A draft federal legislation governing non-Muslims' houses of worship has received approval from the Federal National Council (FNC).The proposed regulation will be applied to all such locations across the country, including those that are found in free zones, and is intended to promote the ideals of tolerance and coexistence.
This occurred during a meeting held today at the FNC's Abu Dhabi headquarters under the direction of Speaker Saqr Ghobash.
The draft bill also suggests the creation of a commission to investigate and categorise the nation's non-Muslim religious practises. The UAE Cabinet will decide on the composition, organisational structure, and other duties of the committee based on the recommendations of the pertinent ministries.
The data stored in this registry must contain the information specified in the executive rules of the draught legislation. A competent institution will maintain a registry of authorised or designated functions and places of worship.
The FNC presented an article on the distribution of rooms of worship, which specifies the following:
- The conditions, requirements and procedures for allocating rooms for worship by the competent authority is determined by the executive regulations of the draft law.
- The final licence, which gives the place of worship its own legal standing as of the date of issuance, is issued by the competent authority.
- Every place of worship is to open a bank account with a local bank, as per the proposed law, and must be in line with the rules and criteria set by the law's executive regulations.
A person who violates any provision of the legislation, its rules, or associated judgements will be subject to a fine ranging from Dh100,000 to Dh3 million, according to the draught law. The penalties outlined in the statute shall be implemented without regard to any other laws' more severe consequences. Within six months of the implementation of the executive regulations, existing houses of worship must abide with the proposed law's restrictions. It is possible to extend this deadline twice, each for a period of six months.
