Embassy in Abu Dhabi when asked to comment. The pride flag was not hoisted at Western embassies in Saudi Arabia or Iraq, for example, but a Twitter post commemorating Pride Month was posted earlier in June by the US Embassy in Kabul, in Afghanistan for the first time.Ī State Department spokesperson referred CNBC to the U.S. The source asked why there had not been similar statements made by embassies in all other Muslim countries.
Why rub our face with it? Why choose us to do this? The official told CNBC, asking that their name not be disclosed due to the sensitivity of the matter. No comments were made by the UAE in an official capacity, and the UAE Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment from CNBC.Ī member of the government, a senior Emirati official speaking anonymously, called the act “so strange”. The subject remains very taboo in the Middle East. And although the UAE allows its expat population to engage in many activities that are prohibited by religion, such as cohabitation, drinking alcohol, and consuming pork, it is still a country Muslim whose local population is largely religious. Homosexuality is considered a sin in Islam. Many people commenting on the Embassy Pride Flag posts tagged the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in their tweets. We ask that you respect our beliefs, values, customs and traditions,” another user said, tweeting in response to the Embassy’s post.
“You are free to support any cause or value in your country. One user replied to this tweet, laughing “you consider him … not US”. We see this as an insult and a lack of respect,” posted another user, whose profile said he was based in Dubai. The Stonewall Riots of 1969 are considered the birth of the gay rights movement. Embassy posted a photo of its own flagpole displaying the American and Pride flags, and its Twitter account, posted a tweet saying, “On Stonewall’s birthday, A milestone in the American civil rights movement, the American mission shows its support for the dignity and equality of all. “Today we fly the rainbow flag to affirm our pride in the UK’s diversity and our values of equality, inclusion and freedom,” the post added, accompanied by the hashtag “# Pride2021 “. “June is #Pride Month and all over the world we are celebrating the equality and visibility of # LGBT + people,” the British Mission to the United Arab Emirates posted on Twitter on Monday. This is the first time that a diplomatic mission has flown a gay pride flag in the religiously conservative Arab Gulf, and it has sparked controversy in a country where same-sex relationships are illegal. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates The British and US Embassies in the UAE face backlash online and among locals for hoisting the Rainbow Pride Flag, which honors LGBTQ communities, along with their own flags nationals to celebrate Pride Month.