Dont brag about sex in Saudi Arabia
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| Thu, 10-08-2009 - 10:26pm |
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - A Saudi court on Wednesday convicted a man for publicly talking about sex after he bragged on a TV talk show about his exploits, sentencing him to five years in jail and 1,000 lashes, his lawyer said.
Talking about sex publicly is a taboo in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia.
Lawyer Sulaiman al-Jumeii said he plans to appeal the court's ruling and is confident the sentence against his client, which includes a ban on travel and talking to the media for five years after his release, will be revoked.
Al-Jumeii maintains that his client, Mazen Abdul-Jawad, was duped by the Lebanese LBC satellite channel which aired the talk show and was unaware in many cases he was being recorded.
"I hope you will not consider the case closed," the lawyer said. "I will continue pursuing the TV channel, even if no one stands by me, until it gets the punishment it deserves."
The program, which aired July 15 on LBC and was seen in Saudi Arabia, scandalized this conservative country where such frank talk is rarely heard in public. Some 200 people filed legal complaints against Abdul Jawad, who works for the national airline.
The program, "Bold Red Line," begins with Abdul-Jawad, dubbed a "sex braggart" and "Casanova" by the media, describing the first time he had sex at 14. He then leads viewers into his bedroom, dominated by red accessories, and then shows off blurred sex toys.
He is later joined by three male friends for a discussion on what turns them on.
Abdul-Jawad's lawyer maintains his client was referring to other people's sexual experiences and the toys were provided by the TV station.
Segregation of the sexes
The government moved swiftly in the wake of the case, shutting down LBC's two offices in the kingdom and arresting Abdul-Jawad.
The other three men on the show were also convicted of discussing sex publicly and sentenced to two years imprisonment and 300 lashes each, according to al-Jumeii.
The case itself was also tried before the wrong court, maintains the lawyer, who says it should have been heard by a specialized court at the Information Ministry qualified to issue decisions regarding editing, dubbing and other technical issues related to the case.
In his statement, al-Jumeii said the decision in the case was made "under pressure from public opinion" due to the media frenzy surrounding it.
He also said he will continue pursuing a lawsuit he has filed against LBC.
The kingdom, which is the birthplace of Islam, enforces strict segregation of the sexes. An unrelated couple, for example, can be detained for being alone in the same car or having a cup of coffee in public.
Saudis observe such segregation even at home, where they have separate living rooms for male and female guests.

There are a lot of laws and rules in this world I don't agree with, but until those rules change (no matter where you are) it's wise to follow them.
I adamantly oppose criminal arrests for marijuana. I don't
This reminds me of when our ship pulled into Saudi Arabia right before Christmas back in my Navy days. Our captain had a handout printed for every sailor taking liberty there. It highlighted certain laws that Americans wouldn't be privy to....I can't remember them all these years later, but at the very bottom of the page, in big, bold print was something along the lines of:
DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH ANY SAUDI WOMEN WHILE ASHORE
Seems there was a ship that had been there weeks before us and one of the crew evidently paid just a little too much attention to one of the women, and he was locked up in jail and it took several days of negotiating with the Saudis to get him out and back aboard.
They had very strict rules about sex way back then, so this story doesn't surprise me in the least!!