A 28-year-old Russian woman (visiting Dubai on a tourist visa) and a 30-year-old Lebanese salesman, were put on trial last month for drinking juice in a public place during the daytime.
Plainclothes police caught the duo red-handed at a gas station in Dubai.
In accordance with the Federal Penal Code of the United Arab Emirates, a public intake of food and beverages during daytime hours of the month of Ramadan is forbidden by Article 313. The article stipulates the punishment in the form of either a monetary penalty or a term of up to one month in prison.
The couple told the court that they were not Muslims and were thus unaware of the fact that their actions could be punishable. The court found the defendants guilty anyway, saying that ignorance did not exclude responsibility. The court ruled that the young people must pay the fine of 1,000 dirhems (about $300) each.
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