The United Arab Emirates has sentenced a transgender Singaporean and her friend to one year in prison “for dressing in a feminine way,” according to a report.
“Nur Qistina Fitriah Ibrahim, a transgender woman who has not undergone a sex-change operation, and her friend, freelance fashion photographer Muhammad Fadli Bin Abdul Rahman, were arrested in Abu Dhabi on Aug. 9,” reported ABC News on Thursday. “Police stopped them at Yas Mall as they tried to eat at a food court, said Radha Stirling, CEO of the advocacy group Detained in Dubai. Fadli at the time of his arrest was wearing a white T-shirt, a bow tie and earrings, his brother Muhammad Saiful Bahri Bin Abdul Rahman said.”
According to the report, “The two believed they would sort out the issue and return home quickly, but were sentenced to a year in prison in a court hearing,” and they allegedly “did not retain lawyers at the advice of the Singapore Embassy in Abu Dhabi.”
As an Islamic country with Sharia law, the United Arab Emirates has strict penalties for homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgenderism.
There are also laws against sex before marriage, drinking, abortion, apostasy, blasphemy, public affection, and revealing clothing, and punishments can legally include flogging, stoning, amputation, and crucifixion.
“Alcohol, prostitutes, homosexuality, sex outside marriage and revealing clothing are all ever present, making these practices seem legal or at least, common and acceptable,” claimed Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, an advocacy group. “In reality, they are serious offenses that can lead to lengthy imprisonment, fines, and deportation.”
In April, a man was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, which borders the United Arab Emirates, on charges of “atheism” and “blasphemy,” and in June, Turkey banned an LGBT pride parade in Istanbul.
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington and Gab @Nash, or like his page at Facebook.