DUBAI: A Dutch woman living in Dubai pleaded not guilty in a court on Monday after being charged with insulting Islam and insulting the police after she had called them to report a personal attack. She said that while she had been drinking, she did not insult religion or the police officers. “I'm not guilty for insulting the policemen and religion, but yes I consumed alcohol,” the 28-year-old Dutch woman told the court. It is the latest in a string of “crimes” against woman after they had initially called the police. She could face up to one-year in prison or deportation. While the woman, of Arab ancestry, denies any wrongdoing, police disagree and told the court otherwise. “While we were trying to solve the problem she started insulting us in Arabic," a 28-year-old Emirati policeman said in official records. “She swore about our religion twice and spat on us." A policewoman was called to arrest the suspect . “She was drunk and her breath smelt of alcohol," the officer added. Marwa, a local women's rights activist, told Bikyanews.com that she believes the woman said something that upset the officers, “and because she is a woman the police took advantage. “There is a stigma with women of North African ancestry in Dubai that they are all sex workers, so the police were probably doing something inappropriate, but now this has gone too far.” Marwa said that the government must intervene to ensure that the police do not continue to abuse their power and treat women as second-class citizens. “If you are a white woman you get treated okay, but if you are an Arab woman in Dubai, it is a death sentence to be treated like dirt and we see it all the time,” Marwa added. BN
