A religious court in the United Arab Emirates sentenced a Lebanese Christian to one- year imprisonment and 39 whip lashes because he had married a Muslim woman. This was reported by Amnesty International on 14 November 1996. 30-year-old hotel manager Elie Dib Ghalib was arrested in December 1995, and has been tortured during his stay in prison. He is to remain under arrest until the divorce from his wife, a citizen of the UAE, has been officially processed. Ghalib married his 25-year-old bride in 1995 in Lebanon. While his wife returned to the United States for her studies, Ghalib himself returned to the UAE. According to Islamic law [Shariah - editor] a Muslim woman may not marry a non-Muslim unless he converts to Islam. Ghalib converted to Islam on 16 November when the whip lashes were to be administered to him. Ghalib's lawyer announced his step to the press one day later. It is unknown if Ghalib has been released. Source: Reformatorisch Dagblad, 15 and 18 November 1996

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