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Sex Case Tests Dubai Law

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The Associated Press

Published: October 16, 2008

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The British pair on trial for sex on the beach deny going all the way, but even a snuggle in the sand is too much in this Persian Gulf city. Although Dubai sells itself as a party hot spot, its Arab population hews to conservative Muslim values.

The clash of cultures between residents and the foreigners who flock here to work and play is coming to a head in the trial of Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors, Britons accused of having intercourse in public after meeting hours earlier at an all-you-can-drink champagne brunch.

The pair, both in their 30s, face up to two years in prison if convicted of engaging in sex outside marriage, public indecency and drunkenness.

A judge is expected to issue a verdict today, a decision that risks alienating tourists or upsetting Emiratis angry at the government's willingness to relax moral standards in the name of economic growth.

"These are testing times for Dubai, a sunshine state where everything always goes right," said Christopher Davidson, a Dubai specialist at Britain's Durham University. "They cannot let badly behaved Brits off scot-free, but if they throw the book at them, what would that do to Dubai's tourism industry?"

Dubai has been called the Las Vegas of the Middle East, with its carefully cultivated image as an oasis of liberal entertainment set amid an expanse of conservative countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Although the laws are not always enforced, it is illegal for couples in Dubai to hold hands, hug or kiss in public.

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