In UAE, flip the bird and go to jail

In the United Arab Emirates, flipping the bird — in the real or the virtual world — isn’t just rude, it’s apparently illegal.

An American businessman who got into a parking dispute in Dubai found that out the hard way when he found himself in court for showing his middle finger to another driver during an argument over a parking space.

Criminal defense lawyer Abdullah Yousef Al Nasir told the news site 7 Days in Dubai that just sending a text message containing an emoji of the offending gesture can get a person into legal hot water.

“Sending a middle finger emoji on a smartphone or even sending a middle finger picture through email can put you in trouble,” he said. “It’s an insult in the UAE and the law can punish you with either jail of up to three years or a fine of up to Dhs 500,000 [over $136,000].”

Al Nasir said that the recipient of such a message would have to file a police complaint in order for the sender to face criminal penalties — which could be likely, since the gesture is taken seriously in Dubai.

“With the development of technology, people have started insulting others on social media using services like WhatsApp or BlackBerry messenger,” he said. “Some people insult or mock others thinking nobody can prosecute them. But the UAE has issued a cyber-crimes law to punish anyone committing any crime like insulting someone using technology.”

A high-ranking police official in Dubai corroborated the lawyer’s statements with a warning of his own.

“Be careful of what you send on smartphones or emails,” he said. “It’s up to the recipient to open a criminal case if they feel offended by a message. It’s an insult in the UAE and the law can punish someone committing [such an] act.”

As for the American businessman, he was able to fly free once he convinced the court a passenger in his car had raised the offending middle finger.