International firm Baker McKenzie is ‘parting ways’ with its top lawyer in the United Arab Emirates after he called homosexuality an ‘evil act’.

Habib Al Mulla, Baker McKenzie’s most senior partner in the UAE, said in a Twitter thread last week that the ‘problem’ with homosexuality in the west lay ‘not only in the ugliness of the act, but in the necessity of atheism by its nature’.

The Dubai-based lawyer – the founder of Habib Al Mulla & Partners, a member firm of Baker McKenzie International – also suggested that a gay man is ‘aware of his mistake and that by doing his evil act he is disobeying the creator’, in tweets first reported by legal blog RollOnFriday.

Baker McKenzie announced that it ‘will be parting ways’ with Al Mulla, who is described on the firm’s website as ‘one of the UAE’s most highly respected legal authorities’ who was also ‘the architect of the legal framework establishing the Dubai International Financial Centre’.

‘The separation process is underway and we remain committed to supporting both clients and employees in the UAE and the wider region,’ the firm said in a statement.

‘Baker McKenzie strongly believes that, however much we may disagree with the beliefs and personal views of others, we must find ways to disagree respectfully, encourage inclusive dialogue and to ensure an inclusive work environment for all. Any social media comments by [Al Mulla] represent his own views and not those of the firm.’

Al Mulla confirmed his departure this weekend and declined to apologise for his comments, saying that his personal opinions ‘represent my beliefs and convictions that stem from my religion and core values’, Gulf News reported.

Al Mulla also said: ‘Although we did break ways with Baker McKenzie, we will continue to operate as an independent firm and provide our clients with the same level of service they have come to expect. However, out of respect for the friendship, I will keep quiet and avoid commenting on Baker McKenzie. We will begin the separation and exit negotiations [this] week.’