DUBAI: An Emirati man has been arrested in Dubai for dancing in public at a local cafe after footage of his performance was widely circulated online.
In the clip, the man dressed in the traditional white thobe and headwear is seen dancing to local music next to the table he was sat at in a cafe in Deira. The audience around him can be seen clapping, with some taking videos of the performance.
Dubai Police said they arrested the young Emirati man for dancing “indecently” at the cafe on the charge of committing a “Public Indecent Act”, their Twitter account said.
The statement said the man dancing in the video has been identified, as well as the person who took the video, and both have been arrested.
Dubai Police arrest a man for committing an indecent act publicly.
— Dubai Policeشرطة دبي (@DubaiPoliceHQ)
Police said the person who shot and posted the video on social media “violated public morality” by doing so, and this is a crime punishable by anti-cybercrime laws in the emirate. Brigadier Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, Director of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Dubai Police, said Article (358) of the UAE Penal code states that whoever openly commits an indecent and disgraceful act shall be punished by detention for a period of at least six months.
