Ask Ali: Mall argument on video has split opinion

Dear Ali: The recent dress-code case that occurred in one of Dubai’s shopping malls seems to have created huge awareness, but this time among Emiratis not the expat community, especially via social-media channels. Can you explain why? MH, Dubai

Dear MH: It’s true, and thanks goes to the internet. What happened would never have received this much attention if it was not videotaped and shared via social media.

Which brings us to the first issue: privacy. In the UAE, it’s illegal to film somebody against their will or publish anything without their permission.

Since the video went viral and hundreds of thousands of viewers have seen it, this makes it a hot topic, and everyone will feel they have the right to speak up and add their thoughts.

In today’s world, most people act as if they’re journalists or reporters.

In terms of what happened, I’m not surprised or shocked about the story, because I’ve witnessed such challenges, as well as being told about them by Emiratis and expats.

Many nationalities don’t seem to be bothered by some of the less modest scenes in our society.

For those who don’t know about the case, the story is that an Egyptian actress was shopping with her friend. While they were shopping, the actress was trying on some clothes, and is said to have walked out into the store’s public area in her underwear, which offended a couple of Emirati women.

The Emirati woman shown in the video walked up to the actress and warned her not to act this way, but reports claim the actress continued, not respecting the dress code of the store or mall.

The Emirati woman spoke very harshly against the actress, claiming that such an act was wrong and against our values.

The video doesn’t show what happened from the beginning, but from the moment the Emirati woman was shouting at the actress.

This is where this case is tricky, because many people who watched the video assumed the Emirati woman was acting negatively and badly, because she was “attacking” the Egyptian woman.

This split opinion. Many people have said the Emirati woman shouldn’t be treating anybody in such a way, even if they were acting incorrectly or not respecting the dress code.

Other people were all for raising awareness about dress codes, but were against the way the Emirati woman acted.

Ali Al Saloom is a cultural adviser and public speaker from the UAE. Follow @AskAli on Twitter, and visit www.ask-ali.com to ask him a question.

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