Bizarro Law

Yesterday's Gulf News reports that a Filipino man named Joseph Aboutan whose wife died in a car accident while he was driving has been held in jail for more than a year because he cannot pay "blood money" to his wife's family and his children. A court ordered the man to pay Dh200,000 ($56,000) to his own children (two boys aged 14 and 13 and a girl aged 11) and to his wife's family. Apparently under UAE law the father will not be released until he pays the blood money. He says he is poor and will not be able to pay the blood money even if he spends all his life in jail. He converted to Islam while in jail, taking Abdullah as his new name, and says what happened to him is his destiny and he is happy for becoming a Muslim.

"Blood money" commonly refers to the money paid by a murderer to the family of his victim. This assumes that a murder has been committed. While the circumstances are not explained, Aboutan was jailed after the accident and later found guilty of causing his wife's death, a case of what we would call manslaughter or vehicular homicide, which does not involve premeditation or intent, a lesser offense than other types of homicide. Apparently the type of homicide makes no difference in the UAE. The National reported in June that that Indian community is raising money to set up a fund to help expatriate Indians who are stuck in jail for failing to pay blood money, usually after traffic accidents.

My husband has warned me that we could be liable for paying blood money if we accidentally kill someone in a car accident. Perhaps it's covered by insurance? At least we can afford it, assuming it's a set sum and not based on wealth of the victim. What makes the Aboutan case so crazy is that it involves his own in-laws and children seeking the payment. I suspect a heartbroken and/or spiteful mother-in-law, who in this case now has custody of the children.

Another equally bizarre case shares space on the same page of yesterday's Gulf News. This report tells of a Pakistani taxi driver accused of beating his passenger to death. The driver picked up an Asian passenger who became unresponsive and could not say where he wanted to go so the driver called paramedics. When paramedics could find nothing wrong with the passenger, the police began to question them for calling an ambulance for no reason. The passenger became very angry and started to beat the driver, who pushed him away. Apparently the passenger was under treatment for his heart, which couldn't take the pressure of the push, and the man went into cardiac arrest and died. Now the driver is being charged with beating his passenger to death. No good deed goes unpunished, goes the saying. Let's hope truth and justice prevail in this one, but I will stay tuned.

Cases like these seem rare, but not unusual, and I applaud the Gulf News for reporting them if only to shed light on what is happening. The system of justice here seems strange to me, but then I didn't grow up with it and haven't studied it. Our system of justice in the USA certainly is not immune to the occasional travesty or miscarriage of justice. At least we don't have debtors' prisons, with never ending jail terms for the poor. Then again, our jails are so full that we have to let hardened criminals go for lack of space. And we have a lot more crime. Surely there's something to be learned from both sides, if we can manage to keep the light on.

Oman: Oh Man!

I got to visit Oman on two different occasions recently, the first time going to Muscat in April as part of a Pittsburgh-based trade delegation representing the Pittsburgh Middle East Institute, and the second time driving to Musandum on Saturday with my husband on a day trip from Dubai. Both times I was impressed by the dramatic scenery and friendliness of the local people, particularly in contrast to Dubai and the UAE.

A short geography lesson may be in order. Oman is a separate country from the United Arab Emirates, and much larger in area, located on the northeast corner of the Arabian peninsula, with the UAE to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. Unlike Dubai, it has lots of coastland, with the Arabian Sea to the south and east and the Gulf of Oman to the northeast. The part of Oman known as Musandum is a peninsula that points northward to Iran and is separated from the rest of the country by the UAE. Musandum, about 180 kilometers from Dubai, is strategically located on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping channel which leads from the Gulf of Oman into the Persian/Arabian Gulf. The capital of Muscat is on the Gulf of Oman side and a much longer drive/short flight from Dubai. You make a border crossing from the UAE to go into Oman and need to clear customs and obtain a visa, but this is easy and fairly quick assuming you can pay the fees and the line is not too long.

The Sultanate of Oman became a unified nation in 1970 under His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who is responsible for the modernization of the country and who continues to rule to this day. He is not married and has no children (and is said to be gay!). Several women hold high offices in government, unlike in Dubai. Also, the outside influence seems much more limited in Oman, and the Omani people are much more visible and easy to meet than Emiratis in the UAE. The staff working on the conference for the Pittsburgh trade delegation were Omani men and women, and as a group they impressed us as very hard-working, friendly and gracious.

The people of Oman have had to work harder to get to where they are today because they do not have the abundance of oil enjoyed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. There is much more of a local lowkey feel to the place, which maintains its cultural traditions while seeming quite tolerant of outside customs. Tourists like us were made to feel welcome, with no concern about how we were dressed. I especially liked the more colorful attire in Oman. The turbans worn by the men were multicolored and unique, and both men and women wore different colors of robes instead of the stark black and white which is the custom in Dubai. To me, Oman looks like an excellent example how an Arab country can enjoy the benefits of outside influence without sacrificing national identity, as Dubai seems at times to have done in its infatuation with extravagance. Ah, the problems that come with having too much money!

The beauty of the surroundings also makes Oman an attractive destination, with coastline punctuated by mountains and interesting rock formations close by. It now seeks to promote sporting events as a spur to tourism, such as the inaugural Tour of Oman, a staged bike race run in February as a precursor to the Tour de France. The air seems brighter and clearer, free of the haze prevalent in the UAE due to endless construction. There is construction going on in Oman as well, but no crazy skyscrapers, rather more low flung buildings. We were told that an entire village had to be moved to make space for one of the new government projects, which I suppose is not too hard to make happen when you're the Sultan.

In Muscat the PMEI trade delegation enjoyed staying in the lap of luxury at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel (pictured), with fabulous pools, gardens, water sports, tennis, restaurants, shopping and conference areas. Many of the guests we met there were European (especially British and German) and had been coming for years. It seemed like a fun place for families since there was plenty to do. It is definitely the conference center of choice, as shortly after our arrival the hotel was also host to the President of Turkey, who met with the Sultan and various government agencies at the hotel. Needless to say, the security was top notch.

Why would Oman be interested in Pittsburgh, you may wonder? Well, the PMEI had sponsored a large trade group from Oman at its last conference in Pittsburgh, and they were returning the favor. Both of us could stand to develop partnerships in areas of mutual interest. At the conference among the topics explored were solar energy, new oil and gas technologies, wireless technologies, and educational programs and exchanges.

One must-see spot in Muscat that we visited was the Mutrah Souk, a veritable maze of shops selling everything imaginable. Whatever you are looking for, you are likely to buy something else first as you get lost in the maze. This is the place to buy frankincense and the ceremonial daggers called khanjars. I liked the men's Omani costume so much that I bought one for my husband, robe, hat, and khanjar included.

The highlight of the visit was dinner at the home of one of the Omani government ministers who spoke at the conference. We got to enjoy a traditional meal with coffee and sweets served afterwards in a special room in the traditional manner. Our group of seven from Pittsburgh was joined by a high-ranking Omani woman who had served as the ambassador from Oman to the USA and her daughter, who was home from studies in London. Our host even served wine at dinner, which impressed us all as extremely gracious and tolerant!

Our trip to Musandum on Saturday gave us more appreciation for Oman's dramatic scenery. We drove north from Dubai, taking us past the neighboring emirates of Sharjah, Arjan, Umm al Quwain, and Ras al Khaimah. Having already visited Fujairah and Abu Dhabi, we can now say we have been to all seven emirates. The new coastline road was blasted out of the mountainside and weaves and winds its way around the coastal area. Evidence of recent rock slides was apparent so we kept our eyes peeled for a wayward boulder. Traffic was light and the area seemed to be sparsely populated as we made our way to Khasab, the capital of the province. The harbor there is where you can hire a boat to explore the winding coastline with the Middle Eastern version of fjords, and remote islands and villages where the inhabitants still speak their own language. It is said to be only 45 kilometers from Iran, with regular and irregular trade of all kinds going back and forth. It's also a fabulous area for scuba diving with many coral reef sites an hour away by boat, but probably out of our league as novices.

We started up the unpaved steep mountain road which would take us to the highest point in the area, but chickened out after about 8 kilometers knowing we had 22 to go. I was glad we did, as the ride down the rocky road was even scarier than going up. Sanity prevailed as we had lunch at the best (and one of the only) hotels in the area, the Golden Tulip. This would be a good jumping off point for a future boat trip. We wandered on the beach for a while and found the shell collecting to be fantastic. As we backtracked to drive home, we saw massive flocks of cormorants flying by, floating in the water, and standing on the beach. Having noticed just one bird on the way out, the difference was stunning.

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

I got back to Dubai on July 4 but missed the Independence Day festivities sponsored by the American Business Council, since these were held on Friday, July 2, a weekend day for the UAE, instead of on Sunday which was a work day. I arrived in time for another Muslim holiday, Lailat Al Mi'Raj, celebrating the Prophet's ascension into heaven, the main impact of which seemed to be that no alcohol could be served from Thursday sundown until Friday at 7 p.m. No problem for those making dinner plans so long as they went around 8 p.m.

My husband's law firm moved from its cramped temporary space in the Gate building into terrific new space in Currency House. When we visited on Friday, the workers were scurrying to finish all the last minute installations, and it had the same clean, modern, bright look of K & L's new space in downtown Pittsburgh, with similar furnishings. The lawyers and staff will now have plenty of space with private offices and conference rooms and room to grow, and a convenient location close to the Gate and all the amenities of the DIFC.

I also found myself back in Dubai right in the middle of another shopping festival called Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), running from June 17 to August 7, much like the very popular winter Dubai Shopping Festival in January and February, only much hotter. Many stores offer 25% or higher discounts on merchandise, and raffles of cars and big-screen TV's take place every week to lure shoppers to make purchases. (Yes, a minimum purchase of AED200, around $55, is required!) The ubiquitous mascot of DSS is a silly looking yellow spring-like character, called Modhesh, which means "surprising" or "amazing" in Arabic. (Image credit: Gulf News archives). Of course, almost all of the events surrounding the festival take place inside in the air-conditioned comfort of various shopping malls. We went shopping for more bedroom furniture for our third bedroom, as it looks like we will be putting up visiting attorneys from other K & L offices, and it was a good time to buy furniture on sale.

It's hot all right, but not too hot for me. Like many people who live here, I don't find temperatures hovering in the 100's to be uncomfortable. A recent survey showed that 45% of the people living here do not consider it too hot until the temperature gets above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius). I am told that there is a law that workers are not allowed to work outside if the thermometer reaches 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). (Some cynics suspect that the thermometers never get past 49 for that very reason.) I have been checking temperatures n Baghdad where my brother-in-law is working and Istanbul, where I will soon be visiting, and Dubai is right in the middle, with Baghdad much hotter and Istanbul cooler. But as they say, it ain't the heat, it's the humidity that kills you, and I hear that it can get really bad here with windows and doors dripping in sweat just like the people.

My Dubai orientation continues with my first need to seek medical help for unrelenting back/hip pain. Seeking a word-of-mouth referral I was directed by various friends and acquaintances to physiotherapists, herbalists, chiropractors, orthopedic surgeons--plenty to choose from. I also did some internet research and discovered I might need a rheumotologist or physiatrist, doctors who specialize in treating pain and disorders relating to arthritis, which I suspect may be the underlying cause, since I have not suffered any recent injury. I decided to start with an orthopedic doctor to get x-rays and other tests done, hesitating to even say I wanted a surgeon as surgery would be a last resort option in my book right now. We'll see how the insurance and service compares with what I'm used to in the US. I hope I can at least get some temporary relief as I head to Turkey this weekend for a working trip with Yale alumni.

Things seem to be on a slight upswing here, although it also seems pretty deserted if you look outside at the pools and beaches. The big circular project at the entry to the Palm Jumeirah, called the Dubai Pearl, now seems to be rising from its foundations. It should connect with the monorail leading from the base of the Palm to the crescent at the top of the Palm and the Atlantis resort. I assume it will provide a mix of shopping, restaurants and perhaps more hotel or apartments to complement the amenities available on the Palm. The Atlantis seems to be the only hotel open still but others are under construction with a couple of new ones looking close to complete. The big question is how the additional traffic will impact us. I kind of like it the way it is now, not too congested.

In the interesting news department, Hershey World is now open in the Dubai Mall! I will make a point of looking for it next time I am there, as I spent quite a bit of time there during many wrestling tournaments. On the local crime scene, a man was arrested for running to catch the metro. He was later released with no charges filed. I also hear that it's a crime to drive a dirty car in Oman, not sure about the UAE, but that would explain the car wash services everywhere. Finally, the Brit who spent a month in jail and was then deported for kissing women, no his wife, in public, continues to say it was just a friendly peck and he is only sorry to be forced to leave since he likes Dubai and has many friends here. I guess we expats will just need to be a bit more careful as we live our lives in this somewhat confusing, crazy place.