Approximately 11 percent of the population are citizens, of whom more than 85 percent are Sunni Muslims, according to media reports. The vast majority of the remainder are Shia Muslims, who are concentrated in the Emirates of Dubai and Sharjah.
Shia Muslims are granted freedom to worship, and maintain their mosques. Shias may also pursue family law cases through a special Shia council. Most Shias are concentrated in the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
96% of United Arab Emirates population are muslims, of them are 94% are Sunni Muslims and the remainder 2% are Shia, while the other 4% of the population are of other religions who are concentrated in the Emirates of Dubai and Sharjah.
Qatar is an Islamic state with multi-religious minorities like most of the Persian Gulf countries with waves of migration over the last 30 years. The official state religion is Sunni Islam. The community is made up of Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and small groups of Buddhists and Baha'is.
Islam is the official religion of the UAE
The constitution enshrines Islam as the official religion of the state, and there are laws against blasphemy, proselytizing by non-Muslims and converting from Islam.
Most Muslims in Turkey are Sunni Muslims forming about 90%, and Shia-Aleviler (Alevis, Ja'faris and Alawites) denominations in total form up to 10% of the Muslim population. Precise numbers are unavailable since Turkey doesn't conduct censuses about religious denominations.
Sharia law exists in the UAE and is used in specific circumstances, such as in the payment of blood money (diyath). Individual emirates have also suspended some Sharia punishments such as flogging and stoning, replacing them with jail terms and most Sharia system is only enforced on the citizens.
Islam is the main religion of the citizens of Kuwait and the majority of Kuwaiti citizens are Muslim; it is estimated that 70%–75% are Sunni and 25%–30% are Shias.
Saudi Arabia has a sizable Shia minority of roughly 10 percent, and millions of adherents of a puritanical brand of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism (an offshoot of the Sunni Hanbali school) that is antagonistic to Shia Islam.
Most Shias (between 68% and 80%) live in four countries: Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq. Iran has 66 million to 70 million Shias, or 37-40% of the world's total Shia population. Iraq, India and Pakistan each are home to at least 16 million Shias.
Shias comprise a majority in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain, and a plurality in Lebanon, while Sunnis make up the majority of more than forty countries from Morocco to Indonesia.
Twelver Shīʿas constitute the majority of the population in Iran (90%), Azerbaijan (85%), Bahrain (70%), Iraq (65%), and Lebanon (65% of Muslims).
Can you drink alcohol in Dubai? If you're 21 or over, expat or holidaymaker, you can legally drink alcohol in Dubai. However, you will need to purchase alcohol from a licensed premises, such as a shop, and enjoyed in the privacy of your own accommodation.
Both Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims agree on the three holiest sites in Islam being, respectively, the Masjid al-Haram (including the Kaaba), in Mecca; the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, in Medina; and the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, in Jerusalem.
In Shia Islam, however, images of Muhammad are quite common nowadays, even though Shia scholars historically were against such depictions. Still, many Muslims who take a stricter view of the supplemental traditions will sometimes challenge any depiction of Muhammad, including those created and published by non-Muslims.
Most Shia and Sunni Muslims adhere to the succession of Ali after Muhammad as his appointed religious reference, and the other Rashiduns as the elected rulers of Muslims. These two groups have been living in peace with each other forever.
Apart from Iran's rejection of the alleged fatwa, Shiite jurists and scholars are of the conviction that the hajj cannot be performed anywhere else but in Mecca. In fact, while performing the hajj is "wajib" (mandatory), visiting the shrine of Hussein is merely "mostahab" (recommended).
Shia Islam
Shia Ayatollahs Ali al-Sistani and Ali Khamenei believe there are no authoritative Islamic prohibitions on tattoos. The Quran does not mention tattoos or tattooing at all. Grand Ayatollah Sadiq Hussaini Shirazi ruled: "Tattoos are considered makruh (reprehensible but not forbidden).
The annual rates of growth for the world's Sunni and Shia populations were identical from 1990 to 2000. But the rate of growth of the Shia population is expected to be slightly lower than the rate of growth for Sunnis over the next 20 years.
Islam is generally practised liberally, although in the last 20 years strict adherence to Islamic practice has increased. The official code of Islam in Malaysia is Sunni, and the practice of any other form of Islam is heavily restricted.
Islam is the state-religion in Oman. The country is 95% Muslim. Sunni Islam has a following of about 47% and Ibadi Islam has a following of about 35%, while 6% identify as Shia Muslims. Islam spread to Oman in the early years.
Shia Islam in Bahrain is estimated to be approximately 49% of the Muslim population in Bahrain. This number is disputed, with the Sunni royal family placing it closer to half, some surveys estimating it to be 62%, and most sources placing the estimate somewhere near 70% of the Muslim population.
Respect for Islamic Law
Islamic law is followed in Dubai, but often, certain leniency is granted for non-Muslim adults. Pay attention to the season in which you plan to travel to Dubai to be aware of any religious or cultural observations that might impact your visit.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi law is based entirely on sharia. No codified personal status law exists, which means that judges in courts rule based on their own interpretations of sharia. See Legal system of Saudi Arabia.
Divorce as per Sharia law can be pronounced by saying "talaq" (Arabic for "I divorce you"), by either of the spouses, in the presence of a witness. For Muslims, the divorce will be valid if given in this manner, but to get it recognised in the UAE, the divorce should be registered with the courts.