More checks needed when selling souvenir daggers and knives in the UAE

Although there are strict rules with regards to importing weapons into the country, the same does not apply when it comes to selling so called "white weapons" - knives, cleavers and ceremonial daggers - in the UAE.

Ceremonial daggers and knives have been classified as souvenirs, and anyone can buy them from the market without being asked too many questions. Delores Johnson / The National

DUBAI // Knives, cleavers and ceremonial daggers are being sold in markets and souqs with few checks on the customer’s age or identity card.

There are strict rules and procedures for importing weapons and knives into the country, but few for selling them, provided the trader has the right licence and visas.

More than 50 ministerial departments are involved in granting the trade licences needed for business. But selling these items, also known as “white weapons”, is left to the discretion of traders.

The Ministry of Economic Development regularly conducts inspections to ensure retailers are selling responsibly and the weapons do not end up in the hands of children.

Punishments include fines and confiscation of stock. Repeat offenders can be asked to shut down.

Sylvia Youssef, a consultant at How2UAE, which offers advice to start-up businesses in Dubai, said ceremonial daggers and knives were classified as souvenirs.

“You can go to a market and buy these kind of daggers and there is nothing to stop you,” Ms Youssef said. “Daggers are freely sold in markets in Karama and the Gold Souq.

“If you have a stall, business owners should be using their own common sense about who they are selling to.”

At the Gold Souq in Deira, replica Omani khanjar daggers can be bought for about Dh500, while smaller Nepalese kukri knives with silver sheaths costs about Dh160. Rules state they cannot be displayed, but they are sold to tourists when requested.

One trader said he had been told not to sell to expatriate Asians, Chinese or Russians, but selling to European, American and Australian tourists, including teenagers, was allowed.

Ms Youssef said it was very difficult to import weapons without the correct licences.

In the UK it is illegal to sell a knife of any kind to anyone under 18, although teenagers between 16 and 18 in Scotland can buy cutlery and kitchen knives.

Anshul Kalra, of Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants, said knives and daggers were not categorised as weapons.

“There is no specific provision of law in the UAE that talks about displaying and selling knives and daggers in shops at local markets,” said Mr Kalra, a legal consultant.

“Knives and daggers are not considered as weapons under the definition of weapons in the UAE. Therefore, the law has not imposed any special conditions on sellers to follow prior to selling them.”

V K, a business development manager at a major retailer of souvenirs and gifts in Dubai, including a wide range of Arabian knives and daggers, said the items were extremely popular.

“There is no problem with tourists buying these kind of traditional Arabic knives,” he said. “Some of the daggers are for jewellery or to be framed so they can be taken back home. We are not selling these items to be used as weapons.”

About 936 weapons were seized in 2013 at Dubai International Airport by Customs. Another 1,960 items were seized in shipments at Jebel Ali Port and Tecom Customs Centre. They comprised 1,520 knives, 30 swords, 110 holsters, 200 range boxes and 100 gun-cleaning tools.

A commercial licence for trading in sports equipment covers the sale of hunting gear. As well as standard fishing equipment, it also covers the sale of hunting rifles, ammunition, nets, traps, bows and arrows.

Adventure HQ in Times Square Mall sells spear guns fired by compressed air, priced in the range of Dh825 to Dh1,680. Anyone over the age of 20 and holding a fishing licence can buy a spear gun on presenting their Emirates ID card.

John Thomas, an information centre representative for economic research at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “There is no special licence for the sale of ceremonial knives and import is allowed to companies in Dubai.”