Thursday, March 18, 2010

What What You Text; Somebody Else May Be Reading

Two Emirates Airline cabin crew members in Dubai thought that what they were texting was just between them. They found out otherwise when a divorce court ordered Etisalat to release the messages six months ago. The two were ordered to leave the country after serving six-month jail sentences. They appealed. Agence France-Press just reported that the sentence has been reduced -- three months in jail and they can stay in the country. The "Sexy Texting" story has been getting a lot of attention in the world press. Asharq Alawsat observes: "Dubai, a regional tourist hub with a large non-Muslim expatriate population and the Gulf's most liberal social policies, nevertheless continues to apply strict rules based on Islamic Sharia laws."

7 comments:

Iman Nawfal said...

I just read this news on BB ! Dr. J you are fast !

Im supporting both sides! well, it is not appropriate to exchange text messages during your work hours but in general what is written in your phone it is your private matter!
I don’t know why they sued them! Maybe they didn’t respect their work environment but it was privately between them and not in public! They didn’t harm anyone! Why did the police react? The more freedom we have, the more regulations we get!

fatima almarzouqi said...

Punished for text messages? There's no proof she ever committed adultery, and though I'm wholly against it I don't believe JAIL time is appropriate in a situation like that. Different places different ideas obviously, but in a place like Dubai that is ever expanding and catering to a large tourist base, they should really rethink what they're doing in situations like these.

Safaa . S said...

Maybe what they did is wrong based on Islamic Sharia laws, but still it’s there privacy.

Unknown said...

I think it's privacy that no one would like someone to access !!

We must respect each persons privacy!! whatever problems were, they are adult enough to be responsible about themselves. I think the husband here acted as if he were in a school monitering his wife !! even though if she's wrong but it's not his right to do what he did.

Fatima . M . Al Ali said...

our text messages are our privacy, no one should look at them or record them.

however, in some situations, recording these messages are positive because these messages prove what happened. It is positive in crime situations, when the criminals text each other when they are planning for something to do, so these messages will be the evidence for the court to prove the crime.

But, in the mentioned situation I do not know who is right and who is wrong?
We do not have enough information about this issue. In my opinion, if the wife is cheating her husband, they have the right to ask for these messages to prove that to see what she wrote and then the court can make the decision on this issue.

Fatema A said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fatema A said...

Their personal space bubble was invaded. It is difficult to judge this case but in my point of view, that they're not the only ones who exchange "sexy texts" between them. Many people exchange messages between them a day. I used to text between 600-1800 text messages per month before I got my blackberry a year ago. I am just kinda not liking this. No body wants anyone to read their personal text messages. Sometimes, it is hard to show your close friend what you have in your mobile or laptop. People always want to protect and keep the "nice" image among the people around. Somehow, I see it is fair for the spouse because it is kind of crossing the lines but she could've deal with it in many different ways than court. But again I disagree.

Thanks Dr. J for the news and I enjoyed discussing this in class. Still SHOCKED..


Fatema Abubaker was here :D