There is a rumour abound that in the UAE if one witnesses a road accident one must do nothing to aide injured victims, not even TOUCH the victims because the last person to touch a deceased accident victim will be charged with his death according to Shari'ah law. The person who actually caused the accident would be free from any legal prosecution (for involuntary manslaughter or whatever). This sounds ridiculous, and I can think of nothing in the common understanding of Shari'ah that would lead to such a law.
In the US and in many other countries, people are discouraged from aiding accident victims because of liability law suits. However, they could touch an injured person, perhaps in an attempt to comfort that person. They just shouldn't attempt to administer first-aide, give CPR, move the victim, etc. I assume that this is what such a law in the UAE, if there is one at all, is aimed at.
There are misconceptions about Shari'ah law among Muslims themselves, but even more so among non-Muslims, especially in the post 9/11 War on Izzz-lamb era. Because of some wacky laws supposedly derived from certain understandings of Shari'ah, especially in regards to women's rights and family law (like about driving in a certain nearby nation, or because of bizarre interpretation and implementation of Shari'ah by the Tally-ban), many non-Muslims have a very bad image about Shari'ah.
I kind of thought this rumour was tied to that. We all carry some deeply internalized prejudices and even the most open minded and tolerant among us have them. I heard this rumour from some non-Muslims who were gasping and saying "Did you know that according to Shari'ah law..., so don't even touch an accident victim!!!" It also appeared in the discussions in a UAE off-roading forum. I figured the rumour was just another one of the many sensationalized issues used by non-Muslims to vent about how crazy and imhumane so-called Shari'ah law is (not that there aren't serious problems with certain misuses of interpreted understanding of Shari'ah, and no one is in denial and saying that they don't exist).
Muslims and non-Muslims have a lot of odd ideas about each other because of our internalized prejudices. Like, umm, I have heard some Muslims here say that all non-Muslims in the UAE are pocked with in cancerous melanomas cuz they don't cover themselves. Or the non-Muslim counterpart: covered women will all develop osteoperosis cuz they are not getting enough vitamin D via sun exposure. Both of these make me chuckle. Rather than revealing scientific facts, they reveal how people feel about each other.
Anywayz, if you know anything about the truth of this rumour, I'd sure like to get to the bottom of it. If there is such a law, its Shari'ah origins are highly dubious.
12 November, 2005
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14 comments:
Well - we are more likely to get skin cancer by sunbathing, so there's probably a lot of sense in that one! Though as I understand it the sun is more dangerous in certain countries (eg Australia) where the ozone is thinner??
I had heard the Vitamin D/osteoporosis one from a medical source. It's not regular covering that causes it - after all, a woman can always catch a few rays in her private garden. It's the desire to keep skin as pale as possible by never exposing any of it to sunlight.
Varying melanin content does have biological implications - see here. All to do with Vitamin D and Folate, according to current theories.
umm, yeah, of course it IS possible to get skin cancer from sun worshipping. The point was that I have heard Muslims claim that ALL non-Muslims will develop skin cancer because of their clothing or lack there of. This is a sensational rumour.
About covering and vitamin D deficiency...technically if a person never got any sun and didn't get Vit. D from any dietary source it is obvious that would lead to bone problems. Once again, the point is that being veiled DOES NOT lead to osteoporosis and there are so many other factors involved including predisposition (white Europpeans and East Asians seem to have a greater tendency yet they are preumably unveiled), diet, etc. So once again, this is a sensational rumour.
Anyhow, peace.
The thing about not touching accident victims has been around for at least as long as I've been in Dubai (12 years)...
I agree with you luckyfatima - it's rumours that are based on medical facts, but that get blown out of all proportion.
i'm pretty sure it has something to do with "an eye for an eye"; i've heard the police will deliberately lock you up in prison for 24 hours to avoid any family member killing you in revenge for killing someone in their family...
but as to whether its true or not.
i think i've also heard stories of people being arrested for trying unsuccessfuly resuscitate injured people; but i think it's up to the affected family to file for the blood money claim; i'm quite certain they cant actually charge you with murder, and i bout they'd do it nowadays, but i think they can claim blood money.
yes i know someone who was charged with causing accidental death after assisting a road crash victim who died in Dubai in 1984.
I think the rumour has as much basis in the ambiguity of the law in the UAE as any misconceptions of Sharia law by non-muslims.
I think it comes down to the similarity you made to the US. People are scared of doing something wrong. US - you get sued.
UAE - You get arrested. We all know you can be arrested at the drop of a hat here.
Also as a child while living here I had heard of this in the 80's so it is not something new.
However with the state of SZR and Emirates Rd it seems to be coming up more as there are alot more people coming across injured people, also I would like to think that alot more people are trained to give 1st aid. So the situation is occuring more and more.
A similar "urban legend" about expats is that they all have huge sex orgies out at, say, the Greens or the Ranches.
I've never heard of such a thing!
Ummm... or... I've never been invited :(
You know, my cousins brother actually died when someone messed up in first aid. It was a leg wound and there was something inside, the person treating him accidentaly pushed a piece of debris that was lodged there into cutting the artery. He died.
Anyone properly trained in first aid should wait for the authorities help, unless he is like a doctor or a nurse or something.
yeah, but lots (at least you'd hope so) of people nowadays have those red cresent life saving cert's that say you can do CPR. i have one, although that being said, i cant actually remember how you do it, its like 4 breaths in their mouth and 10 lung pumps, and then they pop up good as new.
emirati you have to consider the ambulance, especially in dubai might take over an hour, even 10 minutes, 10 minutes is a long time when someone has just sustained bad injuries, 10 minutes is a response time that many many ambulances can't reach, most consider 14 minutes a brilliant response time.
OK here's your ultra basic First Aid lesson:
1. ABC
Airway - check their mouth/throat is clear
Breathing - check for breathing
Circulation - check for pulse
2. Extensive bleeding
Apply direct pressure.
Elevate the bleeding limb (if it's a limb).
(Not a tourniquet. That's a last resort technique which you shouldn't need).
3. Spinal injuries
DO NOT MOVE an accident victim unless you have to get him or her out of a greater danger - eg a burning car. People with possible spinal injuries should only be moved by trained paramedics.
4. Food/drink
Do not give the victim anything to eat or drink in a misguided attempt to "revive" them.
SD....ok so we do the following:
1. ABC
Airway - check their mouth/throat is clear
Breathing - check for breathing
Circulation - check for pulse
If A is not clear, do we clear it?
If B is not happening do we breathe into it?
If C is faint or non-existant do we electricute it?
I'd say...try not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.. Dodgy stuff this, deciding someone elses fate.
I was once in a car accident in Satwa and ended up in hospital with concussion. The poor guy who hit me (well not me, but the vehicle I was in) was held in the police station until my release. Imagine how mortified I was when his mother came and begged me to sign some release papers for him, since the police had told her he was to be held until the hospital could guarantee that I was out of deaths door step....crikey I thought I was agona.
i heard about the law on Dubai Eye on the Radio. The topic i believe was again the lack f any emergency/medical aid where the freehold properties are... if im not mistaken a listener called up and mentioned the law. another listener stated that his wife had asked the security about emergency supplies and he said all they had was a first aid box.. u know.. bandages and all. not too sure if this was baout the greens or springs... but u get the flow yeah...
best thing to do would be to confirm with the authorities.
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