Chinese massage centers... not brothels (Report).Massage centers all over Sana'a have been allaying the pains of desperate Yemenis for years, but the government's recent crackdown crack·down n. An act or example of forceful regulation, repression, or restraint: a crackdown on crime. Noun 1. and allegations of prostitution have affected their businesses. Now owners of the 20 massage centers in the capital Sana'a are wondering who will allay al·lay tr.v. al·layed, al·lay·ing, al·lays 1. To reduce the intensity of; relieve: allay back pains. See Synonyms at relieve. 2. their pains. A Chinese masseuse masseuse /mas·seuse/ (-sldbomacz´) [Fr.] a woman who performs massage. in her 20s said many men in Yemen misunderstand mis·un·der·stand tr.v. mis·un·der·stood , mis·un·der·stand·ing, mis·un·der·stands To understand incorrectly; misinterpret. the purpose of massage and sometimes grab her and try to make her perform other acts. She and her colleagues always make them ashamed and forcefully kick them out with the help of Yemeni guards and friends, she added, but Yemeni men are sometimes reluctant to leave. Chinese massage centers and masseuses maintain that they only perform massages for their clients, but some local councils is convinced that much more is being performed. In July eight centers came under fire for allegedly providing more services, not just massage and cupping therapy. "We don't allow prostitution and we don't accept that people just say whatever they want harming the girls' names," said a Chinese massage center owner in his 40s who wished not be to named. "I couldn't move my neck because of pain," said Najeeb Al-Dubais, an 18 year-old Yemeni "Yemenis only know of cracking the neck to do away with pain." Al-Dubais is a qat farmer who came to the massage center with his brother after persistent complains from sore neck muscles. In the massage center, a young Chinese masseuse gives him a half hour-long neck massage for a mere YR 3,000, about USD USD In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the U.S. Dollar. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. 15. Al-Dubais heard from his friends that Chinese massage does away with the pain. Business is slow At a massage therapy Massage Therapy Definition Massage therapy is the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body for the purpose of normalizing those tissues and consists of manual techniques that include applying fixed or movable pressure, holding, and/or center in a neighborhood near Hadda, five Chinese women in their twenties casually dressed sit side by side with eyes glued to the Chinese soap opera soap opera Broadcast serial drama, characterized by a permanent cast of actors, a continuing story, tangled interpersonal situations, and a melodramatic or sentimental style. playing on television. A customer arrives and a girl quickly stands to offer him a massage menu which includes a full body massage, face massage and foot massage in addition to Chinese cupping. "Local councils just cut off people's livelihoods," said Al-Dubais. "It is silly, sometimes people are narrow-minded." "If there was prostitution here I wouldn't come," he added. Owners of massage centers also complain of a delay of issuing licenses. They claimed that they provided the labor office with all the necessary documents and fees such as masseuses' certificates, valid residency A duration of stay required by state and local laws that entitles a person to the legal protection and benefits provided by applicable statutes. States have required state residency for a variety of rights, including the right to vote, the right to run for public office, the to certify that they are not HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. positive, as required by all foreign residents in Yemen. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the owners, nowadays they are losing customers and income, as the average daily number of customers is seven to 20. "We pay all the local taxes and we have come to Yemen to invest and make money," he said. An age-old therapy Based on principles from traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese Medicine Definition Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an ancient and still very vital holistic system of health and healing, based on the notion of harmony and balance, and employing the ideas of moderation and prevention. , two types of traditional Chinese massage exist. Tui Na tui na (too´e nah´) [Chinese] a Chinese system of massage, acupoint stimulation, and manipulation using forceful maneuvers, including pushing, rolling, kneading, rubbing, and grasping, sometimes in conjunction with acupuncture. which focuses on pushing, stretching and kneading kneading, n a massage technique in which the whole hand is moved in a circular pattern while the fingers and thumbs squeeze the tissues beneath. the muscle, and Zhi Ya which focuses on pinching and pressing at acupressure acupressure or shiatsu Alternative-medicine practice in which pressure is applied to points on the body aligned along 12 main meridians (pathways), usually for a short time, to improve the flow of vital force (qi). points. In a typical setting, a massage is performed on a table in a room separated by half-drawn curtains from the rest of the center. Some owners said that the curtains are there instead of closing a door at the local council's request. Another customer said that he suffers from a slipped disc and said that, whenever the pain increases, he goes for a massage. "Women giving massage to men is not accepted [in Yemen]," said one of the girls doing massage. "Only few people know what Chinese massage is," said one of the massage center owners. "Those with misconceptions Misconceptions is an American sitcom television series for The WB Network for the 2005-2006 season that never aired. It features Jane Leeves, formerly of Frasier, and French Stewart, formerly of 3rd Rock From the Sun. about Chinese massage are headed by Imams." "Massage is a kind of treatment dated back to more than 5,000 years," he explained. "There is nothing in Islam that refers to it as forbidden." Policemen and political security officers come to these massage centers in plain clothes and certainly know that there is no prostitution, he said. "Chinese cupping therapy differs from Arabic cupping," he said. "It is without blood" "Women perform massages for men all around the world," he added. "People just don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what massage is, and treat the girls as prostitutes." He recalled when doctors at hospital, where a Yemeni sheikh sheikh or shaykh Among Arabic-speaking tribes, especially Bedouin, the male head of the family, as well as of each successively larger social unit making up the tribal structure. The sheikh is generally assisted by an informal tribal council of male elders. was receiving treatment were surprised at his recovery after several Chinese massage sittings. Sex not for sale According to the massage center owners, many people repeatedly ask for sex and they are kicked out by security. Sometimes the masseuses call Yemenis to come and help to inform people that their centers are not brothels BROTHELS, crim. law. Bawdy-houses, the common habitations of prostitutes; such places have always been deemed common nuisances in the United States, and the keepers of them may be fined and imprisoned. 2. . They believe that the source of the rumor that massage centers are centers for prostitution is those people who ask for sex and are kicked out. They invite people and the police to come and see for themselves, and hope the Yemeni government and people will help them. "If one of the girls does it, just close the center," one of the owners urges. One of the owners recalled the last time that girls called him from his home because a man refused to leave after his massage was over, because he was waiting for sex. "I went to the center and asked him to take his money and just leave," he said. Masseuses believe that many Yemenis are in dire need of massage because they sleep on the floor and walk with bare feet bare feet symbol of impoverishment. [Folklore: Jobes, 181] See : Poverty . Government cries prostitution Member of Parliament Mohamed Al-Hazmi was last month presented with a petition from 62 members asking for prohibition of "the moral corruption that has spread in the country." Chinese massage centers were on the list. Al-Hazmi said that his responsibility is to deliver people's concerns to the government whose responsibility it is to investigate to be sure. "We called for closing down places that spread AIDS, lack of modesty Modesty See also Chastity, Humility. Bell, Laura reserved, demure character. [Br. Lit.: Pendennis] Bianca gentle, unassuming sister of Kate. [Br. Lit. and forbidden," he said. "Who permits a semi-naked woman to give a massage to a man?" he asked. "Are these men angels?" he continued, explaining that men have sexual urges Noun 1. sexual urge - all of the feelings resulting from the urge to gratify sexual impulses; "he wanted a better sex life"; "the film contained no sex or violence" sex . He referred to a man and a woman being alone in partitioned off rooms during a massage. "I have visited China and we know that massage therapy centers are brothels in China and around the world" he said. "People complain that these places are suspicious." He wondered about the profits some massage centers make as rent of each one of them reaches USD 3,000. He added his objection is not on the massage itself but on the way it is practiced in Yemen's conservative society. Mohammed Al-Sadiq secretary general of Al-Saba'een district in Sana'a, where over eight massage centers were closed down earlier this month, said the massage centers are illegal because they are not licensed. Unacceptable practices "We closed down the massage centers after we received complaints from local residents about the suspicious behavior of workers in the neighborhood," he said "We don't say prostitution but unacceptable practices for our society." "Women massage men all around the world," he said when asked whether it is allowed for women to massage for men. "The local council has drawn up a list of conditions for massage centers must meet to receive a work license," he said. He called all centers to go to local council office to pick up the list of conditions and commit to it, so as to be granted a license. In a memo sent by national security to the mayor of Sana'a, the former write that massage centers practiced what looked like prostitution. "We don't know which authority is in charge of supervising massage centers," said Mohammed Al-Baseli, deputy manager at the Sana'a office for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. "From our field visits, we have registered more 20 massage centers in the capital," he said. "Our role is to observe the foreign work force in these centers, and make sure that they are legal residents," he added. Legitimate treatment "Massage is known around the world but in Yemen there is a misunderstanding because of Yemeni conservative traditions," said Dr. Ghassan Haidar, manager of health office at Al-Wahda district in capital, now the supervising authority for massage therapy centers in the district. "It is not fair to judge these people and listen to people talk about prostitution without proof," he added. "I myself sent a person to make sure that massage centers are not offering sex, and he found them do nothing of what people say." He said that a massage by women for men is like any other treatment. "For example, a dentist can be a woman," he said. "We have to look beyond this and I think the new conditions will not allow this to happen." In Al-Wahda district, masseuses have to wear a medical robe, have qualifications to give massages, have a certificate to their good health and work permit. Center has to be on a main street, ensure that massage rooms are separate from bedrooms, have no more than one entrance, use curtains instead of wooden doors, not use any medicine, and close before 10 pm. If centers comply with these rules, then they are granted a license.... Copyright Yemen Times The Yemen Times is unified Yemen's first and most widely-read independent English-language newspaper. The paper is published twice-weekly (on Mondays and Thursdays) and has its own printing press, advertising associates and news service. . All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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