The Federal National Council (FNC) in the UAE has approved on Tuesday a draft federal law regulating places of worship for non-Muslims, which is aimed at promoting the values of tolerance and coexistence to all places across the country including those located in free zones.
According to state media Emirates News Agency – WAM, the draft law also proposes the formation of a committee to examine and classify non-Muslim religious activities, rites, and customs in the country.
The UAE Cabinet will decide on the committee’s composition, working system, and other responsibilities based on the recommendations of relevant ministries.
The report further explained that 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 license 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.
The draft law states that any person who violates any provision of the law, its regulations, or related decisions shall be subject to a fine ranging from AED 100,000 to AED 3,000,000.
Further, existing places of worship must also comply with the proposed law’s rules within six months of the executive regulations’ implementation.
The said deadline can be extended by up to two years, with each extension lasting six months.
