'Rude' e-mail lands woman in court in UAE

An Arab woman who sent a work e-mail with the word 'rude' stood trial at the Sharjah Misdemeanour Court. Her colleague - with whom she had a misunderstanding - filed the case, claiming that she was offended as the word could mean 'a promiscuous woman', when translated in Arabic. The accused, on the other hand, argued that she used the word just to say that her colleague's response to her was "unpleasant and strong", which could be inferred from the English definition of the word. Both parties presented a translation and definition of 'rude' from an accredited office of the Ministry of Justice. The plaintiff refused to withdraw the case, even after the defendant e-mailed an apology. She said she had lost her job because of the incident and had suffered material damages, besides the psychological harm it brought her. The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested that competent experts and authorities be consulted about the exact meaning of 'rude' in Arabic. Emirati lawyer Awatif Mohammed explained that according to Article 20 of Federal Law No. 5 of 2012, any person who insults others or attributes to an incident that makes others react with contempt using an electronic site shall be punished by imprisonment or a fine of not less than Dh250,000 and not exceeding Dh500,000. In addition, Article No. 42 states that the court may decide the deportation of a foreigner who is convicted in any of the crimes specified in the law. Source: Khaleej Times