The UAE’s law against discrimination, hatred and extremism
The UAE promoted and enforced non-discriminatory laws and policies for peaceful co-existence and sustainable society.
Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2023 concerning Combating Discrimination, Hatred and Extremism (PDF, 82.3 KB) prohibits contempt of religions, discrimination and hatred against one another and extremism of views.
It prohibits and penalises:
- attacks on religious beliefs, rituals and sacred elements
- distortion, damage, desecration and insult of the holy books
- disrespectful behaviours towards prophets, places of worship, cemeteries, graves and their associated spaces.
The law prohibits actions or any form of expression that could lead to discrimination.
It penalises acts intended to incite hate speech, tribal conflicts, or disturb public peace through any means of expression.
This law mentions that freedom of opinion and expression cannot justify statements or actions that incite contempt or harm towards religions.
It defines extremism as any action carried out by individuals or groups driven by ideologies, values or principles that disrupt public order or show contempt of religions or discrimination or the incitement of hate speech.
