Recent events in the region and around the world have shown us that no country is immune to the threat posed by terrorists who are determined to wreak havoc and spread fear in the name of some misguided religious and political philosophy. It is time all countries come together to fight it and the UAE is doing its bit to crackdown on this dangerous threat.

These external forces are failing to understand the respectful and tolerant nature of the UAE. Their thinking is being twisted by radicals or blinded by hate, shaped by distorted ideologies or purposely misled by leaders who twist religious beliefs with ignorance and fear-mongering. And the UAE can have no truck with such forces.

In the past year, the UAE has faced three separate cases where external forces tried to plot trouble internally. Above all, though, the safety and security of all who live and work in the UAE is paramount — there can be no let-up in the battle against militants or terrorists who would seek to destabilise the country. The Government is to be commended for fast-tracking legislation with tough anti-terror measures to target those who would act in or support or finance acts of terror.

Under the draft law, those who willingly participate in terrorist acts or cells, finance or provide succour to those who would commit terrorist acts, or support terrorism in all its ugly guises, face death penalty, life imprisonment and stiff punitive fines.

This new bill strengthens current legislation in a number of areas that are already in place. For example, laws against money laundering by those who seek to finance their nefarious acts have already been put in place and this bill further strengthens those provisions.

This welcome bill also strengthens penalties against those who would pass on information to others about the UAE, its judiciary and its administration, making them subject to the bill’s stiff provisions.

Make no mistake: There can be no quarters given to those who would scheme, plot, finance or act in any way to harm the safety and security of all.