By Agence France Presse (AFP)
 
DUBAI: A Filipina maid and her Bangladeshi lover will receive 100 lashes and be deported for having sex out of wedlock in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, a newspaper said Monday.

The Sharjah Sharia Court ordered the Filipina to be lashed 100 times and deported for “unlawful sex,” said the Gulf News report. The Bangladeshi would be lashed for adultery and jailed for a year for entering the house belonging to the Filipina’s sponsor without permission before being deported.

Foreign workers in most Gulf states must be sponsored by an employer to work in the country. In some cases, employers hold the worker’s passport and can deny permission to change jobs.

The Filipina’s sponsor saw her lover leaving the house and reported it to police, Gulf News said, adding the two admitted to having sex after their arrest.

The report said Muslim foreigners who commit adultery are lashed and deported, while non-Muslims are jailed and deported. Both the Filipina and the Bangladeshi are Muslims, it said.

The UAE aims to be an international business and tourism hub and relies heavily on foreign workers, but also seeks to maintain traditional mores. – AFP