Abu Dhabi: The public is under a misconception that the main focus of the newly introduced anti-discrimination law is on religion and race, said legal experts on Wednesday in the capital.

However, this law does not contain the world ‘religion’ in its title and, instead, condemns all and any action of discrimination that creates hatred and intolerance between individuals, including sexism.

Additionally, Law Number 2 of 2015 — which recently came into effect — was not designed to favour one religion over the other, nor have the courts witnessed any cases filed under it, prosecutors in the capital said.

“The law was mainly introduced to uphold what is already written in the UAE’s constitution, highlighting the presence of a peaceful, coexisting society free of the disease [of hatred] that has affected many countries, including some of our neighbours,” said Counsellor Rashed Al Daheri, head of the Public Prosecution at a media briefing.

Some of the challenges facing judges who may oversee a case filed under the law include determining whether the action was undertaken with malice, Al Daheri explained.

“While this law specifically mentions that showing prejudice based on religions such as Islam, Christianity and Judaism is illegal, other laws also protect individuals belonging to other religions and the main goal is to keep the UAE’s society unharmed by hate-driven activities,” the official said.

The anti-discrimination law was decreed by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to maintain the rights of individuals and ensure that bigotry, extremism and violence are not tolerated in the UAE, Al Daheri said.

Meanwhile, Judge Ilyazya Al Hammadi reiterated the importance of maintaining one’s right to free speech as long as these opinions and comments are not harmful to others.

“Saying that one football team is better than the other is acceptable but when this statement begins to include slurs, swear words and inappropriate language, individuals are harmed and this form of speech is no longer considered ‘free’.”

Ilyazya also underscored the vitality of maintaining good faith in others.

“Once somebody hears a statement which that person chooses to interpret in the wrong way, feeling compelled to respond perhaps in a harsher manner is expected and can bring on a number of offences,” she said.