It all started with an innocent tweet
"What a boring weekend...", I thought, while aimlessly surfing the internet yesterday. I had just started getting active on Twitter a couple of weeks back and so was into exploring more about it. Since last week I had started "following" Ameera Al Hakawati, the author of the book Desperate In Dubai, which I had reviewed on this blog earlier this week. She tweeted that her book review was published in one of the leading national newspapers of the UAE, namely Khaleej Times(KT) and I decided to check it out. I started reading the review - and couldn't believe my eyes!! I ran my eyes over it again - and again - but no matter how many times I read it, I still couldn't believe it. What couldn't I believe you ask? The words. They were mine.
Wait a minute! That look familiar!
Was I imagining things? I quickly called my husband and asked him to read both the review on my blog and the one on that newspaper. He did and confirmed my suspicions. The writer had shamelessly lifted half of my review and coolly passed it off as her's! I was so shocked that I immediately replied to Ameera's tweet saying that the review has been copied and she responded saying
@annejwrites I
noticed that! I thought u two were the same person that's how similar
they were! What are u going to do about it?!
Whatever happened to ethics & standards?
I have heard so much about plagiarism but never thought that I would be a victim of it. Much less, to a well-known national newspaper!! What is worse is that the writer is actually an award winning journalist! I just cannot understand why an award-winning and experienced journalist had to indulge in such deplorable practices. I was not asked permission nor was I given credit, at the least I wasn't even notified. I immediately wrote to both the editor as well as the writer, a Ms.Raziqueh Hussain, but unfortunately neither have bothered to respond, nor has the offensive review been changed or taken down. I too am part of the media industry and I know how much I have sacrificed and struggled to be where I am. Apart from being disappointed with the total lack of journalistic ethics, it is also deeply painful to see my work being misused in such a way.
I did not want anyone accusing me of telling tall stories and spreading false claims and so I took screenshots of the original article as well as the sources from which they have been plagiarized from. Note the lines circled in red - those are the lines that have been specifically copied with a few words possibly changed here and there.
The evidence speaks for itself
The plagiarized article: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?section=diversions&xfile=data/diversions/2012/february/diversions_february8.xml
The copied introduction:
And finally the major chunk of copied content:
I know that it is quite difficult to make things out from the above snapshots. So here is a clearer picture:
KT’s Article Extract: At first, the title Desperate in Dubai is quite
deceptive. It appears to be one of those yet-another-chick-lit type of book,
which it isn’t. Writing under a nom de plume Ameera Al Hakawati’s story is
about four women; however it isn’t Sex and the City (which again you might be
tempted to think).
Original
Lines From: http://bookreviews.bookrack.in/2011/08/review-desperate-in-dubai-by-ameera-al.html
On initial
sight, the book’s title is quite deceptive. It appears to be one of those
yet-again-another-chick-lit type of book, which it isn’t. Desperate in Dubai,
well it is about four women, however it isn’t Sex and the City (which some of
you might be tempted to think).
KT’s Article Extract: The novel is a tale similar in structure to the
bestselling novel Girls Of Riyadh. There are four central female
characters, chosen “because they represent the kinds of people living in
Dubai”.
Original
Lines From: http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/intriguing-secrets-of-lady-luxe?pageCount=0
The novel
is a tale similar in structure to the bestselling novel Girls Of Riyadh.
There are four central female characters, chosen "because they represent
the kinds of people living in Dubai".
KT’s
Article Extract: The dilemmas of the
women are mostly to do with matters of the heart more than anything else — but
still this is hardly a romance novel. These four women, seemingly have
everything in life, be it money or beauty, and their weaknesses,
vulnerabilities as well as their darker sides are exposed.
Somehow you can’t relate to them, even though you
might meet some like them. Most of these women spend their time driving flashy
cars, flaunting designer clothes and club-hopping, leading extravagant
lifestyles, which quite simply, I (and I suspect you too) can’t afford. Having
said that, one area that you will find true is when the author speaks of the
social hierarchy that exists where the locals are placed above all
(understandable, as it’s their country after all), followed by white-skinned
people and only then do Asians and the rest of the world come into the picture.
Also, the names of characters are unimpressive.
While Leila and Nadia are okay, but Sugar? Who names anyone Sugar, anyway? It
sounds more like a candy than a name! Lady Luxe is weird although thankfully,
we come to know that it is only a pseudonym.
The book also speaks a lot about the famous
locales of Dubai — not from a touristy perspective, but from an insider’s.
It was good to read a book which spoke so much
about the locales of Dubai – not from a touristy perspective, but from an
insider’s. I am not really an expert of Dubai landmarks, but still it was nice
to follow the characters around familiar places. Also I liked the observations
that the writer has made about general life in Dubai, as I could very well
relate to it. For example, she explains how the social hierarchy is structured
– Arabs are the all important ones (which is kinda understandable, this being
their country and all), followed by white-skinned people and only then do we
Indians and the rest of the world including Filipinos and Africans come into
the picture. So true! One can almost feel the stigma and this favouritism is
quite evident even with employers who specifically state, “Only Western
educated candidates will be considered”!
But that is where the similarity ends. My life is
in no way similar to any of the main protagonists, who spend their time driving
flashy cars, flaunting designer clothes and club-hopping at expensive discs, in
short leading a totally extravagant lifestyle, which quite simply, I (and I
suspect you too) can’t afford. Having said that, I found the book quite
intriguing and the drama involved, pretty racy. The way the author has
inter-connected the stories of the four leading ladies and inter-woven their
lives is quite appealing.
The dilemmas of the women, are mostly to do with
matters of the heart more than anything else – but still Desperate In Dubai, is
hardly a romance novel. It goes into the lives of four women, who seemingly
have everything in life, be it money or beauty, and exposes their weaknesses,
vulnerabilities as well as the darker side of their characters.
If there was one thing that I wasn’t too
impressed with, it is the names of the main characters. While Leila and Nadia
are okay, Lady Luxe is weird although thankfully, we come to know that it is
only a pseudonym; but Sugar?? Who names anyone Sugar anyway!? It sounds more
like an endearment than a name.
Quoting a well-known blogger, Shail, "...
EDITED on 21/02/2012 TO ADD: T
