Minister of Tolerance Sexually Abuses British Organizer of Hay Festival
Abu Dhabi women, be it local or expats, are often promised to be perfectly safe in the Emirates. However, the recent case of Caitlin McNamara puts forward the reality, where the UAE women rights get exploited at the hands of the royal Sheikhs themselves.
The women in the United Arab Emirates live under several restrictions and fears. Despite following everything according to the government norms, the female population faces brutality, harassment, torture and other violations of their rights.
Highlighting the breach of Abu Dhabi women’s rights, an organizer of Hay Literary Festival in the capital, Caitlin McNamara recently raised her voice, waived off her anxieties and revealed the true face of one of the top-level corrupt Emirati royals.
The 32-year-old British woman, who was working on the launch of the Abu Dhabi Hay Festival, alleged of being sexually assaulted by the Emirati Minister of Tolerance, Nahyan Mubarak al-Nahyan. She accused the Sheikh of getting “forceful” with her at a remote villa on an exclusive Al Gurm resort, where she was tricked to come for dinner.
McNamara has been aware of the behaviour expected from Abu Dhabi women and all the other factors that were important for a foreigner woman working in the Emirates. Therefore, she had sent a text message to the head of Hay Festival, Peter Florence, before reaching the location. “If not back in 24 hours pls send help,” she wrote.
In her interview with Scotland Yard, she talked about the previous meetings with al-Nahyan, which were never private, until she was called at his villa on Valentine’s Day. She was dressed according to how it is considered ideal for work dinners in the conservative society of the UAE. Despite the claims of respecting Abu Dhabi women’s rights, the royal family member made the day McNamara’s worst of her life.
Nahyan Mubarak al-Nahyan, popularly referred to as “Sheikh of hearts” in the UAE, greeted her with an uncomfortable hug. In a country that follows extremely rigid rules for consumption of alcohol, the Sheikh was seen by McNamara having red wine, as he offered her white.
The details provided by her in the interview laid bare the truth of the al-Nahyan family’s men, who have previously been accused of assaulting, torturing and violating women’s rights in Abu Dhabi.
Caitlin McNamara explained that she was “scared” and felt “naive”, while al-Nahyan was forcefully “touching me”. While she wanted to leave, the Sheikh was “frenzied” and refused. She somehow managed to leave the villa, and also left for Dubai the next day. On February 23, she went to Oman, and eventually left for London on March 5.
Working for a Hay Festival, which promotes freedom of expression, McNamara had thought the meeting was to discuss human rights. Despite being aware of what Abu Dhabi women and princess in Dubai were facing, she couldn’t imagine what she had to go through.
She was prepared to discuss the case of well-known poet Ahmed Mansoor, who was sentenced to prison for 10 years over social media posts “insulting the status and prestige of the UAE”. However, Nahyan Mubarak al-Nahyan “seemed a bit irritated”, as Caitlin McNamara raised the case of Mansoor. Completely disinterested in discussing human rights, he instead replied to her bluntly that “Mansoor is Muslim Brotherhood” and that he “is not getting out of jail”.
The UAE human rights records have long been darted for their actions against dissidents, expats, migrant workers and women, in particular. The conservative nation, boasting of tolerance these days, has for years repressed women, even of the royal family. The case of Dubai’s Princess Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum and her sister Princess Shamsa, who have been tortured by their family and have been under house arrest as they tried to flee, are fine examples of violations of women’s rights.
Moreover, the directors of Hay Festival have even cancelled an offshoot event to promote women’s empowerment and freedom of speech in Abu Dhabi. They said the event would not take place in the Emirates, as long as al-Nahyan remains in position. As Abu Dhabi women’s rights have yet again been violated, the global reputation of Emirates has slipped a step below, where involvement of royal family member Nahyan Mubarak al-Nahyan has made it worse.
