A video showing a Kuwaiti shop owner abusing an Egyptian employee  suspected of stealing has made the rounds in the Arabic news media and on social media in recent days.

In the undated video, Abu Abdullah, the owner of a mobile phone shop in Kuwait’s Alaziziya district, is seen whipping his employee, who had been stripped naked, while verbally abusing him and finally urinating on him.

Here is a partial transcript of the video:

“You Son of a b*tch, turn around to face the wall!” (whips and curses are heard)

Employee: “In the life of the Prophet, please listen to me. I’ll get you the man who stole from me, he came to fix his phone, and said he wanted to buy one… I gave him a phone, he took it and…”

His employer cut him off, saying: “You son of a b*tch, you stole it. You are the dirtiest man in Alaziziya.”

Employee: “I swear to Allah, I didn’t steal.”

Abu Abdullah grabbed him by his hair and slapped him: “Cut it out, you son of a b*tch. Enough with your excuses, you son of a dog. I’m going to take you to the police.”

“I’m at your service, whatever you decide. I’m a victim here, Abu Abdullah,” replies the employee.

His employer replied: “I’ll piss on you, you son of a b*tch.” 

The video went viral on social media and led to the launch of the hashtag #Kuwaiti_employer_stripsegyptian_employee_and_beats_him.

Sultan wrote: “Such a despicable thing to do! Even if he slaughtered your father you should have turned him in to the police rather than humiliate him in this way, you bastard.”

“May Allah take revenge, may he cut off your hand, you beast, you bastard, you rabid dog,” Ramlouj tweeted.

Mufleh wrote: “I wonder if he would have dared commit this despicable crime if he had been American.”

Masoud wrote: “No matter what the offense is, that poor man’s human dignity should be restored.” He went on to quote from the Quran: “How dare you enslave people, when their mothers gave birth to them as free people?”
“The Kuwaiti man was wrong and impolite,” Hussein wrote. “Be that as it may, the Egyptian is always deceitful, dirty, and treacherous, except a select few.”
“You are deceitful and dirty, a dog, a beast, and a pimp,” Abu Khaled retorted.
Khaled also quoted from the Quran: “How dare you enslave people when their mothers gave birth to them as free people?” and told his Egyptian followers: “To my Egyptian brothers I say: That pervert is not representing us.”