Mass gay marriage busted in UAE

An AP report states that 22 Emirati men were arrested at what police called a "mass homosexual wedding" earlier this month at a hotel chalet in Ghantout, on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway. Four others were arrested, including an Indian DJ and three men from "neighboring Arab states." An Interior Ministry spokesman said that the men are likely to be charged with prostitution and adultery. Below are some interesting quotes:

Outward homosexual behavior is banned in the United Arab Emirates, and the gay group wedding has alarmed leaders of this once-isolated Muslim country as it grapples with a sweeping influx of Western residents and culture.

The Arabian peninsula, nevertheless, has a long tradition of openly homosexual wedding singers and dancers...

[Interior Ministry spokesman Issam] Azouri said the Interior Ministry's department of social support would try to direct the men away from homosexual behavior -- using methods including male hormone treatments, if the men are found to be deficient...

Azouri said government psychologists were grappling to learn the causes behind an apparent increase in homosexual behavior in the Emirates. The booming economy has lured hundreds of thousands of Western residents and millions of tourists. Azouri said authorities want to be seen to be taking action at a time when complaints of gay behavior were emerging from the country's schools and myriad shopping malls.

No time to comment now but, inshallah, in the future.

Tags: UAE, gay