Where is Stuart Harrison from? From his name, he doesn’t appear to be a UAE native. He may be a convert to Islam, but is unlikely to have been born into a Muslim family and named “Stuart.” But note how eagerly he is complying with Sharia blasphemy provisions: “Harrison said they are trying to find out if Kitturmath was still in the UAE. ‘We have over 8,500 employees so this may take a while. That said, we have fired him. If he’s still in the country, he will be handed over to Dubai Police,’ he said.”
Harrison’s company is in Dubai, so it’s understandable that Harrison would believe that he has to act this way. Fire him, sure. But turn him over to police? Is it really necessary for Harrison and his company to serve as the enforcement arm for Dubai’s blasphemy laws?
This incident shows yet again the future of the U.S. This can’t happen here, you say? We respect the freedom of speech, you say? Maybe that was true at one time, but it is no longer. Cowardice is pandemic. Newspapers all over the country refused to republish the notorious Muhammad cartoons out of a newfound “respect” for Islam that they never showed for negative portrayals of Christianity, which they hailed as “courageous.” Those who call attention to the ideological roots of jihad violence are excoriated as racist, bigoted “Islamophobes,” and most organizations on both the Left and the Right would never dare feature such people as speakers. Any organization that does is immediately denounced and called upon to apologize, and it usually does. So given that this is the climate today, what do you think the situation will be like in ten or twenty years?
“Indian expat sacked, faces jail for insulting Islam in the UAE,” by Mazhar Farooqui, Gulf News, April 9, 2020:
Dubai: Yet another Indian expat in the UAE is facing police action after being fired for insulting Islam on social media.
Rakesh B. Kitturmath, who worked as a team leader at Emrill Services, an integrated facilities management (FM) headquartered in Dubai, was sacked on Thursday, the company’s chief executive officer told Gulf News.
“Kitturmath’s employment stands terminated with immediate effect. He will be handed over to Dubai Police. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards such hate crimes,” said Stuart Harrison, CEO of Emrill Services.
Harrison said, “As an organisation, we have worked hard over the years to embrace diversity and create a culture of inclusion, where every nationality, religion and background is welcomed and celebrated. We have a strict social media policy for our employees to ensure they respect our values, both inside and outside of work. As a result, the employee in question has been terminated and the matter has been passed to the appropriate authorities.”
Kitturmath sparked outrage on social media after he ridiculed Muslim worshippers in response to a Facebook post on coronavirus.
Gulf News is refraining from publishing the actual message as it is too explicit.
A screenshot of Kitturmath’s response went viral on social media with hundreds demanding his dismissal and arrest.
Harrison said they are trying to find out if Kitturmath was still in the UAE. “We have over 8,500 employees so this may take a while. That said, we have fired him. If he’s still in the country, he will be handed over to Dubai Police,” he said.
Originally from Ranebennuri, Karnataka, Kitturmath joins an ever growing list of Indian expats who have landed in trouble for Islamophobic messages in recent days.
Earlier this week, Abu Dhabi resident Mitesh Udeshi was sacked for posting a cartoon mocking Islam on his Facebook page while a police complaint was filed against Sameer Bhandari of Future Vision Events & Weddings’ in Dubai after he asked a Muslim job seeker from India to go back to Pakistan.
Strict lawsThe UAE outlaws all religious or racial discrimination under a legislation passed in 2015.
The anti-discrimination/anti-hatred law prohibits all acts “that stoke religious hatred and/or which insult religion through any form of expression, be it speech or the written word, books, pamphlets or via online media.”
The legislation mainly aims to fight “discrimination against individuals or groups based on religion, caste, doctrine, race, color or ethnic origin.”…