World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - United Arab Emirates
| Publisher | Minority Rights Group International |
| Publication Date | 2007 |
| Cite as | Minority Rights Group International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - United Arab Emirates, 2007, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4954ce3b19.html [accessed 18 May 2023] |
| Comments | In October 2015, MRG revised its World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples. For the most part, overview texts were not themselves updated, but the previous 'Current state of minorities and indigenous peoples' rubric was replaced throughout with links to the relevant minority-specific reports, and a 'Resources' section was added. Refworld entries have been updated accordingly. |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Environment
The seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates compose a federation bordering Oman to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and, depending on whether the UAE and Qatari or Saudi interpretations are followed, also Qatar in the west, and with most of its settled cities and towns bordering the Arabian/Persian Gulf on the western side and a short stretch of the Gulf of Oman in the east. It is located to the south of the strait of Hormuz. Its location as a neighbouring state to both Saudi Arabia and Iran largely shapes its political and economic choices.
History
The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven states that declared their independence in 1971, having previously been British Protectorates (at that time six emirates, Ras al-Khaimah joined in 1972). These states had previously been known as the Trucial Oman or Trucial States. They had shared similar histories as tribal populations ruled by leading families involved in trade. The discovery of oil transformed fortunes. The population rocketed from 180,000 in 1968 to a million by 1982 and 2 million by 1993 and stands at over 4.1 million in 2006. Around 800,000 of that population are nationals.
Peoples
Main languages: Arabic, Indian and Pakistani languages, Persian
Main religions: Sunni and Ithna'ashari Shii Islam, Christianity
Main minority groups: Ithna'ashari (Twelver) Shiis. The national population is almost exclusively Muslim - some 85% Sunni and 15% Shii (US State Department, www.state.gov). Among expatriates, no reliable data are available on religious affiliation although some indications can be gleaned from the nationality data (see below).
As elsewhere in the Gulf, rapid economic expansion was accompanied by a vast influx of migrant workers. They now outnumber Emiratis four to one and consist of 19% non-Emirati Arabs and 50% South Asian (Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans), 23% other Asian (including Iranians) (1982, CIA Worldfactbook). Some groups of migrant workers from particular countries have cultural activities, private schools and associations but the activities of each is largely socially isolated from others and migrant workers as a whole do not form cohesive groups.
Governance
The UAE is governed as a federal presidential republic, composed of seven absolute monarchies in each emirate. The federation is loose, and each ruler maintains significant powers in accordance to the provisional constitution of 1971. Abu Dhabi's ruler serves as President and Dubai's ruler as Prime Minister of the UAE. There is also a Council of Ministers led by the Prime Minister, a supreme council of rulers and a Federal National Council (FNC) composed of 40 members who, until 2006, were appointed to serve by the rulers which reviews proposed laws, and a Federal Supreme Council of the individual rulers of the seven emirates which elects the Council of Ministers.
Political parties are prohibited and steps towards democracy are very slow. In December 2006 the system of choosing the FNC members was changed, for the first time involving a measure of election: in each emirate a group of electors was appointed by the Emir (totalling just under 7,000 for the whole country), who then could vote for those amongst them who stood for election. Those elected henceforth make up half the members of the FNC, which can still only advise and monitor, not legislate. Some further expansion of the FNC and its powers has been mooted, so far without further elaboration.
Minorities
None listed.
Resources
Minority based and advocacy organisations
UAE Prison.Com (India)
Tel: +91 484 2397550
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.uaeprison.com
Sources and further reading
Cordesman, A. H., Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the UAE: Challenges of Security, Boulder: Westview Press, 1997.
Davidson, C., The United Arab Emirates: A Study in Survival. Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2005.
Heard-Bey, F., From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates (3rd edition). Dubai: Motivate Publishing, 2004.
Stannard, D., Insight Guide Oman and the UAE, Munich: Langenscheidt Publishers, 1998.
'The United Arab Emirates', in The Middle East and North Africa 2007 [Europa regional Surveys of the World]. London: Routledge, 2006. (pp. 1181-1215)
UAE Interact, Comprehensive news and information on the UAE, retrieved 20 July 2007, http://www.uaeinteract.com
UAE Ministry of Information, The UAE Yearbook 2006, retrieved 20 July 2007, http://www.uaeinteract.com/uaeint_misc/pdf_2006/index.asp
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Arab Human Rights Index, retrieved 20 July 2007, http://www.arabhumanrights.org/en/countries/
