Drunk man accused of ‘disrespecting religion’ found not guilty



DUBAI // A man from Saudi Arabia who was accused of “disrespecting religion” while trying to board a plane when drunk was found not guilty by Dubai Criminal Court.

On January 14 at about 10pm police were contacted by a Moroccan who works at the boarding counter in Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport.

“He came to me asking for a boarding pass and he was completely drunk, so I told him he could not get on the plane in this condition and asked him politely to grab a cup of coffee at the cafe,” said the 45-year-old customer service agent.

About five minutes later the man returned but was still drunk, so the agent asked him to drink more coffee before boarding.

“He suddenly hit me on the waist then showered me with insults before he used foul language to talk about God,” said the airport employee, who called police.

The Moroccan later dropped charges against the defendant who was still referred to court on a blasphemy charge. The 27-year-old denied the charge in court in July and is now.

salamir@thenational.ae

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Name: Almnssa
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Based: Gaza
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Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED

Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.

Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.

The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.

The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.

A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

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