Marcus, from Tottenham, North London, had been enjoying a holiday with his parents when he met a fellow Brit at the same hotel. A holiday fling sparked and the pair spent time together until the girl, also from London, flew back to Britain.
In Dubai, if an adult has a sexual relationship with a person under 18, they can be prosecuted for having a sexual relationship with a minor. The relationship would be legal in the UK.
Marcus and his parents were set to fly back shortly after - but their plans were thrown into chaos when police knocked on their hotel room door. The “terrified” teenager was then reportedly hauled in for questioning without any explanation and held at the Al Barsha Police Station, DID said. He spent three days there, during which time he was not allowed to make a phone call or speak with his parents, it is claimed.
I don’t like being made to defend anything UAE does, they’re a corrupt dictatorship with racism and classism. But blaming any of their idiocy on religion is stupid; the rulers don’t follow any of it and they’re secular because there’s nothing in the religion authorizing their behavior.
Islam grants specific minimum human rights; and women are enshrined some specific rights like the right to their own property and who they choose to marry etc. Other religions lack these, so a Muslim woman marrying into a non Muslim family can’t be guaranteed those protections as well as the worldwide custom that the husband choose the religion to raise the children (this is in all cultures and religions), so as a result of all these reasons it’s considered a sin as well as a bad idea for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim man. Its a reality even if you find the de facto reality distasteful.