The air is thick with stale cigarette smoke, and the mirror-lined walls are smeared and cracked. A gold crucifix gleams on his chest.
Every so often, an attractive, young, Slavic-looking woman walks over, and he opens the notebook so she can sign her name.
Jad owns a "super nightclub," one of approximately in Lebanon, most of which are located in the town of Maameltein β just 20 minutes away from the glitzy clubs and high-end boutiques of Beirut.
Owners import women, usually from Eastern Europe or Morocco, to work in their clubs under an "artist" visa. Lebanese law stipulates that these women can enter the country only after signing an employment contract, which has to be approved by the Directorate of General Security. That might be only the tip of the iceberg, however, as the industry also generates under-the-table income through prostitution.
Therefore, any prostitution that occurs in super nightclubs is nominally illegal. As a result, a complicated ritual takes place in these establishments in order to stay on the right side of the law. The women are always fully dressed, and while kissing is allowed, further sexual contact is strictly prohibited.
