DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates on Saturday announced a major overhaul of the country’s Islamic personal laws, allowing unmarried couples to abstain from alcohol and criminalizing so-called “honor killings”.
Despite its legal system based on strict interpretation of Islamic law, the expansion of individual freedoms reflects the changing profile of a country that has sought to bill itself as a skyscraper destination for Western tourists and businesses.
The state-run WHM news agency reports that the reforms are aimed at boosting the country’s economic and social situation and strengthening the UAE’s principles of tolerance.
The change also reflects the efforts of the rulers of the Emirates to keep pace with the rapidly changing society. In a country where foreigners outnumber more than one in nine citizens, the amendment would also allow foreigners to avoid Islamic Sharia courts on issues such as marriage, divorce and inheritance.
The announcement also follows a historic U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the UAE and Israel, which is expected to bring a surge in Israeli tourists and investment.
“I could not be happier with these new laws, which are progressive and active,” said Abdullah al-Kabi, producer of the Emirati film. Have done.
He added that 2020 has been a difficult and transformative year for the UAE.
The changes include penalties for possession, sale and possession of alcohol for people 21 and older.
Although alcohol and beer were widely available in barracks and clubs in the UAE’s luxury coastal cities, individuals previously needed a government-issued license to buy, transport, or keep alcohol in their homes. The new rule apparently bans Muslims from getting a license, they will be allowed to drink alcoholic beverages freely.
The legal amendment was announced by the state-run WHM news agency and was detailed in the state-affiliated newspaper The National.
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
The second amendment allows for “cohabitation of unmarried couples”, which has long been a crime in the UAE.
Officials, especially at Dubai’s more open wheeling financial center, tend to look the other way when it comes to foreigners, but the threat of punishment for such behavior is still protracted.
In a move to better protect women’s rights, the government said it had also decided to get rid of so-called “crimes of honor” laws, including a widely criticized custom of prosecuting a man for assaulting a woman. Can survive. Her family.
Punishment for a crime committed to abolish a woman’s “shame” for disrespecting a religious and cultural promise or promise will now be the same as for any other type of assault.
However, traditional Islamic values are strong in the Federation of the Seven Desert Sheikhdoms.
The amendment said there is nothing else in the past that has deemed foreigners hostage to degrading local customs, such as acts of homosexuality, cross-dressing and displaying affection in public.
These improvements have been made as the UAE prepares to host the World Expo. The small Arab Gulf country, which has been pushed back by a year due to a coronavirus epidemic, is part of a plan to boost business activities and attract about 25 million visitors.
