Issuing fatwas without a license will come with a hefty fine: The Federal National Council (FNC) greenlit a new draft law that regulates the issuance of Islamic “fatwas” (religious edicts) in the Emirates, Emarat Al Youm reports. The law deems the UAE Council for Fatwa the sole entity authorized to issue fatwas in the Emirates, and penalizes individuals and organizations who publish fatwas without a license.

The penalties:A range of AED 10k-200k worth of fines will be imposed for unauthorized issuance or publication of fatwas, as well as any public challenges to council-issued fatwas. The fines will also be imposed on fatwas that incite hatred, sectarianism or public discord within society. If a violation is repeated more than once, the penalty will be doubled. The court can also close a violating institution or block a website for up to one year.

Background: The law, proposed earlier this month, aims to reform the Fatwa Council and develop its framework to a more “modern model” that responds to global developments, we reported earlier.

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