News, Drinking Coffee a Crime in Saudi Arabia? (country, place, people)

[John1960]

U.S. Woman Strip-Searched, Detained for Stopping by Starbucks With Male Colleague.

An American woman who was arrested and strip-searched by religious police in Saudi Arabia for drinking coffee at a Starbucks with a male colleague says she is determined to stay in the strict Islamic kingdom to challenge its rules.

ABC News: Drinking Coffee a Crime in Saudi Arabia?

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

You know, once I get my nursing license, I had thought about doing some contract work in Dubai but its things like this that frighten me.

[Mississippienne]

Drinking coffee wasn't her crime -- it was being seen with a man other than her husband. This is a MAJOR crime in Saudia Arabia. I read an article last year about a Saudi woman who's brothers forcibly divorced her from her husband. She was afraid her brothers planned to kill her to get their hands on her inheritance, so she left their home. The problem is, a Saudi woman can't live alone, she has to live either with her male relatives or her husband. Well, she's caught in a Catch-22, since she can't return to her husband, since they're divorced, and that would be adultery in the eyes of the law. She can't return to her brothers' house, since she fears they plan to murder her. So she's living in a jail. She's been convicted of no crime, but there's no place else for her to live. Saudi Arabia is sort of a Bizarro World version of Islam.

Dubai, from what I've heard, is an all right place.

[Bordeaux]

Originally Posted by Lindsey_Mcfarren

You know, once I get my nursing license, I had thought about doing some contract work in Dubai but its things like this that frighten me.

You definetely dont have to worry about that. Dubai has a whole different situation than Saudi Arabia

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by Bordeaux

You definetely dont have to worry about that. Dubai has a whole different situation than Saudi Arabia

Actually Lindsey you DO need to look into it before making such a commitment. While Dubai is NOT Saudi Arabia, neither is it America and it is almost certainly much more restrictive than you are likely used to. My brother-in-law - who is an American naturalized citizen but is orginally from India has made a couple of business trips to Dubai to make some business contacts for his software firm and ended up needing to specifically hire a "white" employee so that he could gain access to "right" people and be taken seriously. Dispite being relatively modern, the culture there is still pretty segregated with very distinct layers of society.

Not wishing to overstate this fact or scare you off - as I said, it IS a relatively open society, but the key word here is RELATIVELY so look carefully before you leap and make sure you understand exactly what it will be like to live there.

Ken

[alwajm]

If she obeyed the rules, nothing would happen to her that time.

For instant,

-You’re in India, you can’t kill a cow in the middle of the street, becoz if u do so, the Hinduism people will kill you for that.



As a clarification

Whether you are American or not you should obey every single country rules.

[njkate]

Originally Posted by alwajm

If she obeyed the rules, nothing would happen to her that time.

For instant,

-You’re in India, you can’t kill a cow in the middle of the street, becoz if u do so, the Hinduism people will kill you for that.



As a clarification

Whether you are American or not you should obey every single country rules.

Very true!! Now if only they (foreigners) would obey our laws when they come here

[alwajm]

Originally Posted by njkate

Very true!! Now if only they (foreigners) would obey our laws when they come here

I think the US government suffers too much from illegal citizen around the states; they should do something about it.

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

Thanks Lord Balfor, I know what you mean. If I were to go there, it would be probably only for 3 months at a time. I have a daughter but had thought about putting her in a private boarding school in the UK during this time because I would NEVER consider taking her there.

They pay really crazy money in Dubai. It would mean being on an Expatriate compound of sorts and I don't know if I would leave the compound without an escort.

[PacificJet]

I get the impression that subconsciously she was trying to make a point and certainly, it is clear she pushed her luck too far. Riyadh is notorously strict (even by Saudi standards). The fact she is a practicing muslim (and I imagine dressed fully as such), of Arabian blood, made the problem a lot more serious for her. I think she should have known better.

As for Dubai, it is totally different from Saudi Arabia. Yes it is also a muslim country, but Dubai it is western friendly, it is mostly populated by people from other countries, and does not employ religious police (that I've ever seen or heard about).

I would not have a problem with me, my wife or family living in Dubai. Abide by some simple rules of ettiquette and there's no problem at all. It's a very nice place with lots of tourists visiting from all over Europe.