Man jailed and fined Dh500,000 for insulting Muslims on Facebook

One year in jail fined of Dh500,000 for insulting the Prophet Mohammed and Muslims in messages left on Facebook.

DUBAI // A man has been sentenced to a year in prison and fined Dh500,000 after being found guilty of insulting the Prophet Mohammed and Muslims in messages left on Facebook.

The 31-year-old Indian electrician denied a charge of blasphemy and claimed that his social media account had been hacked.

On November 6 last year, the man used bad language while making statements about the Prophet Mohammed which were posted on Facebook.

He told police during questioning that his account on the network, which he has held for five years, had been hacked. Investigations found that the account’s owner had signed out and deleted all his personal data a day after the statements were posted.

An Indian man complained about the messages to officers at Al Rashidiyah 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 Al Rashidiyah and found him drunk,” he said.

Dubai Criminal Court ordered the defendant be deported after completing his prison sentence and after paying the fine.