Thursday, July 18, 2013

Dubai Arrests Norwegian Woman After She Is Raped - Sex Outside Marriage

Back in March, a Norwegian woman was visiting Dubai for work. She was raped. She reported the rape to police, hoping they would do something about it and possibly capture the person who sexually assaulted her. Instead, police arrested the woman and charged her with having sex outside of marriage. Yes, being raped when you are married is classified as having sex outside of marriage. The woman was sentenced to 16 months in jail. The only way a rapist can be found guilty is if they admit the crime or if four adult Muslim males witness the rape and report they saw the rape. So basically if you are a rapist living in any country in the world, you should probably move to Dubai because you are immune from arrest or having anything ever happen to you.

84 comments:

Unknown said...

yeah... not a fan of the sex laws in that area....

best wishes to the affected woman. hope she gets home safe.

Bacon Ranch said...

Jesus wept.

She's lucky she wasn't stoned to death.

sandybrook said...

Just because Dubai looks like its in the 21st century doesn't mean its not stuck in the medieval era like the rest of the Arab nations and their Mullahs

auntliddy said...

absolutely sickening. stupid, ignorant backward way of thinking that will keep them that way. all love and light to woman in jail. cant norwegian govt do anytHING????

LL said...

WHY do people go to these effed up countries?? NOT victim blaming at all. Was just talking with a friend the other day about why generally we feel the need to visit these places where we, as women, have to worry about how we are dressed so we don't get flipping arrested!!??!! And now I see this horrible thing (jail sentence in foreign country) happen to a woman who already had a horrible thing (rape) happen to her. Thrown in jail for being raped~! I just can't....

MontanaMarriott said...

And they claim NOT to have any crime in their country. WTF?!?! I was in Dubai once and vowed NEVER EVER AGAIN. Yet they are doing everything in their power to boost tourism in that country anyone with half a mind should know to avoid it like the plague.

crila16 said...

This doesn't just happen in Dubai. This happens in a great deal of Muslim dominated countries...except it's even worse. In some countries if you are raped, you've shamed your family and you are killed. At least this woman wasn't stoned or stabbed. 16 months in jail is a very light sentence, in the Muslim world.

Unknown said...

Sad but not surprised.

Unknown said...

No way in hell I would be going to any of theses countries that don't protect women, especially those that hate women and Americans. Not really safe anywhere anymore...

erika said...

So infuriating speaking as a woman i rage when i hear stories like this, i want so much to help women in 'developing' countries like this yeah super modern dubai is still developing womens rights wise...sick sick sick

Now! said...
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Now! said...

It seems to have been a form of date rape - similar to what Julian Assange is accused of. The accused man was one of her colleagues, and they'd been out drinking the night before, and when she woke up in her hotel room, he was trying to penetrate her. It's the sort of incident that well-trained police officers would be sensitive to in places like Norway or Sweden. I guess it didn't occur to her that she was in a place with a very different culture. She was also charged with illegally drinking alcohol.

Anonymous said...

This is fucked.

Unknown said...

from a free/culturally liberal perspective, the laws here seem so backwards and dark.

and people try and insult the south. smh.

Zeeky_Boogy_Doog said...

Fuck you, Dubai!

Bacon Ranch said...

So in that country 4 MALE witnesses have to testify that the saw her being raped.
No wonder it is the norm that a female is escorted by a male family member at all times.

Nutty I guess you're right. How DARE SHE THINK SHE HAD THE RIGHT TO WALK DOWN THE STREET.
I mean, in your world she should have known she's the lesser, right?
Raped, reported it, 16 months in jail.

Neat.

Nutty_Flavor for President
....In Dubai.
See how long YOU last.

8====D KermitGossnellKnobjob said...

Not just Dubai is heaven for rapists. Every country with the sharia (quran) as its legal code is affordable. That includes many followers of the "religion of peace" as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, North of Nigeria (South is Christian, therefore richer and more advanced), Pakistan and many others.

Anon said...

Got to be more to the story than this but hell at least she's alive to tell her $tory and make a few bucks...if she's cute.
Shit could've been worse, her ass could've been walking home with a pack of skittles and ice- t and no one would've cared.

MBK said...

I have no idea why people continue to vacation there.

Bacon Ranch said...
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AJ said...

As a woman, countries like Dubai terrify me. I've travelled to and spent extended periods of time in over 10 countries. This is one place I will NEVER visit.

Bacon Ranch said...

Not so just. A lot of people seemed to have cared about a case that was very recent that involved a pack of skittles and someone who actually lost their life. As a matter of fact I saw a bunch of protests on tv about it.
I wonder if there will be any protests for a rape victim who not only isn't seeing justice, but is behind bars for a year and a half because of what was done to her?

Do you think it's because she's white that justice isn't served?

auntliddy said...

Agree with all above posters; no way in hell am i going to ANY country with these types of laws. It astounds me too, when i hear of people being kidnapped by rebels in some countries, when all the people were doing was 'hiking near the border in the beautiful scenery' . Are they f*cking nuts??????of course u shld be able to go anywhere you want, but that isnt the world we live in. Why go out of your way to court danger??!!

rajahcat said...

Wow I can never understand why these women put up with this and don't riot for change.....or leave in mass exit from these nonsensical backwater countries.....might look modern but definitely not modern lifestyles for women

Fluffy White Clouds said...

No words. Freaking ridiculous.

rajahcat said...

agree with Bacon Ranch also

Sasha said...

@just curious:
The Dept of Justice is asking for frigging phone in tips on GZ as if he is some sort of terrorist to get him charged on a race crime. FBI already did a thorough invest. last summer interviewing over 35people and found nothing to indicate it was racial. No comparison between (I assume) this white woman in Dubai and people not caring about TM. You have to wonder what the gov. is now trying to distract our attention from. NSA and Snowden perhaps

Zeeky_Boogy_Doog said...

Scary thing is Dubai positions itself as a modern, awesome place, with all the amenities a wealthy person would demand and enjoy. That they're not like Afghanistan or wherever. It gives people a false sense that it's OK to go there.

Uhhhh... said...

I'll bet she's a witch too, maybe we should burn her at the stake.

HannahBanana said...

This is soooo awful!!!! Fuck Dubai, I will never go there.

Now! said...

Why do people leave home and assume that the laws and culture are the same everywhere they go? Date rape is always a difficult crime to prove, and I'm not sure the perpetrator in this case would be charged many places in the U.S. or Canada.

Of course she should not be charged with a crime. Of course date rape is inexcusable. And she was stupid to report it in Dubai, where she was never going to get the type of justice she was looking for. She should have gone to her embassy and let them take care of the situation. I don't know if the perpetrator was another Norwegian - just that he was a colleague - but if she's looking for Norwegian justice, she's going to have to get it in Norway.

It's like an Arab woman going to Oslo and complaining that she can't get Sharia justice. It's arrogant to trot around the world and assume that your concept of fairness and equality prevails everywhere you go. It doesn't.

@JustCurious, you really don't want to know how Africans, Pakistanis and Filipinos are treated in Arab countries. The local Zimmermans aren't even put on trial, and the bodies of the Trayvons simply disappear and are never heard from again.

BitchieMitchie said...

I don't understand how any woman would go to those countries of their own free will. A place where anything you say, wear, do, eat, touch...could land you in one of their God forsaken prisons or worse! Your rights don't travel with you! Hell to the NO! I was amazed when Lindsey went there and came home in one piece! Especially since you know she was "entertaining" while there.

Bacon Ranch said...

You live up to your name Nutty. I'll give you that much.

amused bush said...

I had a brief 3-month stint in Dubai on work assignment. Being there I got the sense date rapes were prevalent there because of this type of law (I knew of these going in) and men could take advantage w/o impunity. Keep in mind, I am talking about Western men. Dubai is a very uncomfortable place to be as a woman. Truly stifling and I could not wait to leave. Great shopping though...

Zeeky_Boogy_Doog said...

That's the thing, though... Dubai courts the rich and famous, foreigners, tourists. They have fancy bars, nightclubs, modern malls. Hell, we see people like Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian going there for work! A person might not have any idea a case like this would happen to a visitor. (Not that it's right for a person born there, either.)

Pink Picklegoo said...

Welp! there goes any vacation plans to visit the UAE, Good-bye Burj al-khalifa!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone recall how there were marches and protests in India because a bunch of men gang raped a woman on a bus using a metal pole. The reports said that rape is extremely common, not reported, and not prosecuted. Every downtrodden group has had to demand equal treatment, the patriarchy isn't going to give you anything, just because it's unfair. People have always had to march, protest, sometimes die, in order to get their demands met.

Zeeky_Boogy_Doog said...

FYI about Lohan... unless it's another case, that story about her going for the prince's party wasn't Dubai, it was Brunei, and the party was in London. (Although if she does travel to Dubai to "work" nobody would be surprised.) There was a lot of confusion amongst many websites on that party.

Now! said...

@Bacon, what's with the personal insults?

Apparently anyone who doesn't agree with your precise way of looking at the world is simply wrong and deserves to be taken out and shamed.

I think you'd fit in well in Dubai.

Ja'mie King said...

please shut up. please.

bruce said...

i googled this and found other similar stories of a british and an australian woman also being arrested after being raped in dubai...i wonder if these are all the same story with the name and nationality changed or if they are seperate incidents...the internet has a way of taking old stories and rehashing them...that being said... it's shocking that this could happen.

Ja'mie King said...

^^^This. Not to mention the ridiculous wealth that led them to build several islands in the shape of a palm tree and pics of celebs vacationing there, playing tennis on that suspended helipad, and all sorts of other uber-modern and lavish things. It's like a country won the lottery and bought the biggest house and is now kitting it out with all sorts of amenities and bizarre extras. That alone makes it stand out for me, the horrible treatment of women is just another feather in that country's freakshow cap.

I had a boss who would go there to do business and the stories he told. No. Thanks.

Snapdragon said...

So fucked up.

The women don't rise up and revolt because, quite frankly, they believe this is the way it is and must be. (IMHO it's no different than brainwashing.) No wonder they consider Western culture to be evil--can't have half the population asserting their equal rights!

Western culture and our legal system is not perfect, but it's a damn sight better than this.

Ja'mie King said...

What I never understood was, as a woman that lives in Dubai or Saudi, you have access to shop in all these high end stores, but can't wear any of the clothes you buy except in your own house.

Ja'mie King said...

I was friends with a Syrian girl in college that had lived in most countries in the Middle East because her father was a diplomat. This was pre-Dubai. She told me about a French woman whom they were traveling with that got her pinky finger cut off for wearing nail polish in public in Saudi Arabia. So if you go to these countries, do not expect your home government to step in and help you, or if they try to, dont' expect it to succeed.

Fexposed said...

I live in Kuwait, and I have say that this is necessarily true, we have a lot of convicted rapists, and the punishment for raping an underage is execution and that has happened in the past. It is not fair to say that they don't punish rapists, I have seen so many cases here and I must add that most of the time the law would take the woman's side. I am speaking about Kuwait though, i don't know how it is in dubai

Anon said...

I think justice wasn't served because 4 whitebitches let a murderer go free for killing a black kid.

Considering one white juror is shopping a book around, the proof is in the pudding when it comes how little regard whites have for blacks.

But if you truly believe justice was serve in letting Zimmerman go free then justice was serve in this case as well.

Anon said...

Maybe in some parts of the world , white women aren't placed upon a pedestal . They are allowed to sink and swim by their own actions. A responsibility that very few white women in this country prefer not to bear .

HyattMom said...

As a woman who lived in Dubai and areas of the country that are much more conservative for over 12 years in the 1990s through 2000s, I have to say that there is probably a lot more to this story.

To all of you who are commenting who have never been there - shut the hell up, because you don't know what you're talking about. Dubai is very safe (trust me, there are undercover cops everywhere). And just because you aren't Muslim and don't understand Sharia law and what it means to live in a Muslim state doesn't make it WRONG. And I say that as a Catholic, btw. Also, there is a world of difference between living in Saudi versus living in the UAE, and Dubai specifically.

For example: Ja'mie King - you need to get your information from somewhere other than Fox News. For your information you can wear things other than abayas in public in Dubai, so sorry to burst your "high-end clothes going to waste" bubble. Again, I say this as someone who has walked on a public beach in Dubai wearing a bikini. Don't think that you need to be covered from head to toe in black because that's what Fox told you. Nail polish issue? Again, Saudi.

This site has a great map showing country borders. You should check it out.
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/me.htm
@auntliddy, you could also do well to look at a map.

I get super PO'ed when people spout off about places they know nothing about (as evidenced by the plethora of idiotic comments above). In the future, when you are about to make a comment, ask yourself if you have ever done or worn anything that could be construed as insulting to someone else. I assure you, you have. And now the ignorant among you can run to wikipedia words like "sharia" and "abaya," and I will be relaxed, knowing that I am helping to educate you.

Peace.

ps. I took offense to this because of the insults being bandied about. I wholeheartedly sympathize with rape victims and know that there is much more to this story than was included here. I urge all of you to check the facts.

Rose said...

@just curious, is that in general or just for rape? You would have to clarify before I could agree or not.

Sasha said...

Just like in the GZ case, the facts are either distorted or often left out to forward a political or media driven agenda.

ForSure said...

Thank you, HyattMom.

skimpymist said...

@hyattmom don't tell anyone to shut up just because you don't agree with what they have to say. What more could there possibly be to the story. How can a rape possibly be justified.

HyattMom said...

@skimpymist - Thank you for proving my point and for not reading what I said. If you care to review it, you will see that the bulk of my post was taking offense to misconceptions about Dubai. I never said that rape was justified.

@FS - you're welcome.

Bacon Ranch said...

Hyattmom, as someone who obviously knows the local news sources, please share the ones you find the most accurate.

Also, were you on a resort? When you were in your bikini did you feel like you needed a male with you? Honest questions.

Nutty, I wasn't picking on you, just pointing out that I disagree. That's all.

HyattMom said...

Ps.
This is from http://www.aardvarc.org/rape/about/date.shtml

The following details Date Rape conviction statistics in the U.S. So please, get off your high-horse and read something.

The Criminal Justice System

Nationally, about 42% of reported forceable rape cases result in arrest...but only 16% of all rape cases end in convictions (for a large variety of reasons, from problems of evidence, to reluctance of victims to confront perpetrators), and cases of acquaintance rape are especially difficult to prove. Knowledge of this fact and fear of not being believed prevent many victims from reporting rapes at all.

ThisIKnow said...

JCurious-Just because you don't like the verdict you don't have to call the jurors "whitebitches". They were sequestered, heard all the evidence and decided he was not guilty. Both the defense and the pros. picked them. The prosecution especially liked them because 5of6 were mothers.

The prosecutor in the Casey Anthony case had a book deal before the trial even started. It happens. Anyone of the people involved can and many will, write books. Don't buy it if you don't like it.

HyattMom said...

This article states that the rapist received a 13-month sentence:
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/norwegian-woman-gets-prison-sentence-uae-after-reporting-her-sexual-assault

It sounds like it was date rape, which, in case you've never read about before, if often very difficult to prove. I'm not victim-blaming here, just my take on what it sounds like.

The UAE is a country like any other in that bad things happen and you can blame it one any one of a million different reasons. I am sure that the attacker in this case was to blame for the attack itself - that part isn't in dispute. Again, I just take offense to ignorance.

@BaconRanch - Thank you for your questions. I have been on beaches at resorts there as well as local public-access ones and never felt threatened. The most important thing to remember about visiting ANY country (be it Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, etc.) is to respect that the country's customs and laws might not be the same as you are used to. I never felt more or less threatened there than I have anywhere else in the world (and I've been to over 30 countries including through Africa, Asia, etc.)

As a woman living there from a child through to adulthood, I abided by the logic that if I didn't take unnecessary risks, then I would be safe. I was very careful in times of crisis, such as post-9/11 and other occasions, because just like lots of Westerners (ahem, see above...) make snap judgements about people with other religions and skin-tones, that can also happen in the Middle East about Westerners. Here's some more info for you - not everyone in the world loves Americans! I know... shocking! And even though I am not American, I am still White so I was conscious that when the US military went into Afghanistan guns-blazing, there could be repercussions just the same as happen in the US (for reference, please check your local news).

Look, the UAE has problems the same as any other country, but having lived there for a significant portion of my life, I can say with absolute certainty that many of the comments above are misinformed.

Bacon Ranch said...

I admire your use of wisdom, as I agree with that.
At the same time, my use of wisdom has a hard time reconciling that the rapist received 13 months in prison while the woman he raped received 16 months.

This is what I cannot wrap my brain around.

Thank you for your kind and well thought out (non sarcastic) response. I really do appreciate it.

H888FUL said...

Wow, I agree with just curious....is it the End Times already?

85134943 said...
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HyattMom said...

@BaconRanch - you're welcome. I don't agree with all of the UAE's laws by any means (nor all of those of any country, for that matter). And what we all know is true, no matter where you come from - life isn't always fair. And that is never going to change.

@85... Thank you for your comment.

amused bush said...

So not true! Yes there are women who wear full Muslim garb, but there are many who don't, especially in Dubai which is pretty high fashion.

How I dressed was the least of my concerns. I just didn't appreciate being in a patronizingly sexist environment...keep in mind, the majority of people I was around were Euro/Americsn/Aussie males. Their decorum was jocular at best.

Glitter said...

...talk about the war on women.

Count Jerkula said...

Who are we to push our Western Laws and ethics on those people. It is their country, they can do whatever they want with it. We let the friggin Amish live here like it is 400years ago. We don't complain about Orthodox Jews denying their children bacon because pigs were declared a filthy animal a couple 1000 years ago. Who the hell are we to say what laws the people of that country have to live under?

Rational, civil, modern people should have nothing to do with those lunatics. If you go there and accept their money, then you are displaying that you are fine with how they do things. Don't cry injustice after the fact. Some goes for the a-holes saying, "I didn't know I could get a life sentence for bringing a suitcase full of dope into that country." Well ya do now Einstein. Shoulda used yer Google before you boarded the plane.

Moosefan said...

Fuck you Dubai.

amused bush said...

Thanks @HyattMom.

My reasons for not liking my time there had more to do with the attitudes of colleagues. It alarmed me how boorish, sexist, elitist many acted. Left a bad taste in mouth. I had nothing but positive experiences with "locals" and would only go back to visit the wonderful friends I made.

megan00m said...

Rethink statements like "one white juror...proof...how little regard whites have for blacks"
No group can be characterized by a few poor examples.

megan00m said...

One thing I can't stomach about the beckhams..owning the "Uk" shaped island, fedderer & woods owning homes there...its sorta gross...also the islands shaped as the map of the world doesn't show israel...give me a break.

megan00m said...

She complained to the hotel as it was her employer and sight of crime and they brought in police.

HyattMom said...

@V - thank you.

My family members and I have often remarked on the same exact thing. I personally feel that sometimes people will take advantage of a country's laws (or not) to change how they would act in their own country.

Case in point: while many of the Brits we knew in the UAE were "normal," there were a very large number of them who treated their household employees like garbage, made them eat leftovers off of their plates and sleep on mats on the floor, etc.; basically they reverted to their colonial roots. There was a great article about it roughly 5 years ago, speaking about the Brits in Dubai specifically and their sense of entitlement. Can't seem to find it right now, but I know it's out there(c.2008-2009). I apologize if you're British... I didn't write the article, but saw a lot of what it described firsthand. An interesting read.

Jessie said...

This is why I'm against letting the Islamic community in Australia govern their people with Sharia law. It's just so backwards and unfair.

What is it about religion being terrified of women?

Gracie said...

In case you're unaware, we've know about what the NSA has been doing (taping phone calls) since The Patriot Act.

Rome said...

Absolutely disgusting. Fucking 13th century neanderthals, the lot of 'em.

Erik said...

Coming soon to America (or at least parts of it).

Upside Downunder said...

Dubai wouldn't matter if Americans and any others didn't love their SUVs. The Muslims have money because we fork it over to them. I don't own a car anymore because I just imagined I was pumping blood into the gas tank.

I felt like I was the only one who got the irony of mondo SUVs flying the American flag after 9/11.

Gracie said...

Can you please stop already with the comparisons. Apples/oranges

Gracie said...

+1

Sian said...

sigh

Henriette said...

Dubai is not a country, but a city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and ruled by absolute monarchs. I would never go to anywhere in the Middle East, except maybe Israel.

Alicia said...

Sounds like you have to tip toe through land mines to live in UAE - no thanks. And HM - your first and main argument is about clothing - not about the mysoginistic patriarchal BS backwards way of life. Defend it all you want. It's still a horrible place ( yes I was there in 2006 ) and I for one, would never in a million years go back. Anyone who condones a way of life where women are treated like its the dark ages has some serious thinking to do.

csproat said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
csproat said...

Wahhabist

Stupid spellcheck....

Goodnight said...

@hyattmom

I'm glad you spoke up, because there were a lot of ignorant statements made. People confuse Dubai with Saudi all the time and it's quite frustrating to read. I am certainly not defending what the police did to this woman (of course women should never be arrested for being raped), but there is a huge amount of Islam phobia and misinformation out there. People also go into Islamic countries without knowing the laws and then of course you hear horror stories about their punishment when they get into trouble.

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