KHALEEJ TIMES, Saturday, Jun 03, 2023 | Thul-Qidah 14, 1444
Up to Dh3 million fine in UAE: New draft law regulating non-Muslim places of worship approved
Emirates:
The Federal National Council (FNC) has approved a draft federal law
regulating places of worship for non-Muslims. The draft law aims to promote the
values of tolerance and coexistence and will be applicable to all such places
nationwide, including those located in free zones.
This came in a session today chaired by Saqr Ghobash, the FNC Speaker at the
parliament's HQ in Abu Dhabi.
The draft law also proposes the formation of a committee to examine and classify
non Muslim religious activities, rites, and customs in the country. Based on the
recommendations of relevant ministries, the UAE Cabinet will decide on the
committee's composition, working system, and other responsibilities.
A competent entity will retain a registration of licensed or designated roles
and places of worship, and the data held in this registry must contain the
information provided in the executive regulations of the draft law.
The FNC introduced an article on the allocation of rooms of worship, which
stipulates the following:
The executive regulations of the draft law determine the conditions,
requirements and procedures for allocating rooms for worship by the
competent authority.
The competent authority issues the final licence that
grants the place of worship its personal legal status from the date of
issuance.
The proposed law requires every place of worship to open a bank account
with a local bank, in line with the rules and criteria set by the law's
executive regulations.
According to the draft law, a person who contravenes any provision of the law,
its regulations, or related decisions shall be subject to a fine ranging from
Dh100,000 to Dh3 million. The penalties prescribed in the law shall be applied
without prejudice to a more severe penalty stipulated by any other law. Existing
places of worship must comply with the proposed law's rules within six months of
the executive regulations' implementation. This deadline can be extended by up
to two years, with each extension lasting six months.