Shruti Verma
8th November 2020
A panel of UAE lawmakers (Source- Vietnam Labour Supplier)
UAE has reduced major restrictions over alcohol consumption by removing penalties. Now people above the age of 21 can consume and purchase alcohol, whereas earlier, individuals required liquor licence to purchase, transport, and store alcohol in their houses. The new rule will allow individuals to drink alcoholic beverages freely.
Likewise, cohabitation of unmarried couples was also considered a crime in the UAE. The government has now amended its strict Islamic personal laws to allow cohabitation of unmarried couples. While authorities in some cities such as Dubai were lenient with the law when it came to foreigners, there was always a threat of punishment.
Honour crimes refer to tribal customs where a male relative may execute a woman dishonouring her family. These were widely criticised and now have finally been criminalized by the UAE Government, and the laws which protected them have been scrapped off as well.
The new reforms were met with praise on social media, with several users tweeting “welcome to the 20th century” and urging the country to go one step further and decriminalising Homosexuality. The government also stated that they will enforce tougher punishments on men who subject women to any kind of harassment, as reported by Jagran Josh.
While these are big changes for UAE, which follow traditional Islamic values, they do not include changes to other behaviours deemed illegal or unacceptable like Public Display of Affection or Homosexuality.
(Sources – Yahoo News, Jagran Josh, India TV News)
Edited By – Nivedita Dutta