Police Break Up Wedding Parties in the Arab World
2020-09-30
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1In the Arab world, police officers are taking action to control wedding parties.
2In recent weeks, some weddings have ended with police arresting party goers and giving fines.
3These moves come at a time when coronavirus cases are rising in the Middle East.
4Still, many couples are moving forward with their celebrations.
5But from the Palestinian territories to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), officials say traditional large weddings are helping the coronavirus to spread.
6In Jenin, in the northern West Bank, Mustafa Khatib and six members of his band spent two nights in jail.
7They played at a crowded wedding party earlier this month.
8Police fined the group $11,000.
9"This is not fair," said Khatib.
10"People will never stop getting married and will never stop holding parties."
11Palestinian officials have forced many people to suspend ceremonies, said a police spokesman.
12Yet the punishments, detentions and infections have not stopped people from getting married.
13"You plan to have a small wedding but then all your relatives and friends show up," noted Qasim Najjar.
14"This is our custom."
15Najjar himself was recently married in the northern West Bank village of Deir Sharaf.
16The wedding party was broken up by police.
17The celebrations can have serious results.
18Palestinian Health Ministry official Ali Abed Rabu linked over 80 percent of new coronavirus cases to large gatherings at weddings and funerals.
19Indoor wedding spaces in towns like Hebron have become places where the virus has been known to spread, he said.
20The Palestinian Authority has reported over 34,500 cases in the West Bank and 270 deaths from COVID-19.
21Ahmad Tibi is an Arab-Israeli lawmaker.
22He told The Associated Press that the infections in Arab areas of Israel have risen from around 3 percent to 30 percent during the summer wedding season.
23Israeli citizens, unhappy after a failed first attempt at coronavirus restrictions, are starting to "disregard government instructions," he added.
24Disregard is a term that means to treat something as unimportant.
25When Egypt's wedding halls closed this spring, wealthy people moved their large celebrations to private homes.
26Working-class Egyptians took their parties to the streets, leading local police to break up the celebrations.
27But restrictions have eased as virus cases have decreased.
28Although Egyptian officials still warn of a possible "second wave," the government announced recently that weddings could take place outdoors and in some hotels.
29In the UAE, a health ministry spokeswoman noted that close to 90 percent of new cases came from crowds at weddings, funerals and other events.
30The Emirati government has increased its attention on wedding parties.
31Last weekend, officials ordered the detention of eight people who had thrown large parties without face masks.
32Those arrested face prison terms of up to six months and fines of at least $27,226 each.
33Some Arab couples are getting married and obeying health rules.
34Their wedding parties are different from traditional weddings, however.
35During the Palestinian Authority's lockdown earlier this year, Baraa Amarneh and Imad Sharaf got married near Hebron.
36They held hands while wearing latex gloves.
37A mask covered up 25-year-old Amarneh's makeup.
38Just a few close family members came to their wedding.
39"Without all the neighbors and friends, you're left with what a marriage is," she said. "Two people."
40I'm John Russell.
1In the Arab world, police officers are taking action to control wedding parties. In recent weeks, some weddings have ended with police arresting party goers and giving fines. 2These moves come at a time when coronavirus cases are rising in the Middle East. 3Still, many couples are moving forward with their celebrations. But from the Palestinian territories to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), officials say traditional large weddings are helping the coronavirus to spread. 4In Jenin, in the northern West Bank, Mustafa Khatib and six members of his band spent two nights in jail. They played at a crowded wedding party earlier this month. Police fined the group $11,000. 5"This is not fair," said Khatib. "People will never stop getting married and will never stop holding parties." 6Palestinian officials have forced many people to suspend ceremonies, said a police spokesman. Yet the punishments, detentions and infections have not stopped people from getting married. 7"You plan to have a small wedding but then all your relatives and friends show up," noted Qasim Najjar. "This is our custom." 8Najjar himself was recently married in the northern West Bank village of Deir Sharaf. The wedding party was broken up by police. 9The celebrations can have serious results. Palestinian Health Ministry official Ali Abed Rabu linked over 80 percent of new coronavirus cases to large gatherings at weddings and funerals. 10Indoor wedding spaces in towns like Hebron have become places where the virus has been known to spread, he said. 11The Palestinian Authority has reported over 34,500 cases in the West Bank and 270 deaths from COVID-19. 12Ahmad Tibi is an Arab-Israeli lawmaker. He told The Associated Press that the infections in Arab areas of Israel have risen from around 3 percent to 30 percent during the summer wedding season. Israeli citizens, unhappy after a failed first attempt at coronavirus restrictions, are starting to "disregard government instructions," he added. 13Disregard is a term that means to treat something as unimportant. 14When Egypt's wedding halls closed this spring, wealthy people moved their large celebrations to private homes. Working-class Egyptians took their parties to the streets, leading local police to break up the celebrations. But restrictions have eased as virus cases have decreased. Although Egyptian officials still warn of a possible "second wave," the government announced recently that weddings could take place outdoors and in some hotels. 15In the UAE, a health ministry spokeswoman noted that close to 90 percent of new cases came from crowds at weddings, funerals and other events. 16The Emirati government has increased its attention on wedding parties. Last weekend, officials ordered the detention of eight people who had thrown large parties without face masks. 17Those arrested face prison terms of up to six months and fines of at least $27,226 each. 18Some Arab couples are getting married and obeying health rules. Their wedding parties are different from traditional weddings, however. During the Palestinian Authority's lockdown earlier this year, Baraa Amarneh and Imad Sharaf got married near Hebron. They held hands while wearing latex gloves. 19A mask covered up 25-year-old Amarneh's makeup. Just a few close family members came to their wedding. 20"Without all the neighbors and friends, you're left with what a marriage is," she said. "Two people." 21I'm John Russell. 22Isabel Debre and Mohammed Darahgmeh reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 23_____________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25wedding - n. a ceremony at which two people are married to each other 26couple - n. two individuals who are married or close together 27instruction - n. an order or direction 28hall - n. a usually long, narrow passage inside a building with doors that lead to rooms on the sides 29glove - n. a covering for the hand that has separate parts for each finger 30lockdown - n. a temporary state of restricted movement or activity 31We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.