(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The United Arab Emirates yesterday announced new legislation imposing tough sentences including the death penalty for crimes related to religious hatred and extremism.
A presidential decree criminalises any act that stirs religious hatred and also prohibits discrimination "on the basis of religion, caste, creed, doctrine, race, colour or ethnic origin".
Offenders risk up to 10 years in prison or the death penalty if convicted of "takfirism" or religious extremism, according to the text of the decree distributed by the official Wam news agency.
Proponents of such ideology adopted by Al Qaeda and other radical Islamist groups describe as infidels non-Muslims as well as Muslims who do not share their beliefs.
The Gulf state last year brought in strict new legislation and listed 83 groups classified as "terrorist", including the Muslim Brotherhood.
UAE warplanes are taking part in the US-led international coalition waging a campaign of air raids against the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria and Iraq.
The UAE is concerned about efforts by militants to stoke sectarian tensions in the Gulf with recent blasts at Shia Muslim mosques in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Militant violence is rare in the UAE, but IS has urged Muslims in Gulf countries to target Western expatriates in retaliation for attacks against it.
The UAE is home to hundreds of thousands of non-Muslim expatriates and is a popular destination for foreign tourists.
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