The Constitution of the United Arab Emirates provides for freedom of religion by established customs, and the government generally respects this right in practice; however, there are some restrictions (e.g. attempts to spread Christianity among Muslims are not permitted). The federal Constitution declares that Islam is the official religion of the country. The Government confirmed it illegal to convert from Islam and leaving the Islamic faith is considered apostasy, a crime punishable by death.[1]
In 2023, the country was scored 2 out of 4 for religious freedom.[2]
Religious demography
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2015)
The country has an area of 82,880 km2 (30,000 sq. mi) and a resident population of 7.4 million (2010 est.). Only approximately 20% of residents are UAE citizens.[3] According to the CIA World Fact Book, 76% of the residents are Muslim, 9% are Christian, other (primarily Hindu and Buddhist, less than 5% of the population consists of Parsi, Baha'i, Druze, Sikh, Ahmadi, Ismaili, Dawoodi Bohra Muslim, and Jewish) 15%.[4] It is one of the most liberal countries found in Middle East.[5] Foreigners are predominantly from South and Southeast Asia, although there are substantial numbers from the Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, North America and South America.
According to a US report, the 2005 census found that 76 percent of the population were Muslim, 9 percent were Christian, and 15 percent from other noncitizen religious groups, mainly Hindus and Buddhists, but including Zoroastrians, Baha’is, Druze, Sikhs, and Jews; estimates in 2010 suggested that 76.9 percent of the total population was Muslim, 12.6 percent Christian, 6.6 percent Hindu, and 2 percent Buddhist.[6]
Religious discrimination
In recent years, a large number of Shia Muslim expatriates have been deported from the UAE.[7][8][9] In particular, Lebanese Shia families have been deported for their alleged sympathy for extremist group Hezbollah.[10][11][12][13][14][15] According to some organizations, more than 4,000 Shia expats have been deported from the UAE in recent years.[16][17]
Chinese Uyghurs who relocated to the UAE after facing human rights abuse at the hands of the Beijing government were subjected to detention, torture, and deportation from Abu Dhabi. According to testimony shared by the wife of one of the detainees, China requested three major Arab countries, which included UAE, for the deportation of Uyghur migrants. The decision received major backlash and UAE authorities failed to respond when asked to comment on the deportation of Chinese Uyghurs despite not sharing an extradition agreement with China.[18]
Apostasy
Apostasy is a crime in the United Arab Emirates. In 1978, UAE began the process of Islamising the nation's law, after its council of ministers voted to appoint a High Committee to identify all its laws that conflicted with Sharia. Among the many changes that followed, UAE incorporated hudud crimes of Sharia into its Penal Code - apostasy being one of them.[19] Article 1 and Article 66 of UAE's Penal Code required hudud crimes to be punished with the death penalty, even though no executions for apostasy have ever taken place.[20][21] By virtue of Federal Decree Law No. (15) of 2020, Articles 1 and 66 of UAE's Penal Code no longer incorporate hudud crimes.[22]
