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British Woman Detained in UAE for Bikini Stroll


Dubai police say a British woman was detained after she stripped down to her bikini and strutted defiantly through an upscale mall.

The incident began on Wednesday after an Emirati woman who was covered from head-to-toe in black confronted her for wearing a low-cut shirt. An argument then broke out.

Mall security detained both women and took them to a police station for questioning.

They were later released after police say the Emirati woman lodged a public indecency complaint.

The mall, one of the world's largest, has signs asking shoppers to dress modestly. Most Westerners routinely ignore the signs.

The incident is the latest in a string of morals cases involving Westerners in Dubai.

Muslim and Western values often clash in the cosmopolitan, city-state with the most lenient Muslim social codes in the Persian Gulf region.

In March, a British couple was sentenced to a month in jail for kissing in public. Later, an Indian couple was sentenced to three months in prison for exchanging steamy text messages.

In 2008, two Britons accused of having sex on the beach got three months behind bars, though their sentences were later suspended.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.

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