Any sign of promoting Qatar is prohibited in the UAE
A British man has been arrested and detained in the United Arab Emirates after he wore a Qatar national team jersey to a football match in the UK.
Ali Issa Ahmad, 26, had gone on holiday to the UAE for a holiday in January when he was arrested, report the Guardian.
On his trip, he bought a ticket to see Qatar vs Iraq in the AFC Asian Cup, which was being held in the UAE but was won by Qatar.
Ahmad, an Arsenal fan from Wolverhampton, was not aware that the hostility between the two nations had led to the UAE making it a crime to wear a Qatar jersey – a crime punishable with a fine and an extended period of imprisonment.
After his initial arrest, Ahmad was held over claims that he had made false allegations about security officials, a friend of his told the Guardian.
Ahmad was allowed to make one phone call from his cell in the UAE, and called his friend Lokie, who has raised awareness of his detention.
Lokie said: “This is just unspeakable. He just went to watch a football match while he was on holiday in UAE and says he was arrested and beaten after being accused of wearing a football shirt which promoted Qatar. When he managed to call me officials were sitting next to him so he couldn’t say too much. He wasn’t given very long to speak to me and I’m not exactly sure what happened.
“It seems that he was released after being detained, assaulted by the security men in the car and accused of promoting Qatar. He went to the police station to report the assault and was accused of telling lies about the incident,” Lokie added.
“We’re not clear about exactly what happened next but he has been held because he is accused of making false allegations against UAE security officials. He said he is being held in a place called Al Sharjar.
“He loves football so much. He goes to watch lots of football matches in the UK. He’s such a kind and quiet guy. He is the kind of person who always tries to help others.
“He didn’t sound good when he spoke to me on the phone. He was speaking very slowly and he sounded very frightened.”
Ahmad’s phone has been taken by guards and wiped, Lokie says.
“He begged us to do whatever we can to get him released so we contacted the Foreign Office and asked them to help get him released,” Lokie said.
“He said he would call us back but since then we have not heard anything from him. I am in shock that he was arrested and assaulted because of the football T-shirt he was wearing. We are all so worried about him. This is very serious.”
The UAE embassy said it was investigating the circumstances of the arrest and the Foreign Office have said they are offering support.
On its website, the Foreign Office warn travellers heading to the UAE: “The UAE authorities announced on 7 June 2017 that showing sympathy for Qatar on social media or by any other means of communication is an offence. Offenders could be imprisoned and subject to a substantial fine.
“You should respect local traditions, customs, laws and religions at all times. There may be serious penalties for doing something that might not be illegal in the UK,” it adds.
These laws came into place after the countries became at odds with each other in May 2017, after the UAE accused Qatar of contributing to instability in the Middle East by funding terror groups.
A UAE embassy spokesperson said: “The United Arab Emirates embassy is looking into allegations that a British citizen has been detained. The UAE is a nation built on the rule of law and respect for individuals. We take any allegation of human rights violations extremely seriously – whether it concerns one of our citizens, or any of the 1.5 million Britons who visit us each year.”
An Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are providing assistance to a British man arrested in the UAE and are in touch with the local authorities.”
