Bar Raid in Dubai

[AVIACO]

Only been here for two weeks (Dubai) and witnessed the police raiding a bar at the weekend and arresting the bands singer and several other guys who were in the bar. (I would say gay community).

Found it a bit alarming. Does this type of thing happen often? I thought Dubai was an open minded place.

It wasnt a nice thing to watch.

Luckily I am heading back to the Uk in four months but this really put me off.

[Engineer]

Which bar was it?

[druckmefunk]

That's the thing.

Dubai is as open minded as any country, until you cross the line in the sand.

The trouble is you usually don't know where that line is until you have crossed it.

Just ask the guys who have had their cars confiscated recently

dmf

[doubleu-anker]

Remember this.

You may think things are free and easy out here, but be careful.

:mad: is just below the surface of the sand. It could turn ugly quicker than many people think. Iran (with French help) comes to mind.

If you refuse to believe that then maybe you should try pulling you head out of the sand.

[Engineer]

DA
How do all those East European and Chinese ladies get by then? :cool:

[MD11Flyer]

Well they are tolerant to a point. I mean its not the only place in the world that would ban Gay bars... Afterall it is an Islamic country and they forbid such things. They don't want an uprising of the gay community saying they want equal rights and want to get married just like they did in Toronto, San Francisco and other North American cities.

[AVIACO]

Jules Bar near the airport.

[Engineer]

You dont get many girls in there do you?

[doubleu-anker]

"How do all those East European and Chinese ladies get by then?"

I don't know, but getting by they are, and very nicely to.

Guess they will cover up as quick as everybody else, if the fanatics get a foot hold.

I hope to God the place remains stable as it's about the best place going in this part of world.

[AirNoServicesAustralia]

You will probably find, that this was an isolated incident due to someone not being discreet about something, or someone annoying a CID guy.

I have to laugh when there is an isolated incident and all these people run around screaming how the sky is falling. I mean come on, they are just about to build the biggest shopping mall in the world and the tallest building in the world. They are not about to become the next Iran, you can be damn sure of that. Whether the locals like it or not (and generally they like it), Dubai is an international, cosmopolitan city, where you just have to be a bit discreet when it comes to drinking and debauchery, and that is not going to change.

So everyone take a chill pill and relax. I remember about 5 years ago when a gay bar was raided in Melbourne and a whole lot of poofs were strip searched. There were no calls then of Melbourne being the next Fundamentalist state. Just because Dubai is smack bang in the middle of the Gulf doesn't mean it will be overrun by fundamentalists. I mean, where will they come for a sly shag and drink if Dubai went on the straight and narrow!! (I heard a rumour Osama was at Cyclones last weekend :E )

[Desert Nomad]

What's wrong with the occassional bar raid? Happens all the time in Europe with raids for drugs. They do this because drugs are illegal. Likewise here, homosexuality is illegal so they raid the gay bar.

Been a while since the last one I remember which was at the nightclub (now shut down) above what was Fibbers (now shut down) for a gay night, when the infamous Mr Miles the DJ was arrested and sent packing pretty quickly.

You can get away with pretty much anything in this country so long as it is done discreetly. Most people know where the line is and it is up to you as an expat to research the laws of the society you are living in. I would think most people with their cars conviscated deserved it. They need to clamp down harder in this area.

[mutt]

Just ask the guys who have had their cars confiscated recently

Whats this about? What had they done wrong?


Mutt.

[druckmefunk]

They parked too close to the beach, not knowing that there had been a rule change (or enforcing of an old rule).

A few days after said indescretion, they were invited by phone to attend the local police station for an informal discussion about parking policy.

After the discussion had ended they were invited to leave without their cars.

I don't know how long they were able to get free parking at the police station for.

dmf

[montys ex teaboy]

AirNoServicesAustralia

That bar in Mel that got rumbled. Were you there at the time?

[halas]

l'm not gay but l think l saw him there;)

halas

[AirNoServicesAustralia]

No wasn't there originally but heard on the grape vine that their were free strip searches on offer from some hunky boys in blue, and I was down there like a flash.

Look you're only gay if you take it.:ok:

But seriously half of Abu Dhabi's women can vouch for my sexuality boys , and I am as straight as a desert road in the UAE:E

[ferris]

That's what I've heard about you, ANSA. Straight as the Jebel Hafeet Rd.

Half the women! Tickets, please..........Oh you meant the 'stans.

[halas]

So what do the other half reckon Airey?

Straight as a wadi in full trickle :E !!!!

halas

[AVIACO]

Just heard that all the boys including the singer arrested the other day are being deported (certainly those who are expats). Pretty grim, I would say.

[NTM]

The same happened here in AUH.
The Rock Bottom Cafe is closed for 2 weeks. They found that pork was sharing the same space as other food stuff.:yuk:

At least it will be quite for at least 2 weeks. We can now sleep at the Capital Hotel.

Later :ok:

[AirNoServicesAustralia]

Jeez where will all us gaylords go now Rock Bottom is shut. Damn they make the best chilli dogs in the world at Rock Bottoms, 10 dh's you can't go wrong!.

Halas the other half must be dyke's if they don't want to sleep with me ;) Ok Ferris maybe not half but making steady progress, although that has certainly slowed recently.:oh:

[montys ex teaboy]

I just knew we would get the truth out of him.

ANSA,Your secret is safe with us.

[max AB]

I've been in lots of bars where it would have been welcomed had the police dragged off the band. Maybe the music was just plain crap.....

[puff m'call]

Surprised to see topless sun bathing on the lawn at the Sheraton last week, thought someone from management would have said something to them but the were to busy admiring the view. :O

[411A]

...not the first time certainly.
This was noticed in 1979...but then it was all spoiled by some hotel management type who brought over a bed sheet.
Perhaps he was looking for cerb service?
Strangely, noticed in DHA (believe it or not) at about the same time in the Ramada...but suspect it was too hot for anyone to bother.:p

[ironbutt57]

Geez 411A thought you'd died and gone to your rewards! :p

[Aussie]

For all you guys out there in the middle east (DUBAI)
What are the women like there? Are there many there, is there a possibility to meetthem at clubs pubs like in other western countries?

Cheers

[JonBoy80]

You will probably find that the women in Dubai have alot more respect for themselves as opposed to women in Australia.
.
Thats what I know. :)



Jonboy80

Enjoy your wine sir.

[Aussie]

Ok, thanks mate.
But are there many different nationalities living there, like can you meet single chicks from western countries too?

[411A]

Try the Chicago Beach Hotel...if it's still there.
Many unattached.
OTOH, if you show the coin of the rhelm...noticed a couple doin' it on the hood of a Buick not far from the Hyatt....at 2am in the morning.
Strangely, no police in sight...:cool:
The disco in the Hyatt ain't bad either.:E

[Desert Nomad]

All women here are covered in black from head to toe so no way of knowing where they're from or what they look like!! :}

You wont find a more cosmopolitan society than this one with plenty of bars to go meeting them. Different bars for different nationalities. Happy hunting :D

411A, Chicago Beach no longer there, was replaced many years ago by the Jumeirah beach hotel. The Brau house (sp?) was great there.

Disco at the Hyatt good? Only if you want hookers... Might as well go off to the Cyclone :ugh:

[Aussie]

Desert Nomad, thanks mate!
Do you know if guys going to work for EK can bring their wives/GF and can they walk around in normal western attire?
what if theyre blonde, do they have to cover up?
Sorry i just dont know the culture!

[JonBoy80]

Aussie,,

Its good that you are asking all these questions, because the last thing you want to do is go to DUBAI and have a major culture shock. The city itself is extremely modern and westernised. But it still holds islamic values over this. Yes you can take your partner to dubai and "no" they dont have to cover the body from head to toe in black.

What i suggest you do is visit www.emiratesgroupcareers.com and read up on "living in dubai". There are short little video's to watch. If you have the money, why dont u go for a short trip and see how it is. If you intend on living in Dubai, respect the laws because "the police dont **ck around". If you show a slightly violate islamic law. (I.e drinking on the street etc"). YOUR OUT~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.. Australia is way too soft on law enforcement as opposed to dubai. Hence "Extremely low crime or NO crime exist in dubai"..


Jonboy80

Wine?

[Desert Nomad]

Aussie,

You can do pretty much anything you want to in this country so long as it is in reason. As said before no drinking on the streets or being totally bolloxed in public, you wont be deported unless you start assaulting the police. You will however spend a bit of time inside. Would be worth getting deported before that happens...

Your wife will be fine but suggest she doesn't wear tiny clothing. She wouldn't get touched up or assaulted but would receive many long lingering stares and people assuming she is a Russian hooker.

This has to be one of the safest places for anyone to bring up a child and for your wife to live

Find yourself a book called "The Dubai Explorer". It'll tell you everything you need to know.

Hope it helps and if you can, get oyurself and family to DXB for a long weekend and spend it with people who live here and go out with them doing their everyday bits and pieces rather than taking the tourists out. :ok:

[AirNoServicesAustralia]

And Aussie, what most of the guys I know have found here, is that there is a desperate shortage of decent 20-30's men here in comparison to the number of single women in that age bracket. Due to the most common occupations ie. Air Hostess, Nurse and Teacher all being female dominated, I have found that if you remove the local guys and the losers from the equation at a decent night spot, the ratio is much better for the single guy than back home. As a result you find the single guys are with girls they wouldn't stand a chance of being with back home. I am not referring to hookers here either, but legitimate single western girls. It really is a smorgasboard of beautys here, and the beer is cold as well :ok:

[josephshankes]

The term, "any port in a storm" applies equally to the girls too, it seems!! Even ANSA seems to be getting his leg :mad: .

[mutt]

You will however spend a bit of time inside. Would be worth getting deported before that happens... Friend of mine has just started a 30 day vacation in jail for drink driving following a car crash.

So what are Dubai jails like???

Mutt.

[Muttley Crew]

Then there's always Al Ain just down the road. Home to many nurses and occasional Swedish netball championships. Careful you don't get smacked upside ya head by a burly sports-woman in the pub though... :ouch:

I resent the implication I wouldn't be able to attract any of my current girlfriends if I were back home, mainly because it's true.

EK has 5000 nasties and they come in all flavours. Opposing them are 900 pilots of whom 2/3 are married, 1/4 are gay and the other 1/2 you can count on being out of town on a layover that night.

Make hay while the sun shines.

[Aussie]

Thanks again guys, just wanted to know if there were western chicks, and i guess there are!
What about cars? Are they expensive, and i gues being there fue would be cheap?

Can wives of an airlines pilot get work there?

Thanks again

[Dumpvalve]

Hi Aussie, check you P.M.

Thanks, Dumps

[Muttley Crew]

Can wives of an airlines pilot get work there? From what I hear the wives of some of the pilots get worked (http://www.barbneal.com/wav/uncat/mutlylaf.wav) plenty... :E

Best you make up your mind on "western chicks" or "wife" before you get to Dubai. Cheaper that way....

[newswatcher]

mutt in the mid-80s, a work colleague was sent to prison for 2 weeks, for a drink-driving offence. I seem to remember that you were "tried" the morning after the offence and taken directly to prison. This was the "old" prison, at the end of al Satwa Road. The next thing we knew was that he was in the Rashid hospital, in a coma. He stayed there for several months, before he was medivac'd to the UK. He eventually received several hundred thousand pounds in "compensation" from the UAE authorities, although responsibility for what happened in prison was never officially accepted. He eventually emerged from the coma, but was never able to work again, and died in his 30s.

I hope things have changed in 20 years!

[mutt]

newswatcher,

I hope that things have changed in the last 20 years.... he has already lost his EK bonus over this, so it would be nice to come out of it alive!

Mutt.

[homesick rae]

Funny this...I was in Jules bar about 3 weeks ago, certainly prior to this raid. My friends told me it was now a gay bar, but we wanted to see Nelson and the band as they are highly entertaining...

The bar was a mix of Eastern European ladies and expats having a fun time.

Would have thought there were more obvious bars to raid than this one. Nelson and his crew have been a semi permanent fixture there for a good few years now. Shame really.

Good to see the G&D hasn't changed and still offering reasonable prices for a pint.

[Bangkok Layover]

I am certain this is not the first time a DXB club was raided. I remember sometime ago,when on holiday, a straight couple was arrested for indecent behaviour (kissing) at crown plaza ,and this is not against the Gay community alone!

After all DXB is in an islamic country and the Islamic Law must be practiced and respected.

What I later heard was, DXB police carry out similar raids time to time just to pass a message to the public on principles of the country and to somewhat control the public when they forget where to draw the line!

Still DXB remains the best and the most fantastic city of the whole of gulf.....atleast with a bit of human rights!! :ok:

[Fox3snapshot]

Fibbers and the night club there on Sheik Zayed Rd spring to mind having been shutdown twice after raids....but they were breaking the law with their trading times and I believe one of their "theme nights".

I have utmost regard for the Police in this part of the world and after a small "incident" of my own can assure you they were a very reasonable bunch and if you treat them with respect, you will get the same in kind.....and no it wasn't getting beaten up in Al Ain by the netball girls incident!

:ouch:

[AirNoServicesAustralia]

Of course the police would treat you with respect Fox, I mean with that 6foot 6" rippling muscles physique, they would be scared to do otherwise. :D Did you end up working out what the heiresses name was?

[Fox3snapshot]

I'm on a program mate, you won't recognize me in the months to come! I am sicking of getting sand kicked in my face (intermixed with camel poop!), and as for my sub-continent inheritance.....I think the gold ribbon bow tie and dancing may have put her off!

:ugh:

[Muttley Crew]

Hang on, I'm confused. Have I been drinking again?

WHO has the 6'6'' body???? Fox3snap**** or ANSA??? :}

You air-traffickers... all that talking to the screen with no one else around. Now you're doing it on the net...!!! :eek:

;)

[Fox3snapshot]

Ok Mutley....you got us!

I guess we need to clarify 6'6

Bit of a stuff up with the global measurements, turns out we have been using cm in Oz all this time when we should have been using inches...makes a lot more sense now!

Sorry back in la la land again...

Think I need an aviation physiologist!

Ooooh I am even qualified to self diagnose, its not good I'm afraid!

Turns out I should have been aircrew.

:8

[AirNoServicesAustralia]

Hey Mutley, I'm 6ft tall and Fox is 6inches if you get my drift ;)

[Muttley Crew]

I think I understand...

ANSA speaks for the big head and firefoxfive speaks for the little head??? :E You have enough blood for both at once??

Care to check out this site (http://www.schizophrenia.com/)... could be a help ! ! :=

Or this one. (http://www.barbneal.com/wav/uncat/mutlylaf.wav) :cool:

[tonto papadopolous]

hey air-no-services, I hear it's "NoServices" by name and no services by nature.

[AirNoServicesAustralia]

Nice first post. I have to admit I did have a fairly unserviceable evening last year, "stuffing a marshmallow in a slot machine" I think was the analogy, but it was with an Irish girl, so I guess you'd understand first hand how hard it can be to get excited about them.:p

[Muttley Crew]

You mean one of those mini-marshmallows they put in hot chocolate? :E

[4HolerPoler]

This thread has served it's purpose & is attracting interest like flies pay to dog poop on the pavement. It's closed.

4HP