Combating Discrimination and Hatred in the UAE

Combating Discrimination and Hatred in UAE

By Published On: May 23, 2025Views: 43

Federal Law no 2 of 2015 was made to combat hatred and discrimination in the UAE. This regulation was passed to promote co-existence in society. Moreover, the government of the UAE believes and propagates tolerance, acceptance, and inclusivity. If you need to know more about this federal law then we suggest to consult our lawyers in Dubai.

The Core Objectives

The main objective of addressing the crucial issue is to uphold the rule of law and bring perpetrators to justice. The Federal Law No. 2 of 2015 mainly talks about the various forms of hatred and discrimination. It promotes the liberty in civil rights and also freedom of speech without harming others.

The core objective is to safeguard the individuals from any kind of insult, contempt, abuse, or coercion directed at them due to their beliefs, practices, and religions. Similarly, the UAE law prohibits any type of discrimination and harassment based on color, creed, caste, sex, race, origin, or ethnicity.

UAE ensures respect for everyone irrespective of their sect, creed, or background inside the UAE.  This law is applicable to all entities and individuals operating within the Emirates.

There is no discrimination of nationality or residential status for it. However, it also encompasses different kinds of expression, speech, writing, online content, and more.

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Main Clauses and Penalties

The UAE law outlines the offenses and also suggests the corresponding penalties for the criminal offenses. There are laws regarding blasphemy. It inculcates the insult, disrespect, or showing contempt towards a certain religion, God, prophet, sacred signs or symbols.

Blasphemy can lead to serious penalties like a jail sentence and heavy fines. The fines may range from AED 250,000 that can goes up to AED 2 million. Fur lates fines and punishments it’s better to check with government entity,

On the other hand, hate speech is also strictly penalized; anyone who promotes hate through any medium is not permitted. Hate speech using electronic media or social media platforms is a punishable crime; this could result in imprisonment along with hefty fines. The individuals will be fines ranging from AED 500,000 and AED 1 million, depending on the gravity of the offense.

Preventive Measures

Individuals and businesses need to be active in taking preventive measures to combat such practices. Especially the companies, organizations, and entities should be proactive in addressing the discriminatory practices within.

The employers must have proper workplace policies that should be implemented, the clear anti-discriminatory policies and training programs will help in addressing the problem.

Moreover, they must scrutinize the communication levels within an organization.  This is done by ensuring the internal and external communication is free from discriminatory or derogatory content or information.

On the contrary, employers or workers also have to be extra cautious in their conduct. They must vigilantly address any discrimination or hate speech effectively. The failure to do so with harm them and also leads to legal problems that will be problematic in the long run. Therefore, it is suggested to report such an instance as early as possible.

The key role of a lawyer

Specialized and seasoned lawyers in Dubai are capable of providing legal counseling to employers and employers about their responsibilities and obligations. Besides, they will ensure compliance and also efficiently address the legal concerns.

The severity and gravity of the penalty is also assessed by those who have an understanding of the federal law no 2 of 2015 on combating discrimination and hate speech.  They have the expertise to support the clients in fulfilling their obligations.

They also navigate through the complexities of the law and mitigate the risk factor.  Additionally, the lawyers in Dubai represent the clients in an adversarial legal procedure that is associated with hate speech or discriminatory allegations.

By engaging a qualified lawyer in Dubai, organizations and individuals can proactively deal with legal problems. It will help in fostering an inclusive and cohesive environment.

FAQs

Hate speech includes any expression, speech, or action that incites discrimination, hostility, harassment, hatred, or violence against any other individual or group.

Yes, there are strict penalties for entities and businesses that are involved in violations. They may face hefty fines, imprisonment, or other punitive measures.

Yes, certainly, the individuals are encouraged to report such instances to the local authorities in the UAE. In the UAE, there are adequate government authorities and channels that are dedicated to addressing the matter.