We, Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan  President of the United Arab Emirates,

− Upon reviewing the Constitution;

− Federal Law No. (1) of 1972 Concerning the Competences of Ministries and the Powers of Ministers, and any amendments thereto;

− Federal Decree by Law No. (2) of 2015 Concerning Combating Hatred and Discrimination, as amended;

− Based on the proposal of the Minister of Justice; and the approval of the Cabinet,

Have promulgated the following Law by Decree:

Section One

General Provisions

Article (1)

In applying the provisions of this Decree by Law, the following words and expressions shall have the meanings assigned to each of them, unless the context otherwise requires:

State: The United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Religions: The Heavenly Religions, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

Houses of Worship: Mosques, Churches and Temples.

Blasphemy: Every act that would insult Divine Essence, religions, prophets, messengers, divine books, or Houses of Worship in accordance with the provisions of this Decree by Law.

Discrimination: Any distinction, restriction, exclusion or preference between individuals or groups on the basis of religion, creed, sect, sect, race, colour, ethnic origin, gender or sex, taking into account the laws in force in the State.

Hate Speech: Any statement or action that might incite discord, strife, or discrimination between individuals or groups.

Extremism: Any action carried out by one or more people or groups motivated by ideas, ideologies, values, or principles that would disrupt public order, or would express blasphemy, discriminate, or incite hate speech.

Means: Information network, communications networks, websites, industrial materials, information technology means, or any means of reading, audio, or visual.

Methods of Expression: Speaking, writing, drawing, pointing, photographing, singing, acting, or gesturing.

Article (2)

Without prejudice to any severer penalty stipulated in any other law, the crimes stated in this Law by Decree shall be punished with the penalties stipulated therein.

Article (3)

Freedom of opinion and expression may not be invoked to commit any statement or action that would incite blasphemy or harm them, in violation of the provisions of this Decree by Law.

Section Two

Crimes and Penalties

Article (4)

1. Anyone who commits any of the following acts shall be deemed to have committed the crime of blasphemy:

2. Slander, challenge, or insult the Divine Essence.

3. Insult, defame, slander, mock or curse any of the religions or any of their rituals or sanctities, or disrupting the holding of licensed religious rituals or celebrations or disrupting them with violence or threats.

4. Infringe on any of the divine books by distort, destroy, desecrate, or insult in any way.

5. Insult, mock, defame, or curse one of the prophets, messengers, their wives, family, or companions.

6. Destroy, damage, abuse houses of worship, cemeteries, graves or their annexes or any of their contents.

Article (5)

1. Anyone who commits one of the acts stipulated in Clauses (2, 3, and 5) of Article (4) of this Decree by Law, by any means of expression or other forms or by using any means, shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of not less than one year and a fine of not less than (AED 250,000) two hundred and fifty thousand UAE Dirhams and not exceeding (AED 1,000,000) one million UAE Dirhams, or by one of these two penalties.

2. Anyone who commits one of the acts stipulated in Clauses (1 and 4) of Article (4) of this Decree by Law, by any means of expression or other forms or by using any means shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of not less than (2) two years and a fine of not less than (AED 500,000) five hundred thousand UAE Dirhams and not more than (AED 2,000,000) two million UAE Dirhams.

Article (6)

Anyone who commits act that would cause any form of discrimination by any means of expression or by using any means shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of not less than one year and a fine of not less than (AED 500,000) five hundred thousand UAE Dirhams and not more than (AED 1,000,000) one million UAE Dirhams.

Article (7)

Anyone who commits an act that would incite hate speech by any means of expression or by using any means of means shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of not less than one year and a fine of not less than (AED 500,000) five hundred thousand UAE Dirhams and not more than (AED 1,000,000) one million UAE Dirhams or by one of these two penalties.

Article (8)

Anyone who uses a method of expression or means to incite tribal strife with the intention of inciting hatred between individuals and groups shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of not less than (6) six months and a fine of not less than (AED 50,000) fifty thousand UAE Dirhams, or by one of these two penalties.

Article (9)

1. If the crimes stipulated in Articles (5), (6), and (7) of this Decree by Law are committed by a public employee during, because of, or on the occasion of performing his work, or by a person with a religious capacity or in charge of it, or if the act occurs in House of Worship, this shall be deemed an aggravating circumstance.

2. The penalty shall be temporary imprisonment for a period not exceeding (5) five years and a fine not less than (AED 500,000) five hundred thousand UAE Dirhams, if the acts stipulated in Clause (1) of this Article lead to a breach of public peace.

Article (10)

1. Anyone who exploits religion to accuse individuals or groups of infidelity using any form of expression or using any means, in order to achieve private interests or illegal purposes, shall be punished with temporary imprisonment.

2. The penalty shall be execution if the accusation by infidelity is proven with incitement to murder, and the crime occurs as a result of that.

Article (11)

Whoever produces, manufactures, promotes, sells, or offers for sale or trading of products, goods, publications, recordings, films, tapes, CDs, computer programme s, smart applications, data in the electronic field, or any industrial materials or other things that include a method of expression, and that are likely to express blasphemy, discriminate, or incite hate speech, shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of not less than (2) two years and a fine of not less than (AED 500,000) five hundred thousand UAE Dirhams and not exceeding (AED 2,000,000) two million UAE Dirhams, or by one of these two penalties.

Article (12)

1. Anyone who obtains or possesses documents, publications, recordings, films, tapes, or CDs or computer programmes, smart applications, data in the electronic field, any industrial materials, or any other things that include a method of expression if they are prepared for distribution or information to others, with the intention of contempt of religions, discrimination, or inciting hate speech shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of not less than one year and a fine of not less than (AED 50,000) fifty thousand UAE Dirhams and not exceeding (AED 200,000) two hundred thousand UAE Dirhams, or one of these two penalties.

2. Anyone who obtains or possesses any special means of printing, recording, preserving, broadcasting, viewing, publishing, broadcasting or promoting for use in committing any of the crimes stipulated in this Decree by Law with his knowledge shall be punished with the same penalty.

Article (13)

Whoever establishes, institutes, organises, or manages an association, centre, body, organisation, organisation, group, shall be punished by imprisonment for a period no less than (10) ten years or violation of one of them, or uses any means to do so, for blasphemy, discrimination, or provoking, encouraging or promoting hate speech.

Article (14)

Anyone who joins, participates in, or assists in any of the entities stipulated in Article (13) of this Decree by Law shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding (7) seven years, with knowledge of its objectives.

Article (15)

1. Anyone who holds or organises aconference or meeting in the State if its purpose is to disdain religions, discriminate, or incite hate speech shall be punished with imprisonment for a period of no less than (5) five years.

2. Anyone who participates in the conference or meeting while knowing its objectives shall be punished with the same penalty.

3. The Public Authority may dissolve the conference or meeting, using force when necessary.

Article (16)

Anyone who offers, offers, requests, accepts, obtains, delivers, or receives money or material support, directly or indirectly, shall be punished by imprisonment and a fine of not less than (AED 250,000) two hundred and fifty thousand UAE Dirhams and not exceeding (AED 1,000,000) one million UAE Dirhams. When this is done with the intention of committing one of the acts punishable under the provisions of this Decree by Law.

Article (17)

The representative, manager or agent of a legal person, if one of the crimes stipulated in this Decree by Law is committed by one of his employees in his name and for his benefit, shall be punished with the same penalties prescribed for the committed crime, if his knowledge of it is proven. The legal person shall be jointly responsible for fulfilling the financial penalties or compensation imposed.

Section Three

Special Substantive Provisions

Article (18)

1. The risk of extremism exists in a person who commits any of the crimes stipulated in this Decree by Law if he adopts extremist ideology such that he fears that he will commit another crime of the crimes stipulated in this Decree by Law.

2. If the person has the risk of extremism stipulated in Clause (1) of this Article, he may be placed in one of the Counselling Centres, by ruling from the Court and upon a request from the Public Prosecution Office.

3. The Counselling Centre shall submit to the Public Prosecution Office a periodic report every (3) three months about the deposited person. The Public Prosecution Office shall submit these reports to the Court along with its opinion. The Court shall order the release of the deposited person if it becomes clear to it that his condition allows that.

Article (19)

1. The Court, upon a request from the Public Prosecution Office, may order that anyone who has the risk of extremism stipulated in Article (18) of this Decree by Law be subjected, for a period determined by the Court, to one or more of the following measures:

a. Travel ban.

b. Surveillance.

c. Prohibition of residing in a specific place or area.

d. Determination of residence in a particular place.

e. Prohibition of visiting certain places or locations.

f. Prevention of contact with a specific person or persons.

2. The Public Prosecution Office shall supervise the implementation of the measures. It shall submit to the Court that ordered it reports on the behaviour of the person subject to the measure in periodic periods, none of which may exceed (3) three months.

3. The Court may order to terminate the measure, amend it, or reduce its duration based on a request from the Public Prosecution or the person subject to the measure. If the request of the person subject to the measure is rejected, he may not submit a new request until three (3) months have passed from the date of its rejection.

4. The person subject to the measure shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year if he violates the measure ordered by the Court.

Article (20)

1. The Cabinet, based on the proposal of the Chief of the Presidential Office, may issue a decision that includes the creation of a list or lists in which extremist organisations or persons are included, defined in accordance with the provisions of this Decree by Law. Such list poses a danger to the State or which the State is internationally obligated to include on these lists.

2. The Cabinet Resolution establishing the lists determines the rules for inclusion in them, deletion from them, and re-listing in them, and the legal effects arising from all of that, and specifies the entity or entities responsible for this and the methods and rules for appeal against its decisions.

3. Anyone whose name is included in the extremist lists may file appeal against the listing decision. If the appeal is rejected or not responded to within (60) sixty days from the date of its submission, the Complainant may appeal the listing decision before the Competent Court within (60) sixty days from the date of knowledge by rejecting the appeal or missing the deadline to respond to it.

4. The decision shall specify the methods and rules for reviewing extremist lists, provided that the review takes place at periodic intervals, none of which exceeds one year.

Article (21)

Without prejudice to the imposition of the penalties stipulated in this Decree by Law, the Court shall rule in all cases as follows:

1. Dissolve or close associations, centres, bodies, organisations, groups and their branches temporarily or permanently.

2. Confiscate funds, luggage, tools or papers used to commit the crimes stipulated in this Decree by Law, without prejudice to the rights of bona fide third parties.

3. Deport a convicted foreigner who commits the crimes stipulated inthis Decree by Law from the State after carrying out the sentence imposed on him.

Article (22)

1. Any Perpetrator of one of the crimes stipulated in this Decree by Law shall be exempted from the penalties stipulated in this Decree by Law by informing the Judicial Authorities or Concerned Authorities of what he knows about it before commencing the crime that would lead to uncovering the crime before it is committed or arrest its Perpetrators or preventing its completion.

2. If the report is made after the crime is committed, he may be exempted from the penalty or being reduced if the Perpetrator enables the Judicial Authorities or Relevant Authorities during the investigation to arrest other Perpetrators of the crime.

Article (23)

1. Without prejudice to the text of Clause (2) of this Article, the Courts of each Emirate shall adjudicate the crimes stipulated in this Decree by Law in accordance with the rules of jurisdiction.

2. The Federal Courts in the State capital shall be solely responsible for the following:

a. Adjudicate the crimes stipulated in this Decree by Law if they are committed by a listed person or group or previously included on extremist lists, or if one of these crimes is committed as a result of extremism.

b. Adjudicate one of the measures stipulated in Articles (18) and (19) of this Decree by Law when there is a danger resulting from extremism.

3. The Federal Public Prosecution shall be responsible for procedures related to the measures stipulated in Clause (2/B) of this Article. The Competent Public Prosecution shall refer it to it when there is evidence of the danger resulting from extremism.

Section Four

Final Provisions

Article (24)

In applying the provisions of this Decree by Law, every advantage, merit, or benefit determined under the provisions of any other legislation in the State for women, children, people with disabilities, the elderly, or others shall not be considered prohibited discrimination.

Article (25)

1. Federal Decree Law No. (2) of 2015 Concerning Combating Discrimination and Hatred.

2. Any provision conflicting or contradicting with the provisions hereof shall be repealed.

Article (26)

This Law by Decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall come into force one month after the date of its publication.

Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
President of the United Arab Emirates

Issued by us at the Presidential Palace – Abu Dhabi:
On: September 28, 2023
corresponding to: Rabi’ al-Awwal 13, 1445 H