ABU DHABI // A rapper who scandalised Sharjah with a violent music video was today sentenced to what the Federal Supreme Court described as 'a light sentence'.
The court did not disclose the specific length of time the singer known as Dangour would serve, but noted that law required it to be a minimum of three months. It also confiscated his computer.
The rapper - whose performing name is a play on Danger - was arrested in June after posting a video online in which he raps about drug abuse, his hatred for white people and torturing those who disrespect him.
Several people complained to Sharjah Police after a clip of the video went viral on BlackBerry Messenger.
The video features a phone conversation between the rapper and a woman depicted as the mother of a man he has beaten. The mother pleads with the rapper to leave her son alone and threatens to call the police - but he responds with foul language and says he will kill her son.
The video also includes the face of a man covered with blood with text that says: "I swear I will torture him like I tortured others".
Police said they decided to arrest the rapper as the video had upset and frightened the public.
When officers searched his father's house in Ras Al Khaimah - where Dangour lives - they seized a number of knives, and discovered that he had been stabbed in Dubai six months earlier.
The rapper said that he formed the band DMY in his spare time from his official job - which was not disclosed - and uploaded the video, titled MIRDIF, on YouTube. He said the purpose of the video was to entertain people, not to terrorise them.
He said he did not know the person whose face is covered with blood, saying he only added the text and sound bites. His sister provided the voice-over for the mother.
The rapper's father said his son's nickname had been Dangour for the past five years, but that he was not the type to attack anyone personally.
However, the court ruled that the rapper created the video to make people scared of him. It added that broadcasting the clip promoted ideas that "harm public decency and order and spreads terror and panic among people".
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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
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