Religion in the United Arab Emirates
Encyclopedia
Islam is the majority religion in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...

. Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

, Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

, Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

, Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

 and Sikhism
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...

 are also practiced in the country, mostly by non-nationals.

Islam

There are more Sunnite than Shiite Muslims among the residents. The country has Shariah and other courts. Waqfa, Eid al-Adha, the Islamic New Year, Mawlid
Mawlid
Mawlid or sometimes ميلاد , mīlād is a term used to refer to the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs in Rabi' al-awwal,...

, Lailat al Miraj, and Eid al-Fitr are national holidays. Maliki Shariah applies in cases of divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...

. Polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...

 is legal (up to four wives are allowed per man). Conversion from Islam to another religion is not permitted.

Christianity

Protestantism in the United Arab Emirates
Protestantism in the United Arab Emirates
Protestantism is a minority in the United Arab Emirates.Among the Protestant denominations in the country are the Christian Brethren, theCoptic Evangelical Church and the Evangelical Alliance Church....

 and Roman Catholicism in the United Arab Emirates
Roman Catholicism in the United Arab Emirates
The Roman Catholic Church in the United Arab Emirates is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome....

 form significant proportions of the Christian minority. The country has at least 33 churches. The schools in public ownership have no Christian religious education
Religious education
In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion and its varied aspects —its beliefs, doctrines, rituals, customs, rites, and personal roles...

. Many Christians in the United Arab Emirates are of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

n origin.

See also

  • Freedom of religion in the United Arab Emirates
    Freedom of religion in the United Arab Emirates
    The Constitution of the United Arab Emirates provides for freedom of religion in accordance with established customs, and the government generally respects this right in practice; however, there were some restrictions. The federal Constitution declares that Islam is the official religion of the...

  • Bahá'í Faith in the United Arab Emirates
    Bahá'í Faith in the United Arab Emirates
    The Bahá'í Faith in the United Arab Emirates began before the country gained independence in 1971. The first Bahá'ís arrived in Dubai by 1950, and by 1957 there were four Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assemblies in the region of the United Arab Emirates and a regional National Spiritual Assembly of the...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK