JEDDAH: Here’s a little lesson on defamation law, Saudi style. A judge in this western Saudi city sentenced a young Saudi to pay a man SR12,000 (about $3,200) for calling him a “terrorist.” As reported in the pages of this newspaper recently, the name-calling incident took place at a local restaurant when the man accidentally moved one of those screens used in restaurants in Saudi Arabia to shield families from being seen by other restaurant patrons. An argument ensued in which the young Saudi man called the older, more conservative gentleman a “terrorist.” The older man reported the incident to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which intervened on the plaintiff’s behalf. In addition to the financial levy, the judge also ordered the young man to apologize and to sign a promise not to repeat the offense, Al-Madinah newspaper reported.
