DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES —
The capital of the United Arab Emirates has issued new guidelines governing divorce, inheritance and little one custody for non-Muslims in Abu Dhabi, the nation’s state-run information company reported.
The report Sunday by the WAM information company stated Abu Dhabi would create a brand new court docket to deal with these circumstances, which will likely be held in each Arabic and English to be higher understood by the emirate’s huge international employee inhabitants.
Change in little one custody will permit dad and mom to share joint custody of their kids, WAM reported. The regulation additionally introduces the concept of civil marriage, permits wills to be drawn up granting inheritance to whomever an individual chooses and offers with paternity points.
Abu Dhabi is considered one of seven sheikhdoms that make up the UAE and the brand new regulation impacts solely this sheikhdom. Whereas the oil-rich emirate is the capital of the nation, Abu Dhabi’s inhabitants is dwarfed by that of neighboring Dubai.
The brand new regulation comes after authorities final 12 months stated they might overhaul of the nation’s Islamic private legal guidelines, permitting single {couples} to cohabitate, loosening alcohol restrictions and criminalizing so-called “honor killings.” Abu Dhabi additionally ended its alcohol license system in September 2020. The UAE as a complete in September of this 12 months introduced yet one more plan to stimulate its economic system and liberalize stringent residency guidelines for foreigners.
Conventional Islamic values stay robust within the federation. The roughly 1 million Emiratis within the UAE, a hereditarily dominated nation lengthy criticized for its suppression of dissent, intently toe the federal government line. Political events and labor unions stay unlawful.
