Man who insulted Prophet Mohammed on Facebook to see out jail term

Dubai Court of Appeal upheld his one year prison sentence and he was fined Dh500,000

A man who insulted Prophet Mohammed and Muslims in a message he posted on Facebook will see out his one-year prison sentence.

Dubai Court of Appeal upheld the 31-year-old Indian’s sentence after he was found guilty of blasphemy and issuing insults.

The Indian failed to appear at Dubai Criminal Court in March last year but denied the charges at Dubai Court of Appeal, claiming his social media account was hacked.

Records show that on November 6 last year, the man used offensive language while making statements about Prophet Mohammed that he posted on Facebook.

During police questioning, the defendant said his account, which he had for five years, had been hacked.

Investigations found the account’s owner had signed out and deleted all his personal data a day after the messages were posted.

Prosecutors said the statements included insults to Arabs in general and described Islam as a “chaotic religion” as well as including insulting remarks about the Prophet.

“I last used it on November 7 and was not aware it had been hacked the day before then I was arrested on November 8,” said the accused in court.

Prosecutors confronted him with similar posts made on his account in October 2016 before the alleged hacking was said to have occurred.

The man was arrested after a friend saw the messages and complained to officers at Rashidiya Police Station.

"I felt so offended by the insults against my prophet, so I asked a friend who knew the suspect and where he lived and I went to his house in Rashidiyah and found him drunk," said the Indian.

The court fined him Dh500,000 and ordered his deportation upon completion of his jail term.