| 28 Mar 2009 |
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Dubai politesse laws spur Arab-Asian culture clash
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28 March 2009
DUBAI: Spitting here could get you deported. The red-tinted juice of a popular Asian leaf has been deemed offensive as Dubai tries to buff the image of its less-posh districts. The crackdown, announced this week amid a broader bid to stem "offensive behavior," has stirred an unusual Arab-Asian culture clash in a city where Western ways often grate against conservative Gulf sensibilities.
The tradition of chewing the leaves of the betel plant, a mild stimulant common throughout South and Southeast Asia, is so ingrained in some countries that it's been mentioned in works as varied as Hindu's sacred "Vedas" and the musical "South Pacific." Even Myanmar's authoritarian regime has failed to curb its use.
The leaves of the fast-growing vine are widely chewed with tobacco, cloves or with the hard areca nut in a popular mixture known as paan, which promotes a reddish saliva. "It's like telling an Italian not to have an espresso," said Pakistani security guard Munir Ahmed.
The assault on the betel leaf could be seen as a curious choice as Dubai's faces far more serious troubles after the global recession crashed the boomtown's party and left many construction sites idle and foreign workers packing up. The slowdown has allowed Dubai officials to impose their sense of order in a place that for years was stuck on fast-forward.
Though Dubai's cosmopolitan tolerance is still strides ahead of any place in the region, the book of rules is getting heftier.
Earlier this month, Dubai's municipal authorities issued a list of boundaries - no serious kissing or hugging in public, no miniskirts and bikinis, no public boozing or rude gestures. Most of the bans were already in place, but the message was that harsher fines - or even jail time - might be imposed.
It's seen as part of the cultural push and pull of Dubai. At the moment, the outsiders - who outnumber locals by about 8-to-1 - are feeling some pressure from Emiratis.
The director general of the Dubai municipalityDubai municipality
, Hussain Nasser Lootah, announced Monday a clean-streets campaign that specifically targeted the use and sale of betel. "We are taking all measures to stop its sale here," said Lootah. "Deportation is a crucial step."
In some older areas of Dubai, far from the tourist glitz and walled beach resorts, the red-colored spittle of paan-chewers stains sidewalks and walls. While it interferes little with day-to-day life, its not in keeping with the vision of Dubai as a modern, efficient city.
"We were working and helping build Dubai before the rest of the world heard of the place," said Rizwan Karem, an Indian exporter in the old commercial district of Deira. "This is a harmless little bit of home we enjoy here."
© Copyright The Daily Star 2009.
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Community Comments (4)
GOOD RIDDANCE???
So this is your culture, tradition,etc... where you invite people with open arms & once you use them you get rid of them?
Nothing more to say.
Guyz.... If U r so much worried abt ur identity...
Y r local learnin to b westerners ??
Y der is so much changes in the way u dress ?
Y do u feel proud to talk in english ??
Y dont u say " Ana Aasif " and say " Sorry "
Y dont u ppl talk to south indianz in ur language...instead ask them " Kaisa Hai " ??
Wen ur addicted to " Gahwaa " Y do u want " Chai Karak " ??
Y do u ppl always want to visit India ?
First of All... U need to unite !!
Set Ur goalz straight... Dont always think tht govt is there to help !!!
localz need to explore and get into different fields.....
u ppl avoid it... so is the increase in need of expatriates !!
its asian or not... dont forget... we used " Rupayya " before in UAE... u take it as Arab Emirates or Asian... doesnt make difference to me !!
My fellow compatriot Essa, do not worry because this global crisis will make sure that most expats leave the UAE.
As they say, good riddance. Their departure is long overdue......
Well not surprised actually, the United Arab Emirates has become the United ASIAN Emirates, no wonder you see all these alien habits, no wonder Hindi or Urdu are widely used all over the business, service and financial sector. As a local I cant help but wonder what is so Arabian about the United Arab Emirates. This nation may be concerned about the economic crisis but it should never ignore the perpetual threat to our national identity, language, tradition and culture.
So this is your culture, tradition,etc... where you...
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