A still-unidentified Asian man chose to watch his daughter drown off the coast of Dubai recently rather than have her dishonored by getting rescued and being touched by male lifeguards.
The 20-year old woman, who was with her family having a picnic at the city's beach, experienced difficulty swimming and began shouting for help, Lt. Col. Ahmed Burqibah of Dubai Police told Emirates 24/7. Two male lifeguards immediately ran toward the beach with the intent of heeding her call. However, they were prevented by her father, who believed that the touch of strange men would dishonor her.
Reports indicate that the man started getting physical when the would-be rescuers persisted.
"The father was a tall and strong man," and "he started pulling and preventing the rescue men and got violent with them. He told them that he prefers his daughter being dead than being touched by a strange man," authorities said in the Emirates 24/7 report. The woman died and lifeguards could only watch in confused shock, according to the Daily Mail.
The tragic incident prompted authorities to call for the addition of female lifeguards to assist beachgoers. The Asian man's case only highlighted the norms in Dubai with its still conservative religious beliefs. "But it is equally important to create an awareness amongst the community that the role of a lifeguard is that of a life-saver like a doctor and if in extreme cases when female life guards are not available male lifeguards must act or else we risk losing human life," Waseem Ahmed, director of risk at Dubai Festival City, added in the Mirror interview.
The police announced that the man was arrested after the incident and is currently being prosecuted for his actions.
