This was the scene at a Dubai shopping mall this past week. Last week -- synchronous with the second day of the Jewish New Year -- began the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan, marked by fasting and penitence, culminating in Laylat al-Qadr, the night Muslims believe the Qur'an was revealed.

The UAE, as Brigadier Abdul-Jaleel Mahdi, head of protective safety of the Dubai police department, noted, has no specific law requiring modest dress during Ramadan. However, as one reader of the Emiri 7 DAYS blog noted, dressing in short skirts and revealing tops is just plain disrespectful to religious residents:

One Muslim reader, Anas Zurkiyeh wrote to 7DAYS yesterday of “inconsiderate ladies who wear skirts, shorts and all those revealing items in malls and on the streets during our fast.”

And a non-Muslim reader, Carla, told us yesterday: “I am shocked at how some people completely ignore the modest dress code during Ramadan. Women were doing their shopping in shorts, miniskirts and skimpy tops. It’s not intentional, but just plain ignorance.”

One commenter to this story, Darryl, writes:

Dubai is now a major player among the cities of the world and tourism is highly promoted here. Tourist don’t want to come to Dubai to find themselves restricted from doing simple things like wearing the clothes they like just because it is Ramadan....you must understand that for the U.A.E. to thrive or rather survive in a multi ethnic setting freedom is a very important initiative for people who reside here & tourist alike. I’m not saying that all laws should be abolished, just that the laws should be reasonable.

If Michael Jackson can find an abaya in Bahrain, I'm sure it's not "unreasonable" to ask for a little class during Ramadhan in the UAE.

This, however, begs a bigger question: Why is it an inalienable right of every single bi-pedaled human to expose 80% of their flesh? A request like "don't show your breasts" is abhorred like FGM throughout the secular media. Dubai's shari'a based dress code is actually, in the opinion of this author, not so restrictive as to cause a drop in UAE tourism:

A: MEN’S DRESS CODE

Indecent Dress or Behavior:
Very short pants in public or commercial places like malls and public offices.
Chest nudity.
Ezar in public places (Ezar is the local Emirate male underwear).

B: WOMEN’S DRESS CODE

Indecent Dress:
Clothing that exposes the stomach and back.
Short clothing above the knee.
Tight and transparent clothing that describes the body.

Guys, don't wear your 9th grade gym shorts or your underwear in public. Ladies, the halter and tank tops will have to stay at home. (Note, this does not forbid sleeveless T-shirts, and this is a far cry from requiring hijab, abaya, niqab or any of the other things "oppressed sisters" wear.)

No one wants a scene like they used to have in Zanzibar, Tanzania:

In the past, women who have dressed in short skirts or swimsuits inside Zanzibar's main city have been attacked. Two other Islamic groups have also called on tourists to respect Islamic practices, though none has threatened any direct action.

For some reason, the secularist academe seems patently unable to fathom the fact that immodest dress can often be an infringement on the ability of another person to practice their religion. Perhaps one could say "this is a diverse place" to trump this infringement -- in a place like New York or LA.

But the UAE is a Muslim country (come ON, what does the A stand for?). Western secular societies have no such framework -- absolute personal freedom is an ideal, if not an actuality.

While I find the music to be completely cheesy (4), perhaps Dubai malls would be well served by playing this little video for their shoppers: