DUBAI // A law regulating charitable organisations and events in the emirate has been issued by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The law defines the scope of powers and functions of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD).
It authorises IACAD, a Dubai government department responsible for promoting religious awareness and the spread of Islamic culture, to chart policy and monitor charitable events in Dubai.
Additionally, the law prohibits collection of donations and the undertaking of any charitable work in Dubai without prior consent from the department.
IACAD will also review, print, and distribute the Quran, religious publications and multimedia. Some of the department's other responsibilities include a broad range of supervisory and management duties related to Quran memorisation centres, mosques and centres for Islamic research and studies.
Additional activities will include providing fatwa guidance, issuing fatwas, and licensing preachers and prayer leaders, as well as overseeing religious programmes and talk shows through various media outlets.
The law outlines the responsibilities and duties of the IACAD director general, who will be appointed by the Ruler of Dubai.
On the humanitarian front, the department will supervise relief and charitable activities within the UAE and beyond.
IACAD has the right to take necessary measures, enforceable by law, regarding funds that are raised through donations. The law also specifies the financial resources of the department, which come from the Dubai government budget.
