The UAE has made an important advance in fighting terror by publishing the toughest law on counter-terrorism since the foundation of the state. The new law defines a series of actions as terrorist acts, and also gives the state new and harsher penalties for those found guilty of engaging in terror. The law sends a vital message to all that the UAE is serious in its battle against terrorism and that there is no confusion about where it stands — in favour of tolerance and rational discourse while remaining implacably opposed to violence and any effort to influence society through violence.
The law makes a significant advance by making it clear that several existing crimes against the state can be viewed as acts of terror. The drafting and implementation of this new law allows the UAE’s security services to act with full confidence that their investigations will be matched by the authority of the prosecutors and the courts, and at a time that such threats are real, the law is an essential bulwark against the vicious intent of terrorists. The law also expands the range of how terror is defined by adding a new definition of acting with “terrorist intent”. This means that if people are found guilty of acts like hijacking or hostage-taking, they are no longer merely criminals if they committed these crimes with terrorist intent, but can be prosecuted as terrorists. The law also makes clear that any attempt to compel the president, vice-president, prime minister, ministers, speaker and members of the Federal National Council to take or refrain from any action is subject to the rigour of the new law.
It is unfortunate that terror has become a significant tool of renegade and anti-social elements who seek to force their political or social message on others through asymmetric violence and fear. In these conditions, all established states need to stand up for the civilised and rational conduct of society and oppose terror in all its forms. This is why the UAE has done well to draft this law in a wider framework of working with its GCC partners, some of which have developed similar laws allowing the region to act in concert against the international threat of terror, which recognises no boundaries.
