UAE, concerned about militant Islam, passes law against race, faith hate | Reuters
2015/07/24 Leave a comment
Expect application will be broader than cracking down on militant Islam given that it also outlaws “insults against religions”:
The United Arab Emirates has outlawed religious or racial discrimination, the state news agency WAM said on Monday, citing a royal decree by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The law is aimed in part at countering Islamist militancy, particularly the practice known as takfir, whereby hardline Muslims label followers of other schools of Islam unbelievers, but it also outlaws insults against religions.
“The new law No. 02 of 2015 criminalizes any acts that stoke religious hatred and/or which insult religion through any form of expression, be it speech or the written word, books, pamphlets or via online media,” WAM reported.
The UAE, an oil-exporting confederation of seven Muslim emirates ruled by hereditary dynasties and bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman, is worried about political Islam, which appeals to religious conservatives while challenging its lack of democratic rule.
UAE, concerned about militant Islam, passes law against race, faith hate | Reuters.
About Andrew
Multicultural Meanderings 