Dubai tries to curb shisha use
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00:00One of Dubai's hazy, smoke-filled shisha cafes, shisha smoking is practically an institution
00:12in the Middle East.
00:13And for all the night spots that Dubai has to offer, it's become a symbol for non-Arabs
00:17who want to experience part of the culture.
00:20An irony then that shisha actually has Indian origins, and Dubai has a large share of people
00:25from the subcontinent smoking it.
00:27On the weekends is when we really hang out here and we start around 10 and it will go
00:33easily up till 4 in the morning.
00:36So there are around 10-15 guys at any given time will be here and it's like you are in
00:42if you are hanging out and having shisha with your guys, you know, so.
00:47But shisha smokers of all nationalities are being hit by the government's attempts to
00:51reduce or completely ban smoking shisha in the city.
00:55And what was once an icon of culture is fast becoming a taboo.
00:59This year, revelers won't be allowed to smoke shisha outside in Ramadan tents unless it's
01:03in a designated four- or five-star hotel.
01:07Cafe owners are getting ready for the hit, and some punters say the law doesn't make
01:10sense.
01:28It's the latest attempt to curb shisha smoking, and health experts say people are simply underestimating
01:33the seriousness of what is considered a fun social pastime.
01:59Changing people's perceptions of shisha in the region is a difficult challenge that lawmakers
02:03and health officials face, because for all its historical significance, it's also changing
02:08the face of society today.
02:10I suspect when historians write about the time in which we're living, they will write
02:15that shisha in the 21st century became a way of marketing the Middle East.
02:19And so you can imagine people talking or reading travel brochures or seeing travel programs
02:25and representing the Middle East, and part of the authentic Middle Eastern experience
02:29is to go into a shisha bar, whether indoor or outdoor, and enjoy it.