UAE introduces secular-leaning reforms to reassure expats
Gulf state scraps laws criminalising alcohol use, suicide and cohabitation
The United Arab Emirates has unveiled a series of secular-leaning legal reforms, decriminalising alcohol and suicide, allowing the cohabitation of unmarried couples and criminalising honour crimes against women.
The overhaul of Islamic personal status laws comes as the oil-rich Gulf state seeks to scrap rules that, while rarely invoked, added a level of uncertainty for millions of residents and tourists in the UAE.
The moves, which particularly benefit the majority expatriate population of the oil-rich Gulf state, came after a two-year review of the legal system, one official said.
“The UAE is again demonstrating its ability to attract millions of people from around the world to live and work here,” Abu Dhabi’s The National newspaper said in an editorial. “Some of the issues that have been addressed by these laws . . . are important to families who are settling in the UAE and making it their home.”
As the country looks to diversify its economy from oil, it has been introducing changes to develop a more conducive atmosphere for expatriates to put down deeper roots and invest in the country.
Dubai, for example, has offered foreigners the chance to retire in the emirate, if they are over the age of 55 and meet various financial-security thresholds. The city had hoped to attract 25m visitors to its hosting of the World Expo this October, but the event has been delayed by a year.
The economy of the UAE, hit by coronavirus and lower oil prices, is forecast to contract 6.6 per cent this year, with the commercial, travel and tourist hub of Dubai facing a steeper decline of as much as 10 per cent.
The UAE, a moderately conservative Muslim society where expatriates outnumber nationals by nine to one, has confronted the rise of political Islam around the region since the Arab uprisings of 2011. At home, the focus has been on modernising society, through education and broadening women’s rights, while limiting free speech and banning political activism.
Some UAE nationals expressed their backing for an apparent shift towards secularism. “I so longed to see the day we took steps to become secular,” tweeted one. “I’m so happy to see it happen sooner than expected.”
The consumption of alcohol without a licence is no longer a criminal offence in the UAE, with bars and nightclubs common across six of the seven members of the federation. For decades, non-Muslims have depended on acquiring an alcohol licence to buy and consume drink legally.
While most tourists and residents avoided prosecution for drinking without a licence, some would find themselves slapped with an additional charge if arrested while under the influence.
The new regime also explicitly allows non-married couples to share accommodation. While this restriction has been widely ignored, the threat of legal action has nonetheless hung over people in shared households.
The amendments also included divorce and separation of assets, allowing couples who married outside the UAE to follow the laws of their home country during divorce proceedings, rather than the country’s sharia-based code. Similarly, expat jurisdictions can be used for inheritance purposes.
The overhaul has also decriminalised suicide, which is prohibited in Islamic law, even though few people who attempted suicide have been prosecuted. Still, the provision has made it harder to deal with mental health issues in the federation.
The new laws also removed longstanding provisions that allowed those who assisted in an emergency to be held accountable for the victim’s injury or death.
Women’s rights were bolstered in a series of changes addressing violence and harassment. The new code will remove references to “honour crimes”, in which male relatives could receive lighter punishment for assaulting a female relative to protect their family’s reputation. Attacks relating to “shameful” relatives will be treated like any other assault.
“This change is excellent, and I hope it will be followed elsewhere in the region,” said Hind Mezaina, an Emirati artist, writer and film programmer. “These welcome changes are mainly set up for expatriates. It remains to be seen how much of this will be embraced by conservative Emirati and Muslim expat families.”