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09/06/08-09/08/08

Dubai Detains Lesbian Couple for "Indecent Acts"

A lesbian couple vacationing in Dubai face imprisonment and subsequent deportation for "indecent acts in public," according to Menassat.com. The sentencing of a Lebanese lesbian and her Bulgarian companion to one month in jail for kissing and fondling each other on a public beach is stirring debate in the Arab media. Dubai’s court of appeal has upheld the jail sentences, reports Dubai newspaper 7Days. 

The women, ages 30 and 36, were, according to police reports, spotted being "intimate" with each other at Al Mamzar public beach in April. "The Lebanese woman was lying on top of the Bulgarian, and the two were cuddling and kissing each other in front of us," a shocked witness told 7Days.

Both women pleaded not guilty.

The "lesbian indecency" case is the first of its kind in the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven states, including Dubai.

While Dubai is a popular destination for tourists, with a majority of its 5.6 million residents being foreigners, Islamic law is still the rule. So homosexuality is considered a crime, punishable by jail, deportation, or execution, according to Pinknews.com.

Forty men were arrested in July for not respecting “social values” and behaving “like the opposite sex,” Dubai police lieutenant general Dahi Khalfan Tanim said in a statement. He said they were dressed as women. (The Advocate) 

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: haled
    Date posted: 2009-06-08 10:45 AM
    Hometown: cairo

    Comment:

    not go to dubai !!!!!!!!!!you will go to the prison without rison becouse the stupid locals are to stupid for make a low the have a priwn less from a donky and reaction slower from a camel and in this shit country i stay 5 years and 1year in prison for nothing. fu§k this shit desert hole the government still legal the money from foreighner !!!!!


  • Name: willy tuli
    Date posted: 2009-03-06 10:02 AM
    Hometown: cebu philippines

    Comment:

    We all have to be aware that Dubai is next to Singapore, it is already a FINE city.... Willy of dubai-jeddah-ksa-pinoy


  • Name: Ryan Rollinson
    Date posted: 2008-10-18 8:35 AM
    Hometown: Minneapolis, MN

    Comment:

    Of course. The Lebanese woman and her Bulgarian companion should have stayed home and spent their money in America. Having been to Lebanon and lived in Dubai, I can say that the latter is certainly more tolerant of homosexuality and women's freedoms than the former (in certain contexts, at least). Don't open your online mouth to comment unless you know what you're commenting about. Yes, the women should probably not have been so brazen with their PDA. However, at least they're just getting deported. And Dubai's women's prison--at least for expatriates, these days--isn't exactly a hellhole. If you're going to get arrested for being gay somewhere in the Middle East, you could do a LOT worse than Dubai.


  • Name: xxxx
    Date posted: 2008-09-11 1:19 PM
    Hometown: england

    Comment:

    i dont understand about dubai,how they are saying that it is a islamic country and there is islamic laws. i know dubai very will and i am muslim.but i dont think so what they doing with people is right.they said that kiss on beach is against the law so why they open beach for public.they said that alchohal is against the law so then why they allow license to them.arab do jihad in afghanistan and they kill woman because they dont do hijab, so why they dont come to dubai.dubai is the place for call girls.r u can say is a sex industry. why they r saying that dubai is a human freedom country.this is bull shit what they doing with people.i can understand one thing do it r dont do it.there is no mid way in islam.and the whole law in dubai r bull shit.every one have freedom of living his life.yes but in muslim country there are some restrictions but in mulim country dubai is not a muslim country.i dont understand the religion of dubai.


  • Name: Michelle
    Date posted: 2008-09-09 1:59 AM
    Hometown: Johannesburg

    Comment:

    Sorry, it serves them right. I lived in Dubai for 4 years, and you know the rules and laws regarding being in an Islamic state. You follow the rules and make sure you don't do anything in public, and you're perfectly fine. They also arrest hetros for 'indecent public acts' as well, so it's not like they're being prejudice in that way! Read the recent story on the British man and woman that are facing prison for apparently having sex on the beach.


  • Name: thomas p. stanton
    Date posted: 2008-09-08 6:16 PM
    Hometown: aiken, s.c.

    Comment:

    it is sad to read this story, but like those comments above, as much as we all would like to be open, out and enjoy our lives as a free people, when one visits a foreign country, obey the laws, otherwise, all hell could break loose. gay people in our country still get abused, so until GOD sends down a message that he put gay people on this earth, to make it a better place, we all have to be careful, especially in a foreign country. god bless my gay brothers and sisters. peace and love, tom stanton, aiken, s.c., home of 22,000 citizens and 4,800 horses. what a great place.


  • Name: Carol
    Date posted: 2008-09-07 1:23 PM
    Hometown: MO

    Comment:

    I don't believe they were making out on the beach, the Islamists saw them holding hands, and probably made up the whole scene to create an arrest. But the former commenters are right don't go there, spend your money in America.


  • Name: Elliott
    Date posted: 2008-09-07 12:12 PM
    Hometown: Portland, OR

    Comment:

    As much as I am saddened by the savagery that is Islamic law in regards to gay people these women really have no one to blame but themselves for visiting a homophobic and backwards country like the U.A.E and exhibiting same sex attraction publicly. I wish them well but a little dose of common sense on their part in choosing a vacation destination would have prevented this problem.


  • Name: b
    Date posted: 2008-09-07 10:44 AM
    Hometown: freetown

    Comment:

    Guess what? Places like Dubai and Jamaica only love you for the cash you spend. So stay away and don't give them any. Lesbian or not, I can't imagine why a woman would want to vacation in a place where women are so clearly hated. Is somebody out there buying the "it's a sign of respect" argument that is used to cover the systematic repression and control they inflict on women?


  • Name: Deb
    Date posted: 2008-09-06 5:27 AM
    Hometown: Toeldo

    Comment:

    They're fotunate they weren't sentenced to be stoned. I hope they get home safely!


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