Father prevents rescue team from saving drowning daughter over fear she would be 'dishonored'

Dubai police arrested a man after he hindered the rescue of his drowning daughter because of the firm belief that it would ruin her modesty. According to reports, the father got in the way, fearing she would be dishonored. This is not the first time customs and beliefs get in the way of saving people's lives.

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - "The father was a tall and strong man. 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. She died unfortunately, at a time when she had a chance to live, especially that the rescue men were so close to her to pull her out of the water," said Lt. Col Ahmed Burqibah, the deputy director of the Dubai police's Search and Rescue Department.

The top police official told the Emirates 24/7 that two lifeguards rushed into the water to save the 20-year-old girl, only to be blocked by her own father.

In the report posted by The Blaze, the man was identified as an "Asian expat" who took his family out to the beach for a picnic. The fun ended when they heard the girl screaming for help. Although the rescue response was fast, it was the father's decision to let her drown instead of being dishonored.

"This obstacle was the belief of this Asian man who considered that if these men touched his daughter, then this would dishonor her. It cost him the life of his daughter," explained Burqibah. The man was arrested over his contribution to his daughter's death, according to The Blaze.

In 2002, 15 girls in Saudi Arabia died in a school fire after they were not allowed to leave uncovered, without their Islamic headscarf.

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