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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: kumar who wrote (230146)	5/8/2007 9:36:56 AM
From: Elroy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Answer another simple question : U live in Dubai, would you dare to have a smoke or a drink or eat in public (between sunup and sundown) during Ramadan ? Once again is historical customs, that are formed into law. It's illegal to smoke or drink in public during Ramadan, so of course I wouldn't do it, unless you paid me a lot. But Abu Dhabi and Dubai have essentially the same cultural history. During Ramadan three years ago bars were open in the evening in Dubai, but they were closed in Abu Dhabi. That isn't a "cultural difference" that developed between the two distinct communities in the past 15 years, that is an example of a legislated difference. When Skeik Z died ~2-3 years ago, Abu Dhabi also legalized bars being open in the evening during Ramadan. Now, do you think the culture of Abu Dhabi changed in those 2-3 years? It didn't. The law changed, and it had nothing to do with any Abu Dhabi cultural change, it had everything to do with the ruler of Abu Dhabi passing away. Laws which prohibit desirable behaviour don't dictate culture, they oppress it. Undesirable behaviour, based on local culture, doesn't require a law. We don't burp at the table in the US because it is impolite in US culture - the US government doesn't need to make a law to tell us that.