Meanwhile, in Dubai.

According to this report:

More than two dozen gay Arab men-arrested at what police called a mass homosexual wedding-could face government-ordered hormone treatments, five years in jail and a lashing, authorities said on Saturday....

On Friday the minister of justice and Islamic affairs, Mohammed bin Nukhaira Al Dhahiri, called on parents to be vigilant for "deviant" behaviour in their children.

... [A spokesman] said the Interior Ministry's department of social support would try to direct the men away from homosexual behaviour, including treatment with male hormones. "Because they've put society at risk they will be given the necessary treatment, from male hormone injections to psychological therapies," he said.

Isn't the United Arab Emirates supposedly one of the more "advanced" Arab countries?

Update: The U.S. State Department, reports the Washington Blade, issued a statement saying that "The United States condemns the arrest of a dozen same-sex couples in the United Arab Emirates and a statement by the [UAE] Interior Ministry spokesman that they will be subjected to government-ordered hormone and psychological treatment." The Blade reports further that "Last year's State Department human rights report chronicled several anti-gay abuses." A good sign of incremental but important progress.

Comments are closed.