Fined for Drinking Juice in Public

1. iluvhatemail
   September 25th, 2008 at 12:27 am

   like i needed another excuse not to vacation in Dubai. What are they thinking? Doing all that incredible construction and then penalizing people who basically dont believe in their religion. You would think with all their western ties they would be lenient and welcoming to tourists.

2. valerie
   September 25th, 2008 at 12:28 am

   Heavens… The punishment is really disproportionate with the crime, ain’t it…

3. Drew Spinnaker
   September 25th, 2008 at 1:00 am

   The humor/outrage of this is primarily derived from ethnocentrism and the belief that our law is somehow derived from a “truer” source.

4. red
   September 25th, 2008 at 1:08 am

   I haven’t read anything here that I haven’t heard from North Americans when the roles are reversed. You’re in their country, you obey their laws. Ignorance of those laws is no excuse.

   They took all that into account and gave a proportionate fine. (having to go through court like that is sucky though for sure)

   Hell, I got a 90 dollar ticket once for not having reflector tape on the front forks of my bicycle. Who knew that was a law? Guess what, I had to eat it anyway. (sadly, no I did not just make that up - they really are ticketing for that in Toronto)

5. Noel
   September 25th, 2008 at 1:23 am

   T. Boone Pickens said we are paying $700 Billion a year for our oil imports which we get primarily from the Middle East, Dubai included. That is a huge transfer of our money and wealth from the United States to them.

   Has anyone seen the ostentatious display of wealth in Dubai? Luxury Hotels constructed on reclaimed islands, palaces fitted with gold, etc. They paid for it from their oil revenues. They don’t have other natural resources that they can sell. It seems they don’t even want tourists. Ironic because who will stay in their luxury hotels. May be just the members of their royal families?

   I agree with Mr. Pickens that we must get out of our dependence on foreign oil. He proposes wind power as a solution. I also agree. Wind in combination with solar, hydro-electric, and other natural resources as sources of our energy needs. Even garbage and animal wastes are now being used as enegy sources.

6. just a guy
   September 25th, 2008 at 1:41 am

   A great example of why living under Theocracy is bad, and seperation of church and state is important.

   How’d you like to get a fine and/or jail time for having some beef jerky on a Friday?

   I doubt it, but hopefully this’ll make people think before endorsing politicians who coddle the ‘religion right’.

   (and I say that as a non-athiest myself)

7. amelia
   September 25th, 2008 at 3:24 am

   unfair. muslims in other countries don’t get the exemption from ‘temptation’.

8. AyaTolerant
   September 25th, 2008 at 5:12 am

   Why should Muslims care what or when I eat? I’m going to hell anyway (not 100% clear on this but that seems to be the tendency with most religions)
   If Ramadan was being done for the right reasons (a testament to one’s faith and self-discipline) then a true believer shouldn’t care what other people do or think.
   If these kind of religious rules are being passed down from the state then they have lost their original purpose. If it doesn’t spring from within then it is not true faith.

9. AyaTolerant
   September 25th, 2008 at 5:16 am

   Oh and Drew
   “The humor/outrage of this is primarily derived from ethnocentrism and the belief that our law is somehow derived from a “truer” source.”

   Yes, completely. But you know what, sometimes we have to lay aside our tolerance and relativism and say “this is bullshit”.

10. AyaTolerant
    September 25th, 2008 at 5:18 am

    “I haven’t read anything here that I haven’t heard from North Americans when the roles are reversed. You’re in their country, you obey their laws. Ignorance of those laws is no excuse.”

    Red

    If America would jump off a cliff, would you follow? Hmm? I don’t care what America’s mom let’s him do, this is my house and my rules. Now eat your dinner!

11. ted
    September 25th, 2008 at 5:24 am

    It does say they’re cracking down on folks. Did they also fine her for not covering her face?

12. Dale
    September 25th, 2008 at 6:40 am

    When in Rome…

13. Scotchdrnkr
    September 25th, 2008 at 6:40 am

    I find it interesting that they have to make it a LAW enforceable by the courts. As opposed to a law of the religion enforceable by just the church and its doctrines. Its great that we live in a free society where we are allowed to our own beliefs. I hope it will always be that way. Unfortunately church and state are getting way to close in the USA too.
    I wonder how they would feel if they where visiting the Vatican City in Rome on a Friday during Lent & were charged with a crime of eating meat on a Friday. Bet they would think it was a silly law.

14. Morgan
    September 25th, 2008 at 7:52 am

    Can someone explain to me why people are still vacationing there? Seriously.

15. Mr. Jones
    September 25th, 2008 at 9:00 am

    These people are insane. This is a textbook example of the oppression of a Theocracy.

    On the other hand, we have idiots over here that get hysterical because we have “In God We Trust” on our money. If they spent 10 seconds in Islamoland, their heads would explode.

16. K!P
    September 25th, 2008 at 9:43 am

    Don’t measure in double standards. not very long ago it was unheard of black people taking the bus seat they wanted. (there where LAWS for that, OMG…who wants to go to that place on vacation!)
    I even read a (i think old american, not sure.) law somewhere, that it’s okey to beat your wife, as long as the stick used is not thicker than one’s tumb.

    What im saying: not all nations arive at the same law space in the same time.

    more:
    wel if your not allowed to eat all day, it sucks to see all the tourists eat :).

17. Brianch
    September 25th, 2008 at 9:43 am

    I blame the OJ drinkers. Why would they vacation in Dubai? There was just an issue where two people allegedly had sex on a beach and they face up to 6 years in jail if convicted. I would have to say Dubai is a tourist destination for Muslims. For all others, caveat emptor. They should have known they were vacationing where the nuts are running the asylum before they went there.

18. Gail Pink
    September 25th, 2008 at 9:50 am

    What a ridiculous thing. Any law based on a religion should not apply to those who do not practice that religion. Was the person who served them the orange juice also fined?

    If you want to keep your Church and State separated here in the good olde USA, don’t be fooled into voting for McCain / Palin, because they are all about making this a “Christian Ruled’ Country. Imagine if it were against the law to NOT celebrate Christmas? Scarier than you even think.

19. Reverend Mike
    September 25th, 2008 at 11:46 am

    Aww…my completely legitimate, but sarcastic, comment was deleted…

20. EEM
    September 25th, 2008 at 1:34 pm

    Weird and unfair law…but it’s the law there.

    Bum luck orange juice drinkers

21. CheeseDuck
    September 25th, 2008 at 2:04 pm

    Man that is sooo racist.

22. Byrd Brain
    September 25th, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    @ Gail Pink: Holy crap, thanks for making it impossible for me to get to sleep at night for the next month after putting that scary thought out there! I have not been that scared since I walked out of Scary Movie 4!!
    “Imagine if it were against the law to NOT celebrate Christmas? Scarier than you even think.” I can’t even comprehend the scarierness of it all. Could you please elucidate? I would especially like to know how that could happen and just what, exactly, you think the powers of the President (or VP, as I’m sure this comment was aimed at SP) are?

    Honestly, the fear-mongering that has gone on during this election, especially from the left, is astounding in it’s lack of intelligence.

23. Evil Pundit
    September 25th, 2008 at 3:30 pm

    @CheeseDuck: How is that racist?

24. xadrian
    September 25th, 2008 at 4:08 pm

    This is really simple. It’s their law, some people broke it. Ignorance is no excuse, religious based or not.

    Love it or leave it, some countries have *gasp* religious based governments. Some have familial banking practices, some have education based employment. We’re not all the same. Going into a country waving your flag as an excuse for breaking their laws is just plain inconsiderate.

25. Ali S.
    September 26th, 2008 at 1:23 am

    Ugh. How I loathe religious zealots. A simple warning would’ve been enough but to do this is certainly not a way to garner tourists or investors.

26. Sasha
    September 26th, 2008 at 4:38 am

    Anyone here about the cases of drug arrests in the Dubai airport? One fellow was arrested for having like 3 micrograms of weed in the tread of his hiking boots, another for having a few seeds from a poppy seed bagel he had eaten that were in the seams of his cuorduroy jacket. Dead serious, they both happened this year and they face real prison terms. I fully agree with anyone who says we should be more concerned with problems in our own country - but man, screw that place. Watch out, and don’t support it financially. In trying to create their materialistic heaven, they have instead manifested a vision of hell.

    google “bagel poppy dubai” to read about this.

27. Ajan
    September 26th, 2008 at 8:25 am

    luks like the govt. is really dumb

28. scot
    September 26th, 2008 at 11:33 am

    Anyone stupid enough to vacation in the Middle East gets what they deserve.

29. bobbles
    September 26th, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    some people say this goes too far. I say it does not go far enough!

30. lisa
    September 26th, 2008 at 12:24 pm

    i used to live in dubai when i was younger, and one year, ramadan fell over christmas.

    sooo.. we were banned from putting up christmas decorations if they were visible to anyone outside. banned from eating outside as the article states also.

    what really got me though, was going into the supermarkets around that time, the christmas displays were up in them…and santa was…

    a short fillipino man in a beard. that was an amusing sight i say

31. BR
    September 26th, 2008 at 4:45 pm

    I think it’s fair. They didn’t just drink juice, they drank in public in the month of Ramadan, which is a holy month of fasting. All public restaurants and cafes close during daily hours, really you can’t miss it. Residents know that, whether Muslim or not. Someone once asked me about vacationing in Dubai and I told them not to visit in Ramadan. Every country is free to have its own laws, whether based on religion or not.

32. AyaTolerant
    September 29th, 2008 at 9:41 am

    “Every country is free to have its own laws, whether based on religion or not.”

    Just like we are free to laugh at them for their backwards ignorance.

    We are talking about Dubai here, people! F__ing Dubai! The most unholy exercise in waste, hubris and brainless materialism on the planet - and they dare to chide people for their consumer habits? Who’s throwing stones in glass houses here? Who’s being intolerant?

    Casting the first stone…he without sin…etc.

    (speaking of stonings - guess what’s also legal in Dubai?)

33. levelnext
    September 30th, 2008 at 11:48 pm

    STUPID ARABS

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT