Selena Gomez drew widespread outrage when she recently visited a mosque in Abu Dhabi and took a comical photograph exposing her ankle, a violation of the strict Islamic dress code imposed inside the mosque.  Some have deemed the act disrespectful.

Although the humor of the disproportionate reaction to the Gomez mosque scandal is evident, the reality is that even incidents that no American would consider a crime can result in serious penalties in Abu Dhabi.

Both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, popular tourist destinations with an affluent and modern image, are part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a country ruled under sharia law.  (An Asian housemaid was recently sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery in Abu Dhabi.)

Several Americans who have vacationed or lived in the UAE have faced serious penalties under the UAE’s legal system for unknowingly committing a crime.

In 2013, Shezanne Cassim, an American living in Dubai, was sentenced to one year in prison after making a lighthearted satirical YouTube video mocking the affluent youth of the UAE.  Cassim was accused of “endangering national security by presenting a fictional image of Dubai” under a new cyber-crime law.

In another incident, Robert Black, a 70-year old man visiting Abu Dhabi for a conference, was arrested for taking a photograph of a place the government deemed off limits.  Filming or photographing areas deemed restricted can be punishable by jail time and fines in the UAE.

Penalties may be especially severe, even for vacationers, for offenses related to drug-trafficking and extramarital and homosexual relationships.

While there is no doubt that the celebrity status of Selena Gomez protects her, for the average American, vacationing in Abu Dhabi may not be a laughing matter.

Still, let’s hope that Selena doesn’t soon have a fatwa issued against her.