Airside transit is an obscure grey area, especially when you have no intention of entering the country. Of course you need to abide by UAE law once on a UAE registered aircraft and whilst transiting though.
When the Qantas/Emirates partnership/tie up occurred there was a lot of effort made to assure people it would be safe and reasonable to transit via the UAE, particularly those from the Jewish communities, but where do homosexuals fit in to the mix as technically that is illegal in the UAE?
The biggest concern is that the UAE's legal system is certainly not as predictable as for instance the UK's, at times some of the rulings and sentences can seem completely unreasonable for those of us from Western countries.

Whilst if she was carrying cocaine then that would be a completely reckless act, what is slightly more troubling is the alleged threats over the sleeping tablets that she carried. I suspect an awful lot of travellers carry such items and wouldn't expect to be threatened or arrested during a transit for those.

I lived in the Middle East for many years and whilst the UAE likes to market its relaxed, holiday, beach, bikinis, party, fun, glitzy and glam lifestyle in much of the official tourist marketing, along with the modern and awesome Emirates Airlines, its important not to forget you aren't in Kansas anymore and the laws and regulations are different.

That said, for my regular shuttling between the UK and Australia I will continue to use Emirates/Qantas as I go in with my eyes open and follow the UAE rules. But perhaps the naive tourists and irregular travellers need a reminder...