The Bus

Islamic law reigns on the Dubai public bus system. Women and men are kept separate with exeptions only for the married who may sit together with the women in the front. Men move to the back, behind the plexiglass partitions.

Overcrowded buses are the norm and will often refuse passengers if there is no room in the appropriate area. Women are nearly always given preferential treatment while boarding, skipping to the front of massive lines of men elbowing to board before capacity is reached. This is both self-policed as well as ensured by the occassional public safety servant. If and when a man neglects to follow the rules, he is quickly repremanded by station police, bus drivers and other passengers.

During one crowded rush-hour journey, a brash man forced himself onto the bus and stood (inappropriately) in the women's section. When the seat next to me was vacated he sat down. I assume he felt entitled as I was obviously not Muslim and Western. Despite my usual ease of interaction with the opposite sex, I found myself speechless and totally offended. He was knowingly disrespecting me under local customs. My reaction surprised me, but provided a curious insight into the power of social norms and environmental conditioning. How dare he sit next to me...how dare he!

I was not the only one shaken. The married couple sitting directly behind took great exception to this behavior. They immediately stood up and demanded the brash man take their seat. The woman, with only her eyes showing through her black veil, sat next to me while the husband moved forward to request action from the bus driver. The bumper to bumper traffic, the overcrowding and the threat of a scene detered the driver from removing the man. The new situation was acceptable and he was content with the little order that had been brought to the chaotic scene.