Marcus, from Tottenham, North London, had been enjoying a holiday with his parents when he met a fellow Brit at the same hotel. A holiday fling sparked and the pair spent time together until the girl, also from London, flew back to Britain.
In Dubai, if an adult has a sexual relationship with a person under 18, they can be prosecuted for having a sexual relationship with a minor. The relationship would be legal in the UK.
Marcus and his parents were set to fly back shortly after - but their plans were thrown into chaos when police knocked on their hotel room door. The “terrified” teenager was then reportedly hauled in for questioning without any explanation and held at the Al Barsha Police Station, DID said. He spent three days there, during which time he was not allowed to make a phone call or speak with his parents, it is claimed.
You Europeans really gotta stop vacationing in fucking Dubai, there are way cooler places to fly to.
100%, I hated every minute of my layover wandering that shit-quality SimCity attempt, the bubble popped real fast once I talked to some locals.
I can’t wait for the sand to bury that cruel slave labor shitberg.
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‘Please tell my family in Pakistan that I’m still alive’ probably
“The restaurants are mid.”
Or just don’t fly.
My dad got there. They literally brainwashed him within a week. We had to prove him on multiple accounts that the tour guide lied to him.
elaborate omg??
I don’t know details anymore (10+ years ago) but in the vein of the economy being great and important, culture open minded, politics being exemplary, that stuff.
Like, you know, rest of the Europe
Literally
- Cairo
- Antioch
- Muğla
- Baghdad
- Umman
I will never understand why this place is idolized by so many people…
Or why you’d even vacation there. How tf did they convince people to vacation in a desert?
FOMO. makes it seem exclusive. For whatever reason at least 50% of humans are just wired to want to feel better than everyone else. The actual experience itself doesn’t matter as long as they can brag about it knowing that others weren’t able to achieve it. Dubai literally has ice shipped in from melting glaciers so that rich people can put it into their drink https://arcticice.ae/
Seriously, it’s like worse Vegas, and I don’t like Vegas at all
I’d like Vegas if there was like an airconditioned pedway to walk around the strip out of the heat and away from the crazies but still be able to observe like a human zoo.
Really? I loved Vegas and can’t wait to go back. Full disclosure though I’m not really a gambler and we didn’t hit the casinos at all but there’s some really cool stuff in that area.
A bit of an unwarranted answer, but many richer Pakistanis go there to buy stuff that isn’t easily available back home. Hence, they become cash cows for the ginormous malls over there (seriously. If you think American malls are big, you haven’t been to Dubai). It’s basically the closest foreign city we have direct flights to, due to our sanctions and all with India. For example, I got my Nintendo 3DS, and later the phone that I’m currently using (Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra), from malls in Dubai.
How much are plane tickets? Flying somewhere to buy things is weird to my brain.
They were undoubtedly cheaper before, but with a low-budget airline like airblue, at least, a round-trip ticket between Lahore and Dubai, for a single adult, economy class, can cost 85,216 PKR or 306.23 USD.
Choosing a more expensive airline like Emirates bumps it up to 138,028 PKR or 496.01 USD.
(Source: Google Flights)
To be fair, my father at least would often buy stuff while he had another reason to be there (i.e. for business).
Well if you’re an American, it might start making more sense to you in a few months when we have fucking 100% tariffs on imported shit (or whatever the fuck he’s going to do).
If you are talking about social media it is likely that they aren’t allowed to post something negative about the country or else you can be fined. If you are working as an influncer in Dubai you’ll need to obtain an license which regulates what you can post but you basically pay no income taxes
If you are working as an influncer in Dubai you’ll need to obtain an license which regulates what you can post but you basically pay no income taxes
Because the propaganda you’re providing for them would be priceless…
For the Middle East, it’s relatively progressive, from what I understand. That being said, that’s a low low bar.
I first thought you wrote “from the Middle East” yeah no. Dubai is Saudi Arabia with better PR.
They have a pretty open love for western money. If you have the funds ($$$$$$$$), you can do pretty much whatever you want.
But if you aren’t extremely wealthy, you get to experience the oppressive true nature of the place.
Guess which group goes to Dubai and tells people about their experiences.
Money
💰 💵💰
The kind of Europeans who only go to Spain, Amsterdam, and Dubai
What’s with Spain?
Is the answer prostitution?
Spain, Amsterdam, and Dubai
What makes those three fit together? I’ve been to Barcelona and Amsterdam, but wouldn’t dream of going to Dubai.
Paris is too passé nowadays, you can’t be an asshole showoff when the place is full of peasants
Along with what everyone else said, it’s basically Las Vegas without the casinos and the booze, and with a beach.
If you don’t care about politics, gambling or drinking, it’s another theme park for adults.
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Fuck Dubai.
Signed me, who grew up there.
Man I’d be interested to hear about that. Any interesting insights?
Like any hotspot for the wealthy: hypocrisy and corruption as far as the eye can see.
Dubai is a terrible place. People need to stop going there.
I even worry about transiting places like this.
We Pakistanis don’t have much of a choice… We often have to stop at Dubai or Doha if we want to fly to Europe or the Americas. (Although occasionally, you can choose Turkish Airlines and stop at Istanbul instead.) Though to be fair, Pakistan can’t be much more friendly than Dubai to a lotta people…
Hard to feel sorry about anyone travelling to Dubai.
Correct for adults, but this was the kid travelling with his parents. It’s likely that the decision was the parents’ - also, most kids are not very well-versed in politics.
You don’t have to be rich to travel there. My brothers and their mother traveled there, not rich by any means. I’m probably more well off, but I haven’t been there. 🤷♂️
But maybe that wasn’t your point? Sorry if I assumed incorrectly!
They meant traveling to a pseudo-religious dictatorship
I mean… Okay. But… A place can be interesting to visit despite its government. 🤷♂️
That’s not what this is about. Can you understand what you read?
Can you not be a dick about it?
Agree, it was a bit snappy.
I… can, yes. Why does it seem like I can’t? Why don’t you fill me in? 🙏
No need to be so hostile. 👍
I guess you just wanted to be snappy and leave the conversation? Cool…
Yes, definitely! People should be allowed to break the law of the land if they disagree with it!
/s
I think you’re right, but also it says something about the personality too. I know great, respectable people in their own way who have gone there, but in general I agree with the vibe that it’s for “rich people who don’t care about inequality”
Knowing my family, Hanlon’s razor definitely applies here. People do not always know what’s going on politically or otherwise in a tourist place they visit. My family are not “great respectable people” (they’re good people though), so I’m gonna go with ignorance, for sure. 😅
Not sure why this is down voted lol. I’m just sharing an experience or life situation, and getting down voted. So strange. I feel like I’m back on Reddit. People don’t change from platform to platform, I guess.
This is only applicable to people who have a wide variety of choices to pick from - if you ca only choose Dubai because your parents worked there as expats then you’re probably in the clear.
This doesn’t actually say much about anyone’s actual wealth status in your story, you’re just saying you have more then them I guess? No banana for scale offered.
“They only have 2 yachts and only one can land a full size helicopter - so yeah… you don’t have to be rich to go to Dubai”
I’m pretty sure his parents were the ones making the trip and he was forced to come along whether he wanted to or not what with him living under his parents’ roof.
I’m curious how the authorities were even aware of this occurring. The article says they were on holiday, so it’s not like there was much time. How did anyone notice their ages? Was it just fishing for a charge because of unrelated reasons?
Either
-
They’re always watching. I’m in tech and was taught in my security training - when traveling to countries with extremely strong surveillance, assume you are bugged. Family could be high valued and they wanted something from the parents. Probably a bit too tinfoil hat.
-
Vengeance girl’s parents could be assholes/racist. As a dude, Ive had my share of “mommy & daddy doesn’t like me for taking their precious flower”. Multiplier in effect if they have a problem that I’m a PoC.
It was the mother of the girl. She got back to the UK found out about the boy and contacted the Dubai authorities. Apparently the girl was days off her 18th birthday too. It was in the news report when he was originally arrested.
Wrecked a young man’s life for some bullshit reason.
Wow, 2 years older in mere days. Must be a leap year.
Sorry typo. Fixed
I think either of those are super plausible. There will be people where they stayed who are happy to snitch, no bugs required. On top of that, the UAE has one of the highest concentration of surveillance cameras in the world. Like 30,000 in Dubai. Throw in some facial recognition cross referenced with the list of folks on vacation or on business in the city and it’s real easy to find out who is spending time together, what their ages are, and what their kids will look like.
The second one happens all the time. Happened to me when I turned 18 before my then girlfriend. Her mom threatened me with jail and all kinds of shit even though it was perfectly legal and we were only a couple of months apart. She just didn’t like me or the fact that I was dating her daughter. Would have probably been worse if I had been a PoC.
You’ve left out the good old snitch, my understanding is they’re pretty darn strict with anything that involves women over there, so maybe someone from the hotel saw something and reported it.
If you check the article it says it’s the 2nd case, the girl’s parents notified the Dubai authorities
-
Did you read the article?
The girls mother reported him to the Dubai police.
Hopefully her identity is revealed to the public and she faces some consequences for her actions. Maybe it’s already been leaked or released elsewhere, but it wasn’t in that article.
I don’t believe that detail was in the article when I read it, but I’m unable to find any copies from before the update. I can tell you the article now is very different from the original.
After returning to the UK and seeing pictures and chats, the girl’s mother reported the relationship to Dubai police, who then arrested Mr Fakana at his hotel, it is alleged.
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I won’t say I’ll never go to Dubai, but I will say I’ll do my best to never end up there.
I wonder if there is a law in the UK that would allow the parents of the boy to sue the mother of the girl for snitching. Like, she weaponized the laws of another country that criminalize behaviours that are legal in the UK, for things that happened between UK citizens abroad. That sounds like something UK legislators might have the power and incentive to legislate, right?
Also, I would not fault the girl if she hated her horrible mother for the rest of her life.
£20 says she’s white and racist.
As I’m reading this story I keep wondering…
How in the hell did the authorities even catch wind of this even happening?
Did someone report them?
Are all the rooms tapped and monitored Stasi-style?Mother of girl reported him after they had left and he was still there.
Teenagers in love are hardly subtle. Staff probably reported them.
Well, did you read it?
After returning to the UK and seeing pictures and chats, the girl’s mother reported the relationship to Dubai police, who then arrested Mr Fakana at his hotel, it is alleged.
What’s up with the breaks as if you’re writing poetry?
Just newline characters for formatting - it’s possible that whatever app you’re using doesn’t properly support the markdown. I had issues with that on Sync before switching to Thunder.
Weird. I use sync and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen it
The comments in this thread are practically Islamophobic and naive.
When you travel to another country, just abide by its culture and customs.
Like you cant go to India and disrespect cows, or now eat beef in public.
The comments are also naive because they show how unaware the commenters are about what actually goes on in rich countries and events for affluent people.
Uh yeah fuck Islam. Fuck the Judaism and Christianity too. See? Easy.
They’re certainly old enough
Okay so how do I fuck these religions exactly? I can go to these theocratic states and start doing whatever I want? Symbolising my freedom?
Why don’t you try it? Let’s see how far you can go to freeing humanity from the shackles of religion.
“The intolerance of narrow monotheism is written in letters of blood across the history of man from the time when first the tribes of Israel burst into the land of Canaan. The worshippers of the one jealous God are egged on to aggressive wars against people of alien [beliefs and cultures]. They invoke divine sanction for the cruelties inflicted on the conquered. The spirit of old Israel is inherited by Christianity and Islam, and it might not be unreasonable to suggest that it would have been better for Western civilization if Greece had moulded it on this question rather than Palestine.”
Seems like that’s exactly what The Satanic Temple is doing.
When you travel to another country, just abide by its culture and customs.
WDYM? The prophet “married” a
139 year old.Edit: It’s even worse.
Islamophobic? Nah. Naive, hell yeah. You should watch what you do like a hawk when you’re going to places like Dubai. Have a good understanding of what is legal and what isn’t, like eating outside during Ramadan - this can get you actual jailtime instead of a fine or a slap on the wrist like you’d expect.
Dubai is a shithole full of rich assholes and their slave workers and influencers who are paid to paint it in pink online.
i like the part where they have a constant line of tanker trucks moving shit from buildings to wherever they dump it, because they couldn’t be bothered building a sewage system.
POOP TRUCK POOP TRUCK
Wait really? Do they really have no sewer lines/mains? LOL…
nope lol
That’s fucked.
You thinking that acknowledging theocracy as awful is bigotry?
If I live in an islamic nation and am islamophobic does that make me racist to myself?
Akshually it’s islamophobia to say that a lot of the laws in Dubai are bad!
When you go through puberty, every single cell in your body is telling you to have sex NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW due to well over a billion years of evolution.
This culture is punishing a teenager for not fighting evolution.
Of course, they probably don’t believe in evolution either, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re punishing a teenager for lacking self-control (like most teenagers) and doing what his body is telling him to do in order to fulfil his biological imperative.
I really hope y’all ain’t defending his actions. The age of consent is the age of consent. That he couldn’t keep it in his pants is on him. It doesn’t matter what the AoC in UK is when you’re in another country.
The law not having a provision for such a situation is a completely separate issue. To criticise that is valid. It still doesn’t give him an excuse to break it.
The age difference is less than a year are you fucking insane, legality is not morality and we should always push back against unjust laws
you have no idea how easy but low it is to trick an underage girlfriend into sex. age of consent is 18 regardless of age difference for a reason. if you have an underage girlfriend, you should wait until she can consent and choose what to do with her body
You realize in the vast majority of the world there ARE exceptions for exactly this reason. Teenagers do what they’re gonna do.
What do you think on your 18th birthday you magically grow a consent organ? If they’re both teenagers there’s really no issue.
Does that suddenly become difficult when they pass an arbitrary date? This girl was months away from turning 18. Nobody involved in this case is even a citizen of Dubai.
I’m usually the last person to make this type of comment, but these circumstances are absurd.
Weird hill to die on but ok. Again, the law itself can be argued about, breaking it not really. No one made him jump in bed, nor is the law some violation of human rights. “Don’t shag people under 18” is not a tall ask.
I sure see that splattered all over the passport and travel office
“Don’t shag people under 18” is not a tall ask.
For people with fully formed brains, sure.
For a literal teenager going through puberty, on vacation in a hot, foreign place, that runs into someone they’re attracted to who is from the same place as them? Yeah, not so much. It’s literal biology.
The kid is 18. Were y’all assuming he was older for some reason?
It creates an few different odd possibilities though, in the UK you can be married before 18, let’s say an 18 year old wife and her 17 year old husband went on their honeymoon to Dubai, would they legally be allowed to consummate their marriage?
Would Dubai recognise their marriage?
Simply don’t visit Dubai then. Because “no”.
I too read every law of a foreign country before I visit them. /s
This arrest is shitty and the comment above you is stupid, but you should absolutely be aware of the laws of wherever you go. Being a visitor somewhere doesn’t bestow the right to ignore the law.
Yes, although I wouldn’t really expect a teenager to read up on age of consent laws, especially when traveling. They probably should, but I wouldn’t think them likely to.
Backward degenerates.
Poor Marcus - I have a feeling this wouldn’t be an issue if he was white.
If he was Arab
Fixed that for you. This is in the extremely oppressive Dubai/UAE where any kind of extramarital thing is very much illegal.
Yeah fairs
Nonsense.
“Wasn’t me.”
You know, laws and code have a lot in common. In both, if you change something at the wrong place, another totally unrelated part will behave different or stop working entirelly. And then there’s edge cases, whose handling was entirely forgotten.
Ah, but it’s not unrelated, see, because now the cache invalidation logic that you hacked together to fix it last time isn’t triggering when it should, because you were using that condition as a hack based on the assumption that code wouldn’t be doing what it’s now doing. You’re gonna have to rewrite that entire bit in a more principled way. I think I lost track of the metaphor a bit here.
Is this all just AI talking to each other?
Of course
What AI?
