Rape law in Dubai

Not long ago, rape in the UAE normally carried the death penalty, at least for ex-pats raping Citizens. The best the rapist could hope for would be deportation. As a soprano.

But recently, a British airline stewardess was gang raped, and the Citizens responsible were sentenced to two years in gaol.

The defense is appealing, claiming that the woman was drunk, and was therefore not competent to say, 'No.' The court is considering the claim.

In the West, at least in the US, if a man buys a woman a drink and she agrees to have sex, but then regrets it afterward, the man is guilty of rape, since she was not fully competent to say, 'Yes.' So the Dubai law regarding sex with a woman after a few drinks seems diametrically opposed to Western jurisprudence.

Of course, the case is still under consideration.

I'd say, 'Stay tuned,' but the final outcome will only make the news if the government deems it an instructive verdict and issues it as a press release. Otherwise, we'll never know how the case is finally resolved.

And for those visitors to Dubai who think this makes it open season on women, I suspect the original version of the law still applies to ex-pats.