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Expert: Le Anne Clausen - 10/28/2006


Question
Hello. We are an international couple from Europe. These days we are going to go to Dubai to work and live. I've found somewhere in internet the information that there is forbidden to have any relationship between man and woman without marriage. They said that it reguards also not-muslim people. We are engaged and we are living as a married, anyway we didn't legalised our relationship in no church, no office.
Please tell me how are the chances for the good and free life in Emirates, without offending nobody, and not be disturbed. What should we know before we'll do this step.

Answer
Greetings Daniel, thanks for your question.

I want to give you the most conservative answer, which is that it takes some work to get this done.  If you have the ability to do so, you may wish to legally marry so that your names can be changed on your passports.  If you are waiting to marry with a large ceremony, etc., you may just wish to register at the local civil office.

Otherwise, to be on the safe side, you'll want to look at how discreet you can be.  This means not divulging your unmarried status to anyone, always referring to each other as 'husband' and 'wife,' etc.  

Although I have not spent long in Dubai myself, what I can recommend as a resource to you is to connect as soon as possible with the expatriate community, who will have been living there longer and can give you the best, real-life information firsthand.  Just make sure you are discreet in asking and it's someone you feel you can trust.

All that said, good luck to you, congratulations on your engagement, and thanks again for writing!

peace,
Le Anne

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Le Anne Clausen

Expertise

I can answer questions on Arab culture, including differences in cultures among Arab countries and sub-groups. I can also answer questions on Christian-Muslim relations, interfaith issues in general, and human rights and peacemaking issues in the Middle East.

Experience

I was a human rights worker for four years in the Middle East, and have spent time in Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. I speak intermediate Arabic; some Hebrew; and am starting Persian (Farsi, Dari). I have led a half-dozen educational delegations to the area for North American groups; and I have led trainings for nearly a thousand international human rights volunteers coming into the area over my years there. I am now working to launch an interfaith peace-teams based human rights organization, hopefully in the next two years. I am also currently editing the manuscript for my first book, a firsthand account of my time in the Middle East

Publications
"Be the Healers," (next steps after Abu Ghraib) The Lutheran magazine, July 2004. www.christian-muslim.net www.seminaryaction.org www.young-activist.blogspot.com Multiple press releases which I wrote from the field, as well as media interviews/articles about my work are also available via Google search.

Education/Credentials
I have an MA in Christian-Muslim relations; and I am now continuing my studies at Chicago Theological Seminary (www.ctschicago.edu). I also have a BA in Religion concentrating in global service, from Wartburg College, (www.wartburg.edu).

Awards and Honors
I received the Dell Award for Peace and Justice from Wartburg College. I have spoken and led workshops and trainings at over one hundred church congregations, colleges, schools, organizations

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