Three more Indians based in the United Arab Emirates have joined a list of expatriates who have either been fired or suspended from their jobs over their Islamophobic posts on social media, a media report said.
Chef Rawat Rohit, storekeeper Sachin Kinnigoli and a cash custodian whose name has been withheld by his firm, faced action, said the Gulf News report on Saturday.
A spokesperson for Azadea Group that operates Eataly, a chain of high-end Italian restaurants in Dubai, confirmed that Rohit, who was employed with them as a chef, has been suspended and was facing a disciplinary probe.
Sharjah-based Pneumics Automation have also said they suspended their storekeeper Kinnigoli until further notice.
"We have withheld his salary and told him not to come to work. The matter is under investigation. We have a zero-tolerance policy. Anyone found guilty of insulting or showing contempt for someone's religion will have to bear the consequences," the Gulf News quoted the firm's owner as saying.
Similarly, Dubai-based Transguard Group said they have cracked down on an employee who had posted several anti-Islamic messages on his Facebook page.
After a person on Twitter pointed out the posts and brought these to the attention of the company, Transguard Group replied: "Following an internal investigation, the employee responsible for posting these inflammatory comments under a false name has been identified, terminated and handed over to the authorities as per the strict zero-tolerance social media policy of Transguard Group."
The new sackings and suspensions come days after both the former and incumbent Indian Ambassadors to the UAE cautioned about the country's strict hate speech laws.
India and UAE share the value of non-discrimination on any grounds. Discrimination is against our moral fabric and the Rule of law. Indian nationals in the UAE should always remember this. https://t.co/8Ui6L9EKpc
— Amb Pavan Kapoor (@AmbKapoor) April 20, 2020
Princess Hend Al Qassimi, who belongs to the royal family of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), too, has been highlighting the Islamophobic posts and comments on social media. She warned an Indian resident in UAE of consequences, and even said in her article in the Gulf News, "It is shocking to see the animosity against Muslims in India."
Anyone that is openly racist and discriminatory in the UAE will be fined and made to leave. An example; pic.twitter.com/nJW7XS5xGx
— Princess Hend Al Qassimi (@LadyVelvet_HFQ) April 15, 2020
The UAE outlaws all religious or racial discrimination under a legislation passed in 2015, which mainly aims to fight "discrimination against individuals or groups based on religion, caste, doctrine, race, colour or ethnic origin".
This year alone, about seven Indian expats faced action over such posts.
In early April, Balakrishna, who is a native of Hyderabad, was sacked from his job in UAE. He was working as a chief accountant at Moro Hub, a data solutions service centre. He came under investigation for sharing Islamophobic posts in the context of coronavirus.
Similarly, Rakesh B Kitturmath, who hails from Karnataka’s Ranebennur, was fired on April 9, for making Islamophobic comments on Facebook. Rakesh was working as a team leader at a facilities management company in Dubai.
(With inputs from IANS)