credit: Gulf News

I got forwarded this Gulf News article about marital counseling today. And as I read it, I thought: “Yes, way to go, good for you for making marriage a serious matter, good for you for bringing up the fact that it’s not right to divorce your mate over trivial matters.”  Divorce is a serious concern here in the UAE (read more here and here), so much so that authorities have decided to target young couples where they can find them … in malls.  Many views on why divorce rates are sky rocketing have been presented, and everybody has their own opinion, so I won’t go into that.

Getting back to the Gulf News article – I agreed and applauded the first bit – the info about trivialities playing a major role in divorce cases.  And then came the ‘interesting’ part – the counseling part – counseling Sharia style.

According to the article, which refers to Sharia law, as a husband, you have the right to gently reprimand your wife for not doing whatever it is she’s not doing quite the way you’d like her to.  Failing improvement on her part, you should remove yourself from the bedroom – and sleep elsewhere, to allow her to cry herself to sleep and become a better partner, and if ALL THAT doesn’t work, you should whip her … gently … “in a manner that makes her understand the situation” better.

WHAT IN THE WORLD!?!? This man was giving his presentation on making marriage work, as part of the “Sons of Divorce, Where To?” conference at the Al Ittihad Women Association in Sharjah.

I know that he was trying to raise a good point, and if you read the article, the beginning most certainly stresses his concerns for the nation, however the end bit, the bit about gentle whipping … I’m not sure about.  Perhaps it’s just how things get reported here, perhaps it’s the wording, but man oh man … this did not sit well with me … AT ALL.

So ladies, if your husband doesn’t make your coffee strong and sweet enough, first reprimand him, then take away his “bedroom rights” and then whip him … gently.  But then again … he might get the wrong idea.

Image source: dxbunderground

The hype is on, everybody is counting down.  My City, My Metro – inaugurating on 09.09.09 at 9pm.  The thing is … you won’t be able to ride it that day, unless you’re a VIP. As with everything in Dubai, you don’t learn of the details (or the fine print) until the very last possible moment.  This means that if you have not been invited to ride the train on 09.09.09 – you’re NOT going to be part of Dubai’s history.  Sorry … Here’s the news from Gulf News.

The metro WILL open its 10 stations on 10.09.09 at 6am. So if you’re one of the lucky few, who have a fully operational station close by, get yourself ready to ride the driver-less train, one day behind the history.

You can get more info on the card and pricing system here , and if you’d like to add some Dubai Metro stats to your trivia knowledge – check this page out.

2 more days for VIPs … or 3 more days for us “other folk.”  Good luck Dubai Metro!

Image credit: Broadwayworld

“Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch …” Yep, it could be a scene from Fiddler on the Roof, but that would be very culturally inappropriate …

I really like reading the papers here, some more than others that is, and that is due to the fact that some of them (hmm, hmmm Gulf News) report on the weirdest of things sometimes.  Their “reporting” style is quite interesting as well.  So when sometimes you should frown and feel horrible about a story they’ve reported on, you just end up laughing at how awkwardly they had done it.

OK, moving on, the latest big news comes from RAK (Ras al Khaimah).  Because families there are not doing all that they can to accommodate their little darlings when it comes to “heart matters”, there are now 2! agencies that can do it for them!!! Watch out Ras al Khaimah, here come the marriage officers!!!  I don’t know for sure, but something tells me that their services are geared at the local population, who (I thought … rather wrongly) was doing just fine with matching themselves up.

So here’s how it works: you go in, you provide the ladies (these marriage offices were established by 7 businesswomen! – a lucky number right there) with all the necessary details of what you expect of your future beloved, and they go off searching for a possible match, and if they find one for you – you get to pay for their services, and of course … marry.  The Emirati founders have special powers, which allow them to predict, which candidates “approach them for genuine reasons and those who may wish to use their services as a trap.”  Their success rate is “surprising” – as they themselves note, and they have been known to reject candidates, from whom they’ve gotten “suspicious” vibes. The women working at the office, claim to know all of the eligible female candidates in RAK, so just watch it ladies!!!  You may be next on their list.

This is what I’ve gathered from this article.  The service is for eligible men only – as no young Emirati female would be seen gallivanting around town searching for a “perfect match” (especially not in RAK).  These two offices have been licensed by the RAK Department of Economic Development – so they definitely are ‘legit’.

Now, I’m sure that this endeavour is a noteworthy one, and that there is some credit to what these ladies are doing, however the way their organization has been presented in Gulf News is somewhat comical.  Read for yourself, and decide.

Image source: Gulf News

The countdown has begun, the metro is going to be opening on September 9, 2009 (09/09/09)!  Very exciting.

A note about the opening, only the Red Line is going to be available for now (Jebel Ali – Rashidiya), and not all of the stations are going to be opened.  So, if a station next to you is looking a bit unfinished, it most probably won’t be ready for the first launch.

The fares have already been announced, and although a bit confusing to me right now, I’m sure they’ll be all worked out when the Metro opens on 09/09/09.

Image Credit: RTA

And here is the table with fares for you, compliments of the RTA.  (click on the image to see a bigger version)

Deira City Center (DCC) and Mall of the Emirates (MoE) have already started implementing their pay for parking system, although parking for the time being is still free ( fees will come into effect on September 10, a day after the Metro becomes operational).  You’ll still have to go through the payment process though.   A note about paying for parking: make sure you take your ticket with you, so that you can cancel it when you exit the mall itself – if not, you’ll have a lot of angry drivers stuck behind you, while you try to figure out what to do with a ticket that is not cancelled, and a gate which will not open for you.

Here are some articles about the payment system:
1. Dubai Metro Fares Revealed – Arabian Business
2. Dubai Metro Fares and Map – The National
3. Everything You Need to Know About the Metro Fares – Arabian Business

Interestingly enough, I was not able to find the above info on the RTA website itself.