Dubai’s New Social Restrictions

Though Dubai was worked to advertise itself as the one truly tourist-friendly locale surrounded by troublesome nations in the Middle East, the nation may have shot itself in the foot with new social restrictions that first appeared in the media last weekend.

According to the Assoicated Press, the new “suggestions” go beyond the codes of modest dress and decorum that already exist and show the power of the government’s strict conservative rule, despite their recent westernization.

Dancing, loud music, bikinis, mini-skirts, swearing, rude gestures, kissing, and holding hands are among the taboos that will soon be illegal in public areas, including the mega-malls that serve as a major tourist draw. The regulations will also give the police more power to fine and detain individuals that defy the social codes.

The only expected safe haven from these restrictions will be Dubai’s several private, tourist-targeted beach resorts, which function in the same manner as the typical party oasis.