Brinworld meets the camelshaggers: Phonecams in Arabia

Major Variola (ret) mv at cdc.gov
Mon Jun 10 03:05:07 PDT 2002


http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/toptease_1.html

Saudi voyeurs like new cell phone-cameras


                                     SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
                  Sunday, June 9, 2002

                  ABU DHABI  Saudi Arabia is being urged to ban a new
cellular phone that can
                  be used to take digital photographs.

                  The reason: Saudi men have been reported to use the
high tech phones to
                  surreptitiously photograph women.

                  Religious police have already confiscated shipments of
the new cellular phones.
                  Officials said Saudi women had complained that young
Saudi men were slipping
                  the devices into facilities reserved for women and
secretly taking photographs,
                  Middle East Newsline reported.

                     Small Business Opportunity: Special offer for
WorldTribune readers

                  Religious police chief Ibrahim Al Ghaith, has urged
the kingdom to ban the
                  phones. The phones are being distributed by numerous
dealers, including Saudi
                  Ericsson, where they are said to be a popular item
among Saudi men.

                  Saudi officials do not expect a decision to ban the
cellular phones.

                  They are capable of taking more than 280 digital
photographs and cost more than
                  $400.

                  One concern is that Saudi men have slipped the
cellular phones into wedding halls
                  reserved for women. Saudi Arabia is a segregated
society and women in public are
                  completely covered by a veil and robe.





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