November 8, 2020–In an effort to attract foreign capital, business and tourists, the United Arab Emirates announced plans on Saturday to ease up on Islamic Laws governing citizens and non-citizens.
The changes come as COVID-19 and low oil prices impact the global economy. For the UAE alone, the IMF projects a 6.6 percent economic contraction in 2020 and a growth of 1.3 percent for 2012.
Laws Governing Personal Status
Officially, the the state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported the changes. The site announced that UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan approved changes to Federal Law-Decrees on “Personal Status, Civil Transactions, Penal Code and Criminal Procedural laws.”
According to reporting by the Associated Press, the changes amount to “a major overhaul” of Islamic personal laws. They will allow unmarried couples to live together. Furthermore, they loosen alcohol restrictions and toughen penalties of those convicted of so-called “honor killings” against women.
“In a country where expatriates outnumber citizens nearly nine to one, the amendments will permit foreigners to avoid Islamic Shariah courts on issues like marriage, divorce and inheritance,” the AP asserted.
Meanwhile, the government said the changes “entrench the principles of tolerance in the society and strengthen the country’s position as a preferred hub that attracts people to reside and work.”
Small Economy, Big Player
With an economy the size of $421 billion in 2019, the UAE represents less than one percent of the world’s economy. However, the country and its leaders are considered big players in strategic talks between Western democracies and much of the oil-rich Islamic-influenced Middle East.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the oil price shock impacted the country’s fiscal balance this year, dipping it into a deficit of 5.9 percent, according to Fitch Ratings.
More significantly on a global political level, the UAE signed an agreement normalizing relations with Israel in September. It was a historic deal that might expand regional trade.
Speaking to at a meeting commemorating the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said his country wants “tolerance, openness and coexistence” with the rest of the world. “We believe that there is no future for anyone without cooperating with the other and that no nation can isolate itself from the rest of the world,” he said.
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