UAE minister of tolerance accused of sexual harassment: Report

A British woman says she has been the victim of sexual assault by the tolerance minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) while working with him on the launch of the Hay Festival Abu Dhabi.

Caitlin McNamara, 32, shown below, says 69-year-old Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan attacked her on the Valentine’s Day this year at a remote private island villa, according to The Sunday Times.

McNamara said she thought she had been summoned to discuss preparations for the inaugural of the prestigious literary festival.

Writers from all over the world were flying into Abu Dhabi for the festival, which was starting in just 11 days, including the Booker Prize-winning Bernardine Evaristo, the Nobel laureates Wole Soyinka and Jung Chang, and the author of Chinese blockbuster Wild Swans.

At the time of the alleged assault, McNamara had spent almost six months working at the tolerance ministry, having been hired by the festival to organize its first collaboration with the UAE.

While being driven to meet the senior Emirati royal, McNamara informed the head of the festival, Peter Florence, saying she felt as though she had been “called to the headmaster's office for disrupting class.”

She also joked to Florence that he should "send help" if she does not return, but also turned on her Whatsapp tracker to enable others to see her location.

McNamara's fears grew when her driver began heading away from the royal palace and towards the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. The driver purportedly did not tell McNamara where they were heading.

At his house, the British woman says Sheikh Nahyan served wine, which surprised her because it is prohibited in the Muslim country, and gifted her a £3,500 ($4,520) watch with gold and diamonds.

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As the pair talked, the minister was reportedly irked by McNamara's insistence on keeping the subject professional. 

“It was creepy,” McNamara said, adding, “He was on the sofa next to me and began touching my arm and feet and I was pulling away, then he got forceful... Suddenly, it clicked why I was there. I felt so naïve.”

After attempting to leave politely, the woman added the sheikh then insisted on taking her on a tour of his residence.

Eventually, McNamara told The Sunday Times that she was able to get out in a car and away from the island.

In text exchanges with Florence after the incident, she told him that she needed to “get out of” the UAE.

Days after the assault, the sheikh allegedly continued to attempt contacting her via calls and text messages.

McNamara finally returned to the United Kingdom on March 5.

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“What he had done affected everything,” McNamara said, telling The Sunday Times that she has since split up with her long-term partner, lost her job and feels she could never return to the UAE.

British police have interviewed McNamara, who has waived her right to anonymity. Police also installed panic alarms in her residence due to serious concerns for her safety.

The festival chair Caroline Michel said her colleagues are committed to supporting McNamara in seeking legal action and said the festival will not return to Abu Dhabi while the sheikh remains in his post.

“What happened to our friend and colleague Caitlin McNamara in Abu Dhabi last February was an appalling violation and a hideous abuse of trust and position,” Michel said in a statement.

“Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan made a mockery of his ministerial responsibilities and tragically undermined his government’s attempt to work with Hay Festival to promote free speech and female empowerment.”

Sheikh Nahyan, who reportedly likes to be known as the “Sheikh of Hearts,” has issued a statement through his lawyers saying he is “surprised and saddened” by McNamara's accusations, according to The Sunday Times.

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