DUBAI // A man who broke into a woman's house and cast a magic spell to make her marry him threatened to kill her and spat on her Quran when it failed, a court heard yesterday.
RJ, 41, a Frenchman, broke into the house of the 36-year-old Briton while she was asleep on December 3 last year and waited in her bathroom, prosecutors told the Criminal Court.
The public relations professional said that when she woke up, she walked to her toilet and opened the door to see the Frenchman standing in a pool of dirty water.
"He pushed me inside the room so I fell on its floor, then he locked the door with the key and hid the key inside his pocket," said the woman. "He said, 'now you will listen to me'."
She said the man grabbed her and pushed her to a chair, then asked her why she kept a Quran in her room and had a sign saying "By the Name of God" on her door. He said he believed she wanted to convert to Islam.
"He asked how I could trust Muslims and Arabs," the woman continued. She said that when she replied she was studying Islam he slapped her, pulled her hair and poured water on her face.
She told prosecutors he kept her locked up for about four hours, telling her he loved her and threatening to kill her and her family if she refused to marry him.
The woman said that when he left the house she was too shocked to react until the next morning when a male Saudi friend came to her room after trying to call her. He saw the dirty water on the floor and took her to the police station to report the incident.
KM, 59, a manager from Britain, said he cut his business ties with the Frenchman after he confessed what he had done to the woman.
"He also told me that he used white magic to affect [the woman], which he told me was called kabala magic," said the manager. "He told me he used this magic by mixing dirt with water and pouring it on the woman's floor."
The defendant has denied assault, locking a woman up against her will, threats to kill, trespass, insulting Muslims and insulting religious icons.
The next hearing was scheduled for October 9.
salamir@thenational.ae
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
