Posted on October 23, 2020

UAE Minister of Tolerance Accused of Sexually Assaulting British Woman

Middle East Monitor, October 19, 2020

The UAE’s Minister of Tolerance, Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan, has been accused of sexually assaulting a British woman in the run up to the launch of the 2020 Hay Literary Festival. The event was held in Abu-Dhabi this year despite widespread condemnation from a coalition of more than 40 renowned authors over the choice of the Gulf capital to host such a prestigious event.

Caitlin McNamara claims that she was attacked by Al-Nahyan on Valentine’s Day, 14 February, this year at a remote private island villa where the 32-year-old thought she would be discussing preparations for the inaugural Hay Festival Abu Dhabi. {snip}

Details of McNamara’s alleged ordeal, were published in detail in the Sunday Times. She claims that Al-Nahyan began “touching” her while the two were in a room at the private island.

{snip}

“I was alone on this island in a concrete building with this powerful man in a country where every day you heard stories about people disappeared in the desert. Every woman in the world knows that feeling — I need to get out without offending. Having worked in the [Middle East] region for 10 years I know that these aren’t people you p**s off. It wasn’t like being in London, where I’d just tell him to get lost.”

{snip}