The Shura Council held Monday its weekly meeting at Tamim bin Hamad Hall under the chairmanship of HE the Speaker Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ghanim.
At the outset of the meeting, HE al-Ghanim briefed the members on the steps taken by the Council in light of the recent events related to the burning of copies of the Holy Qur'an in a number of countries, and with the knowledge and protection of their official authorities.
In this context, HE al-Ghanim said that the Council addressed the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC), the Arab Parliament and the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, demanding them to take a unified Islamic stance that contributes to preventing contempt for Islam and its sanctities.
He added that the Shura Council will also address the Inter-Parliamentary Union to demand and urge it to take serious steps that contribute to establishing a legislative framework that prevents and criminalises insulting religions and their sanctities.
He stressed that the Council will follow up on this matter with the parliamentary unions to ensure that Islamic sanctities are not violated, and that any transgressions against them are prevented, warning of the danger of remaining silent about these disgraceful behaviours which fuel differences and hate speech and incite terrorism and violence.
The Council then approved a draft law on the procedures for dividing inheritances, after reviewing the report of the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee on it, and discussing the provisions of the draft law by the members of the Council.
In this regard, HE the Speaker underlined the importance and distinction of the aforementioned draft law, saying that it is of great importance, as it deals specifically with the issue of the division of inheritance, and establishes a special legal framework regulating it, which will undoubtedly contribute to accelerating the division of inheritance and will address some issues facing the inheritors.
The Council also reviewed a draft law amending some provisions of the Customs Law promulgated by Law No 40 of 2002, referred to it by the esteemed government, and decided to refer it to the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee to study it and submit a report thereon to the Council.
The Shura Council reviewed a report on the participation of its delegation in the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Economic Forum, which took place in Marrakesh, Morocco, in December 2022.
The report included a presentation on the topics discussed by the forum related to the financial and commercial integration of the Euro-Mediterranean economic region and the Gulf, the role of the private sector in achieving this integration, the threats to energy security and the guarantee of affordable supplies, within the framework of environmental transformation and the sustainable development goals in the face of climate change.
The report also underlined the role of governments and the private sector in achieving food security for the GCC countries and the Euro-Mediterranean region.
