London (CNSNews.com) - Three young Americans caught handing out Christian compact discs and videos on the streets of Dubai face up to 10 years' imprisonment if convicted of promoting Christianity in the oil-rich Muslim emirate.
The leading U.S. religious freedom body said Wednesday that if United Arab Emirates law forbids proselytizing, "we would see that as a violation of international law."
Only one of the three, Charles Ashley Gearling, 28, has been named in Persian Gulf press reports. His name was released by the attorney general in announcing this week that he would be put on trial.
Investigations against the other two, aged 26 and 30, are continuing. Neither their home states, nor the name of the U.S. organization said to have sent them, have been made public.
One report said a fourth American had also been arrested on suspicion of having arranged their entry visas into the country.
A public affairs spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, confirmed by telephone Wednesday that the three were not now in custody, having been released on bail.
"We're aware of the arrests and our Consulate [in Dubai] is working closely with the Americans there. There are no Privacy Act waivers that apply to the media so there's not much more that I can add."
In terms of the 1974 Privacy Act, State Department personnel are not allowed to release any information not considered to be in the public domain regarding private individuals, without their express written consent.
"In general, when a situation like this is in the criminal courts we refrain from commenting lest it adversely affect the people concerned," the spokesperson added.
Gulf News reports that UAE Attorney General Ibrahim Bu-Melha said the three, who were arrested last month, had admitted belonging to a missionary organization in the U.S., and that they had come to the country to target Arabs and Gulf nationals.
A large number of CDs and videocassettes were found at their home and seized.
While members of other religions are allowed to practice their faith in the UAE, it is illegal to promote religions other than Islam or to seek converts.
Bu-Melha was quoted as saying more than 1,000 of the offending items had been sent to the Information Ministry for further investigation.
The UAE's Khaleej Times reports that the CDs and videotapes contained "Christian missionary material and derogatory references and remarks about Islam."
Bu-Melha cited an article of a 1987 federal law that provides for a 5-10 year prison sentence for anyone convicted of abusing Islam or luring Muslims to other religions.
Lawrence J. Goodrich, communications director for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in Washington, voiced concern Wednesday when told about the case.
"To have religion and express and manifest your religion" was a fundamental right, he said by telephone. "If you can't talk about it - no matter who you are - that's an infringement of freedom of religion."
If the law of Dubai outlaws proselytizing, Goodrich said, "we would see that as a violation of international law."
While the Commission does not generally become involved in individual cases, "what we do is take notice of these kind of events as we are evaluating religions in one country or another. These kinds of events are symptomatic of the problem in a particular country."
Asked whether she had any advice for American nationals in the UAE with regard to religious activities, the U.S. Embassy spokesperson referred to the annual State Department global human rights report for 2000.
According to the report, the UAE's federal constitution provides for "freedom to exercise religious worship in accordance with established customs, provided that it does not conflict with public policy or violate public morals."
But the government prohibits proselytizing.
"Non-Muslims in the country are free to practice their religion but may not proselytize publicly or distribute religious literature," the report says.
"The government follows a policy of tolerance towards non-Muslim religions and in practice interferes very little in the religious activities of non-Muslims ... The conversion of Muslims to other religions is regarded with extreme antipathy."