Engineer jailed for cursing Islam in cafe fight

An engineer lost his appeal and will be jailed for three months for offending Islam after fighting with a waiter while playing electronic games at a coffee shop.

The 27-year-old Palestinian engineer was playing on a Play Station at the coffee shop in Al Rifaa when he had a heated argument with the waiter before he beat and cursed him and then cursed his [waiter’s] religion in 2015.

In December, the Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the engineer for three months in jail for offending a religion, cursing the waiter and assaulting him.

The defendant appealed the primary ruling before the Appeal Court and sought his acquittal.

The accused refuted the accusation of cursing Islam but admitted that he had fought with the waiter

Presiding judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm dismissed the defendant’s appeal and upheld the primary judgement.

The accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment, according to the appellate ruling.

When he defended himself in court, the defendant said he had a heated argument with the waiter and called him bad names.

A policeman testified that he was in the coffee shop when the fight erupted between the engineer and the waiter.

“The defendant was outraged and he repeatedly cursed the waiter and also cursed his religion. Once I witnessed what happened, I called up the Dubai Police’s operations room and notified them about what had happened. A police patrol was dispatched to the coffee shop and the defendant was apprehended,” he said.

The engineer’s friend, an Egyptian accountant, testified that the accused and friends were playing Play Station at the coffee shop.

“A heated argument happened between the waiter and the 27-year-old and they exchanged insults,” testified the friend.

The accused was quoted as admitting to prosecutors that he cursed the victim.

The appellate judgement remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 28 days

source : gulfnews