Know the law it’s up to you

Dubai residents and tourists are being urged to learn the law of the land to stay out of trouble.

After a string of high profile court cases involving the behaviour of mainly Western tourists and residents, Dubai Public Prosecution (DPP) launched an iPhone application that allows people to download the law straight to their mobile.

It already publishes the laws online. And yesterday one of DPP’s most senior lawyers told people whether they live in Dubai or are just visiting the city to make sure they know what they can and cannot do.

“Many people get into trouble because they do not know the law here,” said Dubai’s Prosecutor General Yousif Al Mutawa. “Our target is to spread the law and educate society.”

The iPhone app is currently only available in Arabic, but Al Mutawa says an English version is coming soon. “There are more than 200 nationalities here and most speak English, so our next step will be to translate it,” he explained.

“Anyone who wants to visit, to live or to open a business here should download this and read it.”

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An i on the law

UAE rules are available on iPhone, but is it enough to make us all behave?

Most holiday checklists would not contain a note about researching local laws before you fly. But prosecutors in Dubai have urged people coming to the emirate to do just that. And they have said people living in Dubai should do the same.

By publishing copies of the law on the web, prosecutors say their aim is to make life easier and they have also launched an application so people can download them directly onto their iPhone.

“It’s a new and unique step - by putting all the laws in your phone, with one click you can see them,” Dubai’s Prosecutor General Yousif Al-Mutawa said of the app, as applications are known, which contains 11 law books. The move, though, has been questioned by some people within the travel industry, who say that it is not up to governments alone to ensure people know the law.

Only a few weeks ago, the British Foreign Office warned people they should not expect the UK government to bail them out if they get into trouble abroad. And a number of expats in the UAE both residents and tourists - have hit the headlines in the past couple of years for just that, whether it is for public indecency, consuming alcohol, unlawful sex, bouncing cheques or abusive behaviour.

Concerns have also been raised that the laws, as published, may not be specific enough. For example, the law states people should not commit indecent acts in public but does not specify what is considered indecent.

But at the official launch of the iPhone application yesterday, Al Mutawa said Dubai Public Prosecution was just trying to spread awareness of legislation, which is based on Sharia law.

He also said the free application has been downloaded by 10,000 people since it appeared in Apple’s online store two weeks ago, mainly by people in the UAE and the United States.

The current version is in Arabic, but Al-Mutawa said his team was working on an English language version.A similar application is also available for the iPad, while the UAE’s laws will also soon be found on the Dubai Courts web site with an English version.

But Sean Tipton, a spokesperson for the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) in the UK, said it was not up to the authorities alone to tell people.

He said: “If someone books a package holiday we have information to give them.” But, he said, that may not solve the problems.

“People are adults and even if they are aware of the laws, they won’t necessarily follow them,” he added. “And nowadays, lots of people don’t book package holidays, in which case, maybe the airline should provide information.”

Tipton added that any publications on the law have to be specific.

“There needs to be more clarity on what is and isn’t acceptable. In most cases, they’re dealing with western tourists, and everyone understands in an Islamic country you can’t act like a 17-year-old on a Saturday night in Manchester, but to what level certain behaviour is acceptable isn’t clear.

“The UAE has marketed itself very successfully as a holiday destination. If there is a blatant disrespect of the law, then they are right to take action,” he added.“But if these minor cases continue, it may damage their reputation and brand name.

“People must do their research, as something that appears trivial or insignificant to them, may well be a much bigger deal in the UAE.”

Some rules to follow or you could regret it:

The law book contains chapters on drugs that are illegal in the UAE which people can check before they come to the country. Anyone caught with illegal drugs will be sentenced to four years in jail followed by deportation.

* Drink driving is mentioned in the traffic laws and it’s a major charge that can land someone in jail or a fine of dhs20,000.

* If a person eats during the day in public during Ramadan then they could be jailed for up to one month and fined dhs1,000.

* Article 358 of the law book is about indecency: Any person committing an indecent act in public could be jailed for six months.

* If the act is against a child under the age of 15 then the punishment will be at least a year in prison.

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So, you can now brush up on what’s right and wrong anytime, anywhere. But is the publication of the laws a good idea and will it work?

Laird Doyle, a UK resident and recent visitor to Dubai, said: “If a country is going to heavily publicise the laws then that is a very good thing.

It means absolute clarity on what you can and can’t do and if you know before you go then if you get busted then it is your fault. It isn’t necessarily on my list to check the laws of the land, but I do use a small amount of common sense. Would the laws put me off visiting? Possibly, but a country informing me of the law wouldn’t.”

Waleed jamal, an Iraqi living in Dubai, said: “It is a new and unique idea. We have the technology around us, so why not use it?

But it’s still not enough to publish the awareness because many people here don’t know the law well while many Arab nationals know it because it’s similar to the law in their countries. The laws are different, but visitors must respect them.”

Linda Johnson, a British expat in the UAE, says: “Publishing the laws is a great idea although we need that English version and in theory should mean everyone knows how to conduct themselves.

However, I think travel agents should advise people to familiarise themselves with the country’s laws before they travel. Researching laws wouldn’t necessarily be something a tourist who’s only ever been to Spain would do.

Despite living in a country where the laws have made world headlines I don’t check laws before I travel, stupidly believing nothing I do is illegal.”