UAE Minister of Tolerance Accused of Sexually Assaulting British Woman

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.

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“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.”

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