Hate crime law cements long-standing values of tolerance in the UAE

The new law reinforces the vision that Sheikh Zayed had from the start and clarifies the consequences for those who threaten the UAE’s stability.

With more than 200 nationalities living peacefully side by side, religious freedom and diversity has reached every corner of the UAE. Christopher Pike / The National

Dr Hasan Al Subaihi and Taryam Al Subaihi

With the announcement of a law against hate crime, the Government has taken another step to ensure that everyone can continue to enjoy the freedom of practising their religion without fear of discrimination or violence.

Since the establishment of the country, the late Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father of the UAE, realised that his vision of a great nation could materialise only if the country and its government respected the right of every man and woman to practise their faith without risk of discrimination or intolerance.

He made it clear from the start that any form of discrimination would not be tolerated and that everyone who lives in the UAE must be viewed and treated equally in the eyes of the law, regardless of race, religion or ethnic origin.

However, this was no easy task, even for Sheikh Zayed. Religious discrimination was – and still is – a worldwide problem. The Arab world has had its fair share of internal conflicts because of religion, and many of these fights go far beyond the struggle between Shias and Sunnis.

To name just a few, the Middle East has communities of Alawites, Berbers, Copts, Druze, Kurds, Jews, Yazidis, Assyrians, Shias and Sunnis.

To build a country with doors open to all, the Government had to go against the current in the Arab world and take unprecedented steps to ensure that every man, woman and child would have the right to believe and practise any faith they chose.

The new anti-discrimination law issued by President Sheikh Khalifa has put into writing what the people and leadership of the UAE have practised since before the birth of the nation and what is, in fact, not only part of the UAE culture but also the religion of Islam: tolerance.

That is not to say that there are no limits to how a person practises their faith in the UAE. For example, religious leaders or groups are not out in the streets on loudspeakers promoting their faith, searching for converts or followers.

How it works in the UAE is simple: what a person believes or practises at home or in a house of worship is of no one’s concern and this right is protected by law, and always has been.

The new law has now clarified the consequences of showing any form of hate or intolerance to any faith and penalties of doing so include jail terms ranging from six months to more than 10 years, and fines from Dh50,000 to Dh2 million.

The UAE has enjoyed more than 40 years of stability and peace between all groups living here without any major threat of attack or violence against a religious group, largely because of the harmony that exists and is encouraged by the Government and people of the UAE.

With more than 200 nationalities living peacefully side by side, religious freedom and diversity has reached every corner of the country.

Yet, with the religious conflicts that continue to plague other Arab nations such as Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Egypt, the UAE’s new law is also a clear warning to anyone considering importing and disseminating religious intolerance to the UAE.

Dr Hasan Al Subaihi and Taryam Al Subaihi are both journalists and political/social commentators. Dr Hasan is a journalist and academic in the field of mass communications, while Taryam specialises in media and communications.