The Fundamental Things Apply in Dubai

Like the man sang, a kiss is just a kiss, right? Well, not in the oily emirate of Dubai, where public kissing'll land you in the slammer, reports the timesonline:

A British pair are due to appear in court in Dubai today accused of breaching strict public decency laws by publicly kissing in a restaurant.

Ayman Najafi, 24, will appear in court alongside a 25-year-old female British tourist to appeal against a one-month prison sentence imposed last week.

In a phone call to his distraught mother yesterday, Mr Najafi said: “I haven’t done anything wrong mum, hopefully I will clear my name and then I can come back.”

The pair were allegedly seen kissing on the mouth in a restaurant, breaching Dubai’s conservative penal code. They were arrested last November and appeared in court last week.

According to reports, a judge at Dubai’s Misdemeanours Court heard written evidence from a witness, a 38-year-old mother who was the person who initially complained to police.

She said she was offended by their behaviour at the Jumeirah Beach Residence, where she was dining with her daughter.

The judge dismissed Mr Najafi’s claim that he had merely kissed the woman on the cheek and sentenced both defendants to a month in jail followed by deportation...