Persiflage & Paroxysm

Judge Hamad Abdellatif is no doubt one of my favorite judges at the the Dubai Criminal Court. He is tough but fair, astute and circumspect, all qualities that many judges share, but above all he is strict about court room decorum. He runs his court room like a well oiled machine and is unflinching in censuring anyone who violates the sanctity of the court with incessant shatter, loud whispering, or mobile text messaging. In this day and age when respect is such a rare commodity and the young have almost no idea what constitutes proper or improper behavior in a court room, Judge Abdullatif is here to set them straight. "This is a court room and you should show the same reverence in here as you show in a house of worship," the judge was heard telling a witness in a murder trial last week in open court. The witness, a young Arab man, was sitting in the public galleries waiting to give evidence and was talking to the person next to him, when the judge ordered them both out of the

Here we go again... another British woman charged with adultery in Dubai and the whole of the British and UAE press jump all over it as if its the scoop of the season. I wonder what readers think and in particular British readers? Do they feel ashamed that a compatriot is behind bars because she could not control her animal urges? Well they should be, because this is far from a crime she committed against her husband, with whom she exchanged marital vows, it is a crime against the laws of the UAE. It shows a total lack of regard and respect for the traditions of this conservative Muslim country and it is a slap in the face of every Emirati. Why does the press seem compelled to give such people extensive coverage? One hopes to enlighten the British public as to the pitfalls of sleeping around and its legal repercussions, but in truth its all about money, headlines and a public hungry to devour such shameful scandal. The press are complicit with the mob in elevating such individuals, who