(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) A local lawyer has lodged a complaint against a film director, after her "abusive tweets".
Marwan Abdullah said he lodged the complaint against Ayesha Abdullah, for her racist remarks about a group of citizens, which she made through her Twitter account, sparking anger among the UAE community. A number of them have condemned her, saying that the director should be held accountable. Ayesha, who tweeted on her own account, posted a series of tweets critising some of the locals' naming customs, which soon went viral and were denounced by the public. Some even criticised her comments using a hastag 'Ayesha Abdullah does not represent us'. Since the incident, Ayesha has deactivated her Twitter account, but that did not stop lawyer Marwan Abdullah from taking legal action against her. Discrimination not tolerated in UAE A few lawyers said that according to UAE law, any type of discrimination and hatred is illegal, and that the law protects everyone. The Anti-Discrimination and Hatred Federal Law No. 2 of 2015 provides legal protection to anyone who faces such hatred. Lawyer Juma Maleeh stated that some of the major cases of the law being implemented include one against an Arab who was playing cards in a coffee shop, and was heard insulting God, and another one where an Asian abused Islam on social media. He also mentioned a recent case where a woman took to Twitter to make derisive comments about people from the northern emirates. He advised people to respect everyone and to refrain from spreading hatred, in keeping with UAE's standing as a peaceful country that respects human values and rights. Another lawyer, Ali Mushabai, said that the UAE respects all religions and cultures, and that making comments on religious beliefs or practices was akin to spreading hatred. He added that the crime of discrimination is linked to the prevalent IT laws in the country, if the statements are published on social media. Lawyer Yosuf Al Bahr said that one of the UAE Constitution's main principles rested on the equality between all people in the country. He said strict penalties would be imposed on those spreading irresponsible ideas and statements on social media, or raised discrimination against a particular people or group. The fines for such crimes could go up to Dh2 million, he warned. Lawyer Ayham Al Magrabi added that the UAE law stops any act that affects the unity, coexistence and solidarity of the UAE community.
Amira Agarib