100 Lashes And Deported For Love
November 16, 2010 No Comments
Two lovers living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) state of Sharjah have been ordered to receive 100 lashes each and to be deported from the country for “adultery.”
It’s not like they were married to other people, or underage, they simply just weren’t married to each other and “having sex out of wedlock” is a crime in the UAE.
Because they were both Muslim, they receive the Muslim punishment of being whipped in addition to deportation. Had they not been Muslim, they would simply have been deported.
The man, a Bangladeshi worker, will also be jailed for a year for entering the house where his lover, a Filipina maid, lived, because he didn’t have the permission of her sponsor.
The laws around sexual relations and immigrant workers are not at all fair or reasonable in the UAE. But I have to wonder why this couple thought it was worth it when they surely knew the rules.
I suppose people do risk a lot of pain to have the chance at love, and it’s sad that they were caught and will be so horribly punished for it.
I have to wonder about the longevity of the UAE on the world stage. To be a real player in the modern world economy, they will probably have to also modernize their laws around sexual relations.
I hope they do, but I won’t be holding my breath any time soon.
