Religion in the United Arab Emirates

Many followers of the Hanbali school are found in Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Ajman.

[3] The majority of the UAE's population is Muslim, with both citizens and a significant portion of the expatriate community adhering to Islam.

The government permits Shia Muslims to observe Ashura in private gatherings, but not in public rallies.

[11] As of 2019, according to Rabbi Marc Schneier of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, there are about 150 Jewish families (3,000 Jews) living in the UAE who are free to practice their religion.

The community has Talmud Torah, Kosher Chicken Shechita and a permanent synagogue located in Dubai.

Though the organization denied finding any anti-Semitic or hateful content in the textbooks, which "generally met" UNESCO peace and tolerance guidelines, it did cite the missing education about the Jewish state and its history.

[18] Another synagogue was built Abu Dhabi in 2023, alongside a mosque and a church, as part of the Abrahamic Family House.

[19] In 1958, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al Makhtoum gifted land to allow a temple to be built.

[23] Approximately 2% of the population, or nearly 500,000 people adhere to Buddhism; a temple is located in the Dubai neighbourhood of Jumeirah[24][25][26] Buddhists in UAE consist largely of expatriate workers from countries in Asia with large Buddhist populations, such as Thailand, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

[27] The Jain community in the UAE mainly consists of expatriates from India, particularly from states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra, where Jainism has a strong presence.

[30] Sikh population is relatively small compared to other religious groups, it is a well-organized and active community.

[31] It is illegal for Muslims,[32] with apostates from Islam facing a maximum sentence of the death penalty under the country's anti-blasphemy law.

Atheism in the region is mainly present among foreign expatriates and a very small number of local youth.

[34][35] According to Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, due to Islam being founded in the Arabian Peninsula over 1,400 years ago, the Persian Gulf region enjoys a long Islamic history and tradition, and it is strongly associated with national identity; thus, any distancing or criticism of religion "equates to distancing oneself from national identity".