United Arab Emirates
(1999)
Section I. Freedom of Religion
The federal Constitution designates Islam as the
official religion, and Islam is also the official religion of all seven of
the individual emirates in the federal union. The federal Constitution also
provides for the freedom to exercise religious worship in accordance with
established customs, provided that it does not conflict with public policy
or violate public morals, and the Government generally respects this right
in practice. However, the Government controls all mosques and prohibits
proselytizing.
The Government does not recognize all non-Muslim
religions. In those emirates that officially recognize and thereby grant a
legal identity to non-Muslim religious groups, only a limited number of
Christian groups are granted this recognition. While recognizing the
difference between Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant
Christianity, the authorities make no legal distinction between Christian
groups, particularly Protestants. Several often unrelated Christian
congregations are required to share common facilities because of official
limitations on the number of Christian denominations that are recognized
officially. Non-Muslim and non-Christian religions have no legal identity
in any of the emirates. Partly as a result of emirate policies regarding
recognition of non-Muslim denominations, facilities for Christian
congregations are far greater in number and size than those for
non-Christian and non-Muslim groups, despite the fact that Christians are a
small minority of non-Muslim foreigners.
All of the country's citizens are Muslims, with
approximately 85 percent followers of Sunni Islam and the remaining 15
percent followers of Shi'a Islam. Naturalization of new citizens is limited
to Sunni Muslims. Approximately 80 percent of the population are
foreigners, predominantly South and Southeast Asian. A substantial number
of foreign professionals are citizens of countries in the Middle East,
Europe, and North America. Although no official figures are available,
local observers estimate that approximately 55 percent of the foreign
population are Muslim, 25 percent are Hindu, 10 percent are Christian, 5
percent are Buddhist, and 5 percent are a mixture of other faiths,
including Ismailis, Parsis, Baha'is, and Sikhs (most of whom reside in the
Dubai and Abu Dhabi).
Major cities have Christian churches, some built on land
donated by the ruling families of the emirates in which they are located.
In Sharjah a new Catholic church was opened in 1997 and a new Armenian
Orthodox church in 1998, both with public ceremonies. The Government of
Dubai emirate donated a parcel of land in Jebel Ali in 1998 for the
construction of a facility to be shared by four Protestant congregations
and a Catholic congregation. Also in 1998, land was designated in Jebel Ali
for the construction of a second Christian cemetery, and Abu Dhabi emirate
donated land for the expansion of existing Christian burial facilities.
Some emirates permit Hindu and Sikh temples to exist.
There are no Buddhist temples, but Buddhists, along with Hindus and Sikhs
in cities without temples, conduct religious ceremonies in private homes
without interference. In 1998 Abu Dhabi emirate donated land for the
establishment of the country's first Baha'i cemetery. There is only one
operating cremation facility for the large Hindu community, and official
permission must be obtained for its use in every instance; this poses a
hardship for the large Hindu population.
Virtually all Sunni mosques are government funded or
subsidized; about 5 percent of Sunni mosques are entirely private, and
several large mosques have large private endowments. The Shi'a minority,
which is concentrated in the northern emirates, is free to worship and
maintain its own mosques. All Shi'a mosques are considered private and
receive no funds from the Government. The Government does not appoint
Sheikhs for Shi'a mosques. The Federal Ministry of Awqaf and Religious
Affairs distributes weekly guidance to both Sunni and Shi'a Sheikhs
regarding religious sermons and ensures that clergy do not deviate
frequently or significantly from approved topics in their sermons. All
Sunni imams are employees of either the Federal Ministry of Awqaf and
Religious Affairs or individual emirate ministries. In 1993 the Emirate of
Dubai placed private mosques under the control of its Department of Islamic
Affairs and Endowments. This change gave the Government control over the
appointment of preachers and the conduct of their work.
Although emirate emigration authorities routinely ask
foreigners to declare their religious affiliation, the Government does not
collect or analyze this information, and religious affiliation is not a
factor in the issuance or renewal of visas or residence permits.
Non-Muslims in the country are free to practice their
religion but may not proselytize publicly or distribute religious
literature. The Government follows a policy of tolerance towards non-Muslim
religions and, in practice, interferes very little in the religious
activities of non-Muslims. Apparent differences in the treatment of Muslim
and non-Muslim groups often have their origin in the dichotomy between
citizens and noncitizens rather than religious difference.
The conversion of Muslims to other religions is regarded
with extreme antipathy. While there is no law against missionary
activities, authorities have threatened to revoke the residence permits of
persons suspected of such activities, and customs authorities have
questioned the entry of large quantities of religious materials that they
deemed in excess of the normal requirements of existing congregations,
although in most instances the questions have been resolved and the items
(bibles, hymnals, etc.) have been admitted.
There have been reports that customs authorities are
less likely to question the importation of Christian religious items than
non-Muslim and non-Christian religious items, although in virtually all
instances importation of the material in question eventually has been
permitted.
The Government permits foreign clergy to minister to
foreign populations, and non-Muslim religious groups are permitted to
engage in private charitable activities and to send their children to
private schools. Apart from donated land for the construction of churches
and other religious facilities, including cemeteries, non-Muslim groups are
not supported financially or subsidized by the Government. However, they
are permitted to raise money from among their congregants and to receive
financial support from abroad. Christian churches are permitted to openly
advertise certain church functions, such as memorial services, in the
press.
There are no officially sponsored ecumenical conferences
or events in the country. However, the principal advisor to the ruler of
the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (and the president of the country) on relations
with Christian denominations regularly represents the country at ecumenical
conferences and events in other countries. In 1999 Dubai emirate
established a center for the promotion of cultural understanding aimed at
expanding contact and interchange between the citizen and foreign
populations. One of the center's goals is to expose foreigners to aspects
of the indigenous culture, including Islam.
There was no change in the status of respect for
religious freedom during the period covered by this report.
There were no reports of religious detainees or
prisoners.
There were no reports of the forced religious conversion
of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the
United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be
returned to the United States.
Section II. Societal Attitudes
While citizens regard the United Arab Emirates as a
Muslim country that should respect Muslim religious sensibilities on
matters such as public consumption of alcohol, proper dress, and proper
public comportment, society also places a high value on respect for privacy
and on Islamic traditions of tolerance, particularly with respect to forms
of Christianity. Casual attire for men and women is tolerated in areas and
facilities frequented by foreigners, while hotels, stores, and other
businesses patronized by both citizens and foreigners are permitted to sell
alcohol and pork to non-Muslims, and to acknowledge, in modest displays,
non-Muslim holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Diwali (although such
displays are not permitted during the month of Ramadan). Citizens
occasionally express concern regarding the influence on society of the
cultures of the country's foreign majority. However, in general citizens
are familiar with foreign societies and believe that they can best limit
unwanted foreign influence by supporting and strengthening indigenous
cultural traditions. Slightly less tolerant attitudes by citizens toward
non-Muslim and non-Christian faiths reflect both traditional Islamic views
of these religions and the fact that Hindus and Buddhists in the country
are overwhelmingly less-educated, less-affluent, and work in undesirable
occupations.
Section III. U.S. Government Policy
In early 1998, the U.S. Ambassador sent a letter to the
Government of Dubai emirate in support of the request of three Protestant
congregations for expanded facilities in Dubai, and later raised the issue
in official meetings with Dubai emirate leaders. In response to these
requests--and with the support of the U.S. and UK Embassies--Dubai emirate
donated land for these facilities and granted permission for their
construction. The Ambassador and other embassy personnel also have
participated regularly in ceremonies marking the opening or expansion of
religious facilities, and embassy officers meet on occasion with Muslim,
Christian, and representatives of other religious faiths.
Sources: U.S. State Department - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor |