Man cleared of contempt of religion charge

dubai — A trader, accused of religion contempt, was acquitted by the Court of First Instance on Thursday.

The 27-year-old man, from Saudi Arabia, earlier denied the charge in court.

The complaint against him was filed by a Moroccan customer service employee at the Dubai International Airport.

“I was at the check-in counter at Terminal 2 shortly before 10pm. That man came to get a boarding pass. But since he looked drunk, I told him to have a cup of coffee and come back more sober,” the 45-year-old employee said.

The traveller went and came back five minutes later. “I told him again to get a cup of coffee because he could not board the plane in that shape,” the complainant told the prosecutor.

I was at the check-in counter at Terminal 2 shortly before 10pm. That man (accused) came to get a boarding pass. But since he looked drunk, I told him to have a cup of coffee and come back more sober.”

The complainant

At that moment, the man punched the employee in the waist, insulted him and cursed his religion, the employee claimed during the investigation.

The employee did not respond to the traveller, but instead, called the police. The employee later dropped accusations related to physical assault and insult.

The verdict may be appealed by the public prosecution.

mary@khaleejtimes.com