Norwegian woman raped in Dubai makes case public to draw attention to 'Islamic influenced' laws

Norwegian woman, raped in Dubai by her co-worker and sentenced to a 16-month jail term for having 'sex outside marriage' has decided to make her case public in order to draw attention to the risks of foreigners getting caught up in the Islamic influenced legal system of the Gulf city.

Marte Deborah Dalelv was arrested and sentenced to jail term as Dubai's legislation follows Sharia law according to which, Dalelv 'participated in extramarital sex', which is criminal.

According to the New York Daily News, Dalelv's case has sparked outrage from rights groups in the West and highlights the tensions between the United Arab Emirates' (U.A.E) international atmosphere and its legal system which is strongly influenced by Islamic tradition.

The appeal against the verdict is due in September and Dalelv has said that by making her case public she wants to spread the word about the strict legal system of Dubai which portrays alleged sexual assault victims as sex-related offenders.

The report said that the Dubai authorities refused to comment on the matter while the incident has brought strong criticism from Norwegian officials and activists.

Norway's foreign minister Espen Barth Eide said that the verdict flies in the face of the notion of justice and is 'highly problematic' from a human rights perspective.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Emirates Center for Human Rights, Rori Donaghy said that Dalelv case points out the need for the UAE to expand its legal protections for alleged rape victims and ensure that women are protected against sexual violence and do not become the targets of prosecution when reporting crimes, the report added.