“Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they produce not witnesses, they verily are liars in the sight of Allah.” — Qur’an 24:13
Because of the Qur’an-derived stipulation that sexual crimes can only be established by the testimony of four male Muslim witnesses, along with the Sharia provision that women’s testimony is not admissible in cases involving sex, it is not at all unknown that women are in prison for being victims of rape: their own charge against the perpetrator becomes self-incriminating when he refuses to confess and there are not four witnesses.
“Dubai to charge Austrian woman victim for illegal sex,” from Austrian Times, January 21 (thanks to David):
An Austrian tourist who claimed she was raped by a policeman’s son in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates has been told that she is facing jail herself – for having sex outside of marriage.
The 24-year-old woman reported the rape to local police expecting that they would take action against the accused, and instead found herself facing charges.
And even more amazing she claims that she was told by one of the policeman that she complained to that she could escape charges if she were prepared to marry the man that she alleged had raped her in a car during an attack on December 2nd, which is a public holiday in Dubai.
She had been in the region with friends on holiday and accepted an offer by the man to drive her home. But once they had walked into an underground car park underneath a five-star hotel in Yemen he had raped her, she claims.
The man then tried to drive the woman away from the hotel but she managed to jump out of the car screaming for help – where other guests helped her and the police were called.
As well as facing charges of sex outside marriage it is also alleged that she had been drinking. Both actions are illegal in United Arab Emirate State.
According to Austrian media the man initially claimed that the woman had offered him sex because she was drunk, and then later claimed that she was a prostitute who had demanded money for sex – something she also denies.
The Austrian Embassy refused to comment but did confirm reports about rape allegations on a Austrian tourist.
The investigations are continuing and the woman is not at this time being held in custody.
CCTV footage from the garage has reportedly been handed to the police for analysis.
Just last year a young Norwegian interior designer Marte Deborah Dalelv was sentenced to 16 months in prison after suffering a similar fate and being raped and convicted of sex outside marriage.
Interestingly both the latest case involving the Austrian woman and the earlier case involving the Norwegian woman had both involved in making complaints at the same police station in the in Bur area of Dubai.
The 24-year-old Norwegian was convicted and sentenced on charges of having unlawful sex, making a false statement and illegal consumption of alcohol.
But after international protests she was pardoned and released. The man was also freed.
In the United Arab Emirates, as in some other countries using Islamic law, a rape conviction can require either a confession, or the testimony of four adult male witnesses.