DUBAI: Sex on the beach?

Just wanted to address this fellow AH for saying" That's why I hate being an Arab!" Well wise guy your comment clearly shows how shallow you are, should you've been around the world you could have easily realized that having sex in public places is forbidden in all countries across the globe even in the most liberal countries, but apparently you do not know that. Now my question is, how do you feel if the lady involved was your sister, mother, daughter..or wife! you would love that, won't you! or hate???!!!
So I guess for you it goes down to either being an Arab or fully support having sex in public like dogs!!!If this was socially acceptable, everybody would be doing it!

For the people yelling about religious intolerance: The 'no sex in public' law is always a religious institution, as far as I can tell. Example? For a country with separation of church and state, the US certainly tends to run itself like a theocracy (can't speak for UK, of course). Sex is a natural, irrepressible part of the human condition, and if we could unknot our panties for a minute, maybe we'd realize how silly it is when you consider that animals are running around naked and screwing all the time - and human beings are absolutely nothing but over-analytical animals.

All things considered, any idiot should know better than to get caught doing it in public, wherever they are.

Still, though, the Western in me is a little discouraged that one of the charges is PREMARITAL SEX. A little archaic, I have to believe.

I fully support having the English couple arrested and jailed. Public sex should be a felony here in the U.S. If I ever see a couple having sex in public, I would beat the crap out of them.

Only animal and insane people do the sex in the public with the reason of "Be Kind Religion". Even in Moscow-the communist country--sex in the public is strickly forbiden.So don't change yourself into a puppy by having sex in the public or don't be arrogant with your natinaliy or feel superior with your WASPs--White Anglo Saxon Protestants status.

This is why I hate being an Arab!

The fundamental tension-: Dubai as global playground vs. Dubai as Islamic state-- provides the West with a useful lesson about how political and social change in the Middle East evolve over time. A few decades ago it would have been rare to see a Western woman in Dubai, period.

I am personally offended when some individual think of our society as "NOT backward people" based on the fact that we commit acts of adultry and public indeceny here in the Western world. I think we should honor laws of other societies as we expect others to live by our laws when they are amongst us.
Lets not forget that we act disgusted at the idea of polygamy yet most of us commit adultry. Now, lets get a grip and as our friend said previously, when in Rome, do as Romans do.

----------------------- David -------------------------------

Well, when in Rome do as the Romans do... so, when in the emirates don't sex it up on the beach.

Dubai sounds like a great place for a vacation!!!

"later that evening the pair were found in a compromising position on the beach by a passing policeman.
He reportedly let them off with a caution but, when they were discovered in the same position shortly afterwards, they were arrested.
Miss Palmer is then said to have become aggressive toward the policeman. "

The details left out of the Telegraph report is that Miss Palmer told the policeman to "F--- off you stupid Islamic C**t ", and threated him with her stilletto-heeled shoe.

The happy couple hastily got married while in holding cells so as to mitigate the charge of sex out of wedlock.
These were drunken idiots having sex on a public beach, not just 'kissing and hugging' as reported here.

In fact, the LA Times gives the most distorted coverage of this incident I have read anywhere. I shall be much less likely to give much credence to their reporting in future.

Those people in Arab countries should come see what goes on in European beaches. Oh wait, they do, and then complain in order to change our laws and culture. They are a backwards culture and should open their eyes, you cannot give someone 6 years for making out on a beach. Dubai after all is based on everything that is wrong with capitalism built on greed and slave labor, and now this?? How can you be so against making out on the beach and yet be so in favor of abusing and beating your wife?? Arab culture at its best my friends, call me racist, I don't see it as an insult. The color of their skin or their beliefs in god are not what bothers me, it's their culture.

Way to be objective LA Times, great work.

When this article surfaced around July 9th, the Telegraph reported they were HAVING SEX on the beach, and also after being let off with a warning, THEY IGNORED AND STARTED AGAIN. Back then, they were only complaining about being made examples, nothing about the charges.

This is just a perceived opportunity for so many people to say, "wow, look at those crazy Muslims, they are so backward." I mean seriously, is it so crazy to ask people keep their clothes on, or even more not have sex on a tourist beach?! Muslims are just ridiculous aren't they? (This case hearkens me back to the Singapore caning incident.) From other numerous articles, most British nationals actually sided with Dubai, and regardless of who is telling the truth OBEY THE LAWS. What's the saying, "don't do the crime if you can't do the time?" I think thats how that goes...

And by the way, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN SENTENCED YET. We'll all have to wait and see where this goes. (Grooverider was sentence to 4 years for drugs, and he got off in 6-7 months, so who knows.)

Firstly, the vast majority of the posters here really need to get a grip on all these terms they throw around: "fundamentalism", "muslim morals", "Middle East", "hypocrites", etc. Most people just spew whatever they are hearing from any source, and have no idea about the real situation. Read some books.

Secondly, just because you might have no problem with this behavior does not mean that another country should not. They have the right to make their own laws, whether they are religiously based or not.

Thirdly, we all seem in such a hurry to lump all these countries with any sort of Islamic beliefs into the "Middle East". Kind of like throwing these countries into the "Axis of Evil" and enemy lists after September 11th, when if fact that country was not involved. The U.S. is very large. These countries (generally) are not. They are separate countries, and often differ enormously in their views and laws.

Lastly, this is just about respect. A foreign country that these people were visiting has laws. They broke them. They should own up to whatever the punishment for the infraction may be. Simple as that. This has nothing to do with "fundamentalism" (who even knows what that means anymore), Islam, or Sharia law. It's quite similar to other laws around the world. Also, neither side will tell the whole story. Though LA Times is my home page I check every day, they (most likely) will not have every detail, and neither will the local press in Dubai.

I wonder how long the creepy patrol officer watched before he busted them?

I find this kinda funny. 6 years is a bit extravagant non-the-less. I'd just get them for public indecency.. They're going to kill their tourism market for the laws in place.

I respect Islam as much as any other religion. However, 6 years for what would be at most a minor misdemeanor in the non-Islamic world is nuts. That said, we have plenty of prohibitions here in the U.S. that should not be crimes at all.

These 2 people are just 20 kinds of stupid. There should be a stupid law and they should get a few years added on for being stupid. Hello! 2-1/2 years in Dubai they should know the law. It is not a difficult law to follow, come on. Just keep your pants on in public. That is common decency anywhere, but especially so in the Middle East. These comments against Islamic countries are pathetic. Nobody asked them to come to Dubai. But since they did, they should respect the law and culture or face the consequences. No self-control. No respect. Pitiful.

Moral of the story: Don't go to Dubai.

The man should of inserted his penis before the cops got there.

These people did absolutely nothing wrong. I hope she sues her employer and wins millions. Not that anyone goes to Dubai anyway, but I'm sure as hell never gonna even think of it now.

Wait a minute? They had sex in public; indecent exposure (flashing your wang) in the UK, US can get you 2 years in prison. So, having sex in public in the US is now acceptable all of a sudden?

How is this "religious fanaticism". Sex in public is illegal in the US and UK too y'know. Isn't that part of the allure to have sex in public? The thrill is trying to get away with it, right?

I think this is more of a "look what them dirty Muzzies are doin"! Anything to demonize and ridicule Muslims is fair game, right?

You people seem to lose all rationality when the word "Muslim" or "Islam" come into play.

Her lawyer, who is a Muslim, says that she didn't have sex. How is this different from any other legal process in the world? The state applies an offense, the defense builds up evidence to refute the charges and until proven guilty, they deny, deny, deny.

As for the Islamophobic remarks, w/e. You people throwing around the word "hypocrisy" are the greatest offenders of all.

I wonder what you Christofascists think about all this. All of a sudden, cause Islam and "dem dirty Mooslems" are involved you're all for sex in public, I'll bet!

A friend of mine recently spent some time in Dubai around the time that this couple was arrested. Read this article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/dubai/2275123/British-couple-arrested-in-Dubai-over-sex-on-the-beach.html
The full story is that this couple was caught getting hot and heavy in public and were warned by the police officer that it contravened local laws. They were let off with a warning, and the officer continued his patrol. When he returned, they were still going at it. Only then were they arrested. The local media also reported that the woman involved strongly resisted arrest, attempting to strike the officer.

Six years does seem quite a long time, but when you travel you have to respect the laws of the country you're in. Singapore, for example, has very strict laws; if you go there, you should be aware of that, and act accordingly. Being a westerner is not a free pass to assume the rest of the world will let you get away with whatever you want. And I say this as a westerner (Canadian living in the UK) who travels quite a bit. You respect the laws of the country you're going to, or your face their repercussions, not the repercussions you would face at home.

It's not whether they were doing something wrong, its whether Dubai should even punish them for it. The lynch-pin of American jurisprudence is the element of discretion. Each and every one of us breaks the law everyday, whether it's crossing the street not in a crosswalk or running a red light that just turned yellow. The reason why none of us are punished is because the criminal justice system utilizes discretion in whom to punish. Here, there is no discretion. What was an innocent act that couples all over the world partake in is now being punished with restitution similar to that of felonious offenses.

Further proof of muslim-fuggedry.

This wouldn't be so hard to stomach if it wasn't for the fact that their pious, so-called moral royalty and other high-flyers get up to all sorts when they leave the UAE and Saudi. Hypocrites.

Quote:

The British should remember that they don't rule the world anymore and their drunken, boorish behavior is not appreciated.

Yes yes; perhaps if we did, the world would be a happier place.

More to the point: it's British Broadcasting Corporation, not company.

Well done researchers. Another one to the yanks.

Burn-em.

THEY DIDN"T DO ANYTHING WRONG YOU FREAKS! you damn mutant cannibal savage idiots. anyone who defends these charges shows their amazing lack of COMMON SENSE and SIMPLE COMPASSION

are you beasts?
are you really that dumb?

ANY FREEDOM LOVING PEOPLE THAT GO TO DUBAI FOR ANY REASON ANY TIME ARE ALSO DISPLAYING UNCANNY LEVELS OF STUPIDITY

all religions may kiss my ass equally
the only religion any man or woman has ever needed on this Earth is BE KIND.

thats it

BE KIND

I gues all this glitz and glamour is just skin deep. If you wantta be a Vegas in the middle east, this is just part of it. The image is nice to look at but its the action that makes a difference. Dubai evidently isnt even in the league !!! Any interest I had is now gone. Its really nothing but a muslim country trying to be something else, What a joke.

People need to respect the laws of the country they are in, not think they can act like they do back home.

Another idiot who thought he was untouchable:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grooverider

Unbelievable. A few kisses and a hug constitutes full on sex? Please. and please can someone explain to me WHY only the woman lost her job and not the man? What's up with that in 2008? So glad I had my "from here to eternity" moment on a beach in the good ole USA!

These news are Great! This reminds us which places should be visit and which we shouldn't. Isolating Dubai and it's ridiculous believes is the first step to tackle this useless Culture.

they should learn to respect other country's rules and laws. In britain you abide by british law, they should have done the same in dubai

The comments about 'crazy muslims' on this thread are just ridiculous. I believe 6 years is a bit much, but, c'mon! If you met someone at a party and then went outside and had sex on a park bench in say, Los Angeles, do you seriously think you wouldn't be arrested? And if you did it within a 1000 feet of children there are parts of the US where you would automatically and permanently be labeled a sexual predator. Ridiculous people making statements obviously fueled only by their racism.

Boorish behavior not withstanding (and circumstances left out of the article), I've read plenty of stories of plain murder where the perp got less than six years. Let the punishment fit the crime I say. They're not expected to pay for centuries of British colonialism, just their own actions. Dubai wants that western cash, but not the western idea of mistakes and forgiveness. Who is served by locking these people up for six years for an regrettable indiscretion that hurt nobody except in their oh-so-delicate sensibilities?

If a country is going to whore it self out for tourist dollars, which this country is definately doing, you must play by the tourist rules, or hand every incoming tourist a comprehensive list of freedoms that they will lose by entering this country. Treat the tourist badly and Dubai is just another worthless sand factory.

I was down in Mexico with a group of college students. Guess what? While public intoxication seems to be "OK" public nudity is NOT. Some kid (stupid) decided to see what would happen when he went swimming buck-naked. Of course, he was arrested by the cops. Duh! EVERY COUNTRY has laws, customs, culture - respect these (even if them seem backward to us "enlightened" Westerners) or STAY HOME.

i grew up in dubai.

after two and a half years, they should have known better.

carrying on like that in public will get you in prison -- it's public knowledge.

they should spend time in jail.

What their sultans and royalty do the average Muslim would be killed for. So they prosecute a couple of tourists to scare their own people, so what? Why would anyone vacation in a Muslim country anyway? This whole thing is just another staged event, which will result in the tourists being sentenced and then expelled from the country. Predictable. Boring. I'll be impressed when they convict a royal of anything and make him (HIM) do jail time or worse. Islamic hypocrites!

The punishment should fit the crime. It's unbelievable that someone should spend six years in jail for playing around on a beach at night.

What's more unbelievable is the "string them up" attitude of the posts on this site. Let's have a trial first and see if a crime was committed before we order the firing squad to unload.

Boy, it's an angry bunch that reads the LA Times! I hope when I get caught spitting on the sidewalk you aren't on the jury!

I am an Arab muslim in Dubai, but to be fair the couple should not go through this.
So many false details such as "The policeman first asked the couple to get dressed and leave. After refusing his order and verbally abusing him the couple was arrested" have added by a person holding a grudge against the M.P. for firing her. Had she insulted the policeman or attacked him her charges will be very serious, but she will end up with deportation only. Read news with a pinch of salt when it comes from the biggest hypocrites in this planet. When an Arab is involved it never makes it to the news except foreign outlets. Check that news of the Arab lesbian couple, no one heard of it, although as bad as this one.

The crime don't fit the time. It's a stupid penalty and that's precisely why I would never want to visit, work or live in the middle east.

It's true that one should know and follow the rules, but these people are foreigners and should not be sent to jail for merely kissing on the beach. No one got hurt here people so what's the big deal?

Nevertheless, Dubai has a long history of using the "legal system" to harass foreigners. Also, foreigners are easy targets and don't have the means to defend themselves against a bunch of bored people who hate them any way.

Solution: The couple should be deported and their visas revoked.

this could happen here in the U.S.if religious fundamentalist take full charge of THE OFFICE OF V.P.or PRESIDDENT.

There are two points to look at here.

1) They should have known better. They are in a backwards country and should have avoided this problem by staying inside. I've never been to the mid-east but even I know not to do a lot of things we take for granted here in the U.S.

2) Talk about a punishment that does not fit the crime. It's one thing to be indecent and immoral but to take 6 years of someones life for making out on the beach? That just seems to be over-zealous.

The fair thing would be sit them in jail for a week. They get punished and learn to spend their money in Las Vegas and Dubai's values are upheld.

They should have gone to Mykonos. Lots of public sex there!

A well deserved praise for abholding the law, by the way Dhubai has less than 5% of its populus as Moslims, Alcohol, Drugs and prostitution are abundant, its the law of having an indeecent exposure that they broke, nothing to do with Islam, had Shari'a law been applied, they would have been flugged to death.

probably some of the judges and police men over there are out spending their paycheck on hookers or surfing the web for porn.

what a crock...sounds like the GOP family values trip!

Are you kidding me? Their police should try spending more time on far worse things than that. I think we should arrest the police for arresting them (who were probably jealous of them).

Well done to the authorities. Rules are rules. If you're a guest in a house you should obey the house rules. The same applies to any country and tourist. Brits are notorious for their 'do-what-I-want' behavior whilst they are not in Britain. May be this will teach them.

I don't condone what this couple did. But Islamic fanaticism and any other religious fanaticism should be stopped for the sake of humanity.

Freedom of religions and beliefs or the lack of them should be respected worldwide

Dear Friend,
if you're living in a foreing country (obviously diff culture) you should follow their rules otherwise.....

I am glad - I hope they get the full prison term - some people are so arrogant they think because they are White they can say F You to the morals and customs of other countries - when you are in Rome - do as the Romans not as you dam well please.

When you visit another country you are expected to abide by their laws, no matter whether you 'agree' with them or not. In the same way a visitor to the USA is expected to abide by American law. If this woman had been in Dubai for 2 years she knew the rules. If she broke them, she should pay the price - and deserves no sympathy.

British drnkaness is nusanse in most resorts around the world. From the other hand 6 years for kissing? If 85% are not muislim in Dubai I hope they revolt soon to this opresion! MUSLIM FREE DUBAI!!! YEA:)))

If you were in Santa Monica, and were caught having sex on the public beach don't tell me the Santa Monica police, beach police and all other law enofrocement would look the other way...Stop please! and of course the media only reports what suits them..go to mexico and see what happens...it will cost you the same as any where else..How about try having sex in Iowa on a public park, see what happens..what do you think? we are about laws of another another country. I'm a christian not a moslim I'm also an american what that me mean i can do what i want where i want..NO No No.

They should have known better not to kiss in public...... the Muslim world is the most prudish and biggest hypocrites in this planet.

What is worrisome is how they will be tried in a country with a mindset that hates western outsider "infidels" "destroying their "values".........

You couldn't pay me enough to live in a Muslim country. These people live in the Stone Age.

The British should remember that they don't rule the world anymore and their drunken, boorish behavior is not appreciated.
A lot has been left out of this account. The policeman first asked the couple to get dressed and leave. After refusing his order and verbally abusing him the couple was arrested.