UAE sentences 26 gays to 5 years in prison...

When will gay groups start protesting about the incessant homophobia in the muslim world?

Twenty-six men arrested at what police in the United Arab Emirates called a "gay wedding" have been sentenced each to five years in prison.

The men were charged with homosexuality, a crime under Sharia law, although police acknowledged that non of the men were engaged in a sexual act when police raided the event.

Press reports from the capital say that the men did not deny being gay, although some of the accused reportedly identify as transgendered.

Lawyers familiar with the case say the sentences are likely to be appealed.

Police, acting on a tip, raided a hotel in Ghantout, a desert region on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway last November, and found what they descried as a dozen men dressed as female brides and a dozen others in male Arab dress. (story)

The case attracted worldwide attention when an Interior Ministry employee told reporters that the accused could be forced by the government to receive male hormone shots.

Esam Azouri told reporters at the time that a Sharia court could impose male hormone treatments "to direct the men away from homosexual behavior", five years in jail and a lashing.