Shezanne "Shez" Cassim, a 29-year-old University of Minnesota graduate living in the United Arab Emirates, never thought that posting a parody video intended to be funny would land him in jail.

The young American has been locked up in a Dubai prison since April for making a parody YouTube video about teaching residents of a Satwa, wealthy neighborhood, how to fight. In the video, they learn to defend themselves by using shoes as a weapon and how to call for help via Twitter, reports Gawker.

According to Cassim's family, he and eight friends have been charged under a cybercrimes law that forbids content that is "liable to endanger state security and its higher interests or infringe on public order."

However, Cassim's parents argue that that law wasn't enacted until months after Cassim uploaded the video back in 2012. He was arrested in April 2013, according to CNN.

In addition, his family argues that there is nothing egregious within the 19-minute video.

"It's like somebody in the United States making a parody video of a Brooklyn hipster, and being held in jail for it and being held in jail for months without bail," his brother, Shervon Cassim, told CNN affiliate KARE. "That's what's going on here."

Cassim's brother added, "It's just a straightforward silly comedy video. And he's being treated like some sort of dangerous criminal, high security criminal that they need to keep under maximum security conditions."

Cassim has been refused bail twice and it's not clear when, or if, he will be released from prison. His family is actively trying to raise awareness to his case ahead of his next hearing on Dec. 16. Cassim, an American citizen who was born in Sri Lanka, moved to the United Arab Emirates in 2006 to work as a business consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Watch his parody video below.