Posted on 03/28/2007 3:48:38 AM PDT by Cornpone
Dubai - A British man has been sentenced to three months in prison by a court in the conservative United Arab Emirates for insulting Islam, local media reported on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old accountant drank six beers and six vodkas in the emirate of Dubai before climbing into a taxi and subjecting the Muslim Pakistani driver to a tirade of anti-Muslim insults, the 7Days newspaper reported.
"I can't remember what I did and I can't remember all the conversation with the driver," the man told the court, denying the charges over the December 2006 incident.
Foreigners in the booming emirate - one of seven making up the UAE - account for more than 80% of its estimated 1.2 million population.
So do I.
Christians and Muslims living and working together well becuase of their economic progress, etc.... Dubai is an exception in the ME we might want to take a closer look at.
The number of foreigners, official and unofficial, there make all the difference. The UAE is very concerned about running out of oil, and have decided to bet their economic future ("life after oil" as they sometimes call it) on foreign tourism, spending vast amounts of their newly accumulated oil wealth on new tourist infrastructure and projects, much of it aimed at wealthier (western) clients.
To enable success, they've had to lay off some of the more extreme islamic practices, turn a blind eye to what many infidels do there, and invite hordes of westerners in as expatriates to build and run the numerous projects, as well as low paid foreign guest workers from India, Pakistabn, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal etc.
Lets face it, having a new global tourist hub where women are forced to wear burkhas on the beach (they are not forced to in Dubai, tho some Arabs women still appear poolside or beach side in full islamic slave garb), where no alcohol is permitted, with anti-semitism thrown into the mix - just wont work for most of us.
My concern is this guy got in an altercation with another foreigner there, in this case, a Pakistani cab driver. Reeking of alcohol, he's off to a "bad start" with the Pakistani, and they have appeard to have taken the word of the muslim over the non-muslim, in traditional islamic sharia style.
When a non-muslim gets into a disagreement with a muslim in Pakistan, it's a common M.O. of theirs to either accuse, or threaten to accuse the non-muslim of "insulting islam" so the dhimmi backs down and the muslime gets his way. It's a serious offense over there, and the locals play this to their advantage.
This case reeks of it.
If not, at least they are good dhimmis
And you don't think that Dubai just might have some WSJ employees on their payroll?
As long as you drink in a hotel, club, bar etc, for western tourists, expats, etc, wher alcohol is served freely, both you, and the local muslims are OK, tho' I would not advise this in the emirate of Sharjah. Most "off the beaten track" places are more restricted, and muslim can be arrested for drinking.
Many of the locals drink in private, but not in public.
never4get, my post #21 was for you too.
Dubai is supposed to be the most liberal and open minded city in the arabian peninsula-but, look what they do when a dhimmi steps out of line. The man says he was drunk for god's sake, the paki is lying!! They are all liars-these goats!!
What an intelligent, knowledgeable, and articulate post.Thank you. this is why I keep hanging in there with Freeper.
The mideast is a comlex situation. I trust Bush' instincts and his perserverance.
BTW, As for the Pakistanis, they are up to their old tricks again:
Muslims torture for hours Christian “blasphemer” now in jail
by Qaiser Felix 03/28/2007A mob of some 150 Muslims in Punjab stormed the home of Amanat Masih, a Protestant charged with burning some pages of the Qur’an. Police intervene after hours of torture and arrest him.
Lahore (AsiaNews) – A Christian man in Pakistan’s Punjab province was attacked on March 23 by a mob of some 150 Muslims. He was beaten and tortured for allegedly desecrating the Qur’an. The attack ended when police arrested the alleged blasphemer charging him under Section 295 B of Pakistan’s Penal Code, the so-called Blasphemy law, which could mean life in prison for him. By contrast, his attackers were not charged.
According to a news release of ‘Sharing Life Ministry,’ a Protestant organisation, the 50-year-old Amanat Masih was accused of tearing and burning some pages from the Qur’an. A mob then descended upon his house, stormed the place, caught the alleged blasphemer, dragged him out into the streets, and tortured him.
Amanat Masih’s wife, Zohera Bibi, also complained that “Muslims grabbed 50,000 rupees (US$ 825, € 620) which I had saved for my daughter’s wedding.”
According to the report filed with the police, Masih confessed to burning the pages of the Qur’an on the advice of Liaqat Ali, a Muslim ‘faith healer,’ who was arrested.
Currently, both men are in jail at Sheikhupura District Prison.
As I said, common M.O. and this latest accusation does not pass my smell test either...
I love your Tag Line!!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.