DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A 25-year old American woman appeared in court Monday on misdemeanor charges for allegedly insulting the United Arab Emirates in public while waiting for a taxi at the Abu Dhabi International Airport.
The National, a government-owned newspaper in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, reported that the woman has been under arrest since Feb. 23. Her name and hometown have not been released.
The newspaper says she told the Federal Supreme Court that she was waiting for a taxi at the airport when two men approached and spoke to her in a manner she did not like. It quoted her as saying that she ‘‘refused to engage with them and nothing happened.’’ The report did not say if evidence was presented against her.
The National said she requested from the court to pay a fine and be released from jail. A verdict was set for May 2.
The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi said the embassy, ‘‘is aware of the case and is providing consular services.’’
While liberal on some issues, the UAE has strict laws governing expression. Unlike in many Western countries, defamation is treated in the UAE as a criminal rather than a civil matter. Insulting the UAE’s leaders, or the country itself, can carry a prison sentence and steep fines.
In 2013, a 29-year-old US citizen from Minnesota was tried under a cyber-crimes law and accused of defaming the country’s image abroad for posting a spoof video online about youth culture in the UAE.
He spent nine months in prison before being deported and fined $2,700.
In a separate development, Dubai’s top religious authorities said Monday that stealing WiFi from your neighbor would not be proper Islamic conduct.
That’s according to a religious edict — known as a fatwa — from Dubai’s Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department. It was available online on the department’s website as a response to a question asked by an anonymous reader.
The edict says: ‘‘There is nothing wrong in using the line if your neighbors allow you to do so, but if they don’t allow you, you may not use it.’’
Associated Press
