Author – Lovin Dubai
August 13, 2021
https://lovin.co/dubai/en/latest/throwback-nicki-minaj-talks-about-her-awkward-experience-at-a-dubai-airport?fbclid=IwAR2UxGvpbeWN2Jron8EALyOaSmpG8Izs2ZOwqFJ4F3o_6NMjT3yFFquulz4
Throwback: Nicki Minaj Talks About Her Awkward Experience At A Dubai Airport
We’ve all had oopsie moments but when we hear them happen with out favourite celebrities, it’s something else.
Nicki Minaj was one to tell the story of her awkward encounter with a man at the Dubai International Airport, who turned out to be in the police. In an old footage from an interview with Jimmy Kimmel back in 2013, Nicki Minaj told the tale of how she accidentally hugged a cop at the airport.
Nicki Minaj recalls the blunder she had following a concert that took place in 2013
‘Hear the icon tell the story herself’
I almost got in so much trouble because the guys in Dubai are so cute … When we were leaving, there was this one guy who was so cute. I was just like: ‘Bye’ … I didn’t know that he was a cop! It was at a private airport so they were just dressed in regular garments. I went to give him a hug and I felt like time stopped in Dubai. Everyone in my team thought I was gonna be put in jail! It was the scariest thing but he cracked this nervous smile, and I was like: ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry!’ and then I just left.
So is it actually illegal to hug someone you’re not married to in Dubai?
Well, according to a legal expert who often answered ‘commonly asked questions’ about the UAE law on Tiktok: it isn’t illegal but rather frowned upon.
A US qualified attorney, Ludmiya Yamalov, who is also based in Dubai summed up the answer in a short TikTok video. Watch Ludmiya Yamalov’s response to ‘Is PDA illegal in the UAE?’ …
Yamalov answers by saying that public display of affection (PDA) is, in fact, not illegal in the UAE. However, public display of affection that may be deemed either disgraceful or against public moral is against Article 58 of the UAE Penal Code.
Well, there you have it folk, basically… think twice before you get too touchy.
After all, we are in the UAE, and as liberated, welcoming and inclusive it is- we must still respect its people, culture and religious values.