Islam
The official religion is Sunni Islam, following the Malikite or Hanbalite schools. Many followers of the latter school are Wahhabites. Formed by the descendants of Persian merchants, some Shiites observe their rules. Women are allowed to work, drive and go out alone and unescorted. Alcohol is permitted in hotels and private clubs, except in Sharjah, the dry emirate. Foreigners may wear any type of clothing, as long as it does not offend. Awqaf is the state body that regulates mosques and their messages. The state alone decides on the title of iman, and obliges the youngest to read the official text during the Friday prayer sermon. As they become more senior, imans can begin to write their own sermons, but under the watchful eye of the authorities. No fundamentalist deviance is tolerated.
The 5 pillars
The pillars are respected and encouraged by the government. The first is the Shahada or the profession of faith, which consists of a single sentence: "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet". The second is the ritual prayer or Salat. Pronounced 5 times a day and only in Arabic. The third is the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his life. The fourth is the Sawn or observance of the fasting month of Ramadan. Since the Muslim calendar is lunar, the period of Ramadan changes every year. The fifth is the Zakat or legal alms, a kind of religious tax, levied in the Emirates by the Ministry, which every Muslim has the duty to pay for the benefit of the needy.
The prohibitions of Ramadan
The fasting period has its own strict rules. For the Emiratis, there is no question of imposing the practice; on the contrary, they expect great discretion from non-Muslims. Thus, during the month, between sunrise and sunset, no eating in public (in the street, in the car), no drinking, no chewing gum, no smoking, no turning up the dance music on the car radio, and no tight-fitting or short clothing. Pregnant or breast-feeding women, the very elderly and the sick are, of course, exempt. Beware, too, of comments on social networks, which are liable to fines depending on the seriousness of the "offense".
Sunnis and Shiites, a secular conflict
Conflicts between the two main branches of Islam, of which Sunnism is by far the majority (85% of followers), have shaped the history of the Middle East and the current geopolitical situation. How do these two movements differ? It all began in 632 with the death of the Prophet Muhammad. He left no instructions as to who should succeed him. So some chose Ali, his son-in-law and cousin, becoming Shiites, while those who followed Abu Bakr, one of Muhammad's companions, became Sunnis. The first branch is based more on heredity and great respect for the Prophet's family, while the second is more focused on the community of the faithful, who can appoint imans. As a result, the Shiites have a highly hierarchical clergy who must descend from the Prophet's family. In contrast, the Sunni iman is appointed by the community, and can even be self-proclaimed in certain cases. Shiites also believe that the Hidden Iman, Ali's twelfth successor, will return at the end of time to judge mankind. Another difference is that while Shiites separate their religious and political powers, Sunnis do not, as in the case of Morocco's king. Beyond the figure of the successor, other differences will emerge: Sunnis believe that the Koran is of divine order and that, to a certain extent, history is predetermined. The faithful therefore strive to faithfully reproduce all the Prophet's deeds and gestures. The Shiites, on the other hand, believe that the Koran is a human work, and allow themselves certain interpretations. While both movements share the five pillars of Islam, some practices diverge around certain rites, such as prayer; similarly, feast days are not always celebrated on the same date.
Shiites, who account for just 15% of the population, are in the majority in Iran, Iraq and, by a small margin, Bahrain. Lebanon and Pakistan are home to very large communities. They also include dissident branches such as the Kharidjites, who are very present among the Berbers of the Maghreb, the Alawites, who are few in number but in power in Syria, and the Druze, who are spread between Lebanon, northern Israel and Syria. More than their religious differences, they are mainly opposed on a geopolitical level, with the Shiites criticizing Saudi Arabia for selling out to the Americans. Neither the advent of the Islamist Republic of Iran in 1979, which led to Saddan Hussein's invasion of Iran in 1980 with the support of the West and the Gulf monarchies, nor the emergence of radical fundamentalist movements in a number of Sunni-majority countries have helped to reduce the conflicts between the two branches of Islam. The Gulf monarchies and Iran are waging a veritable "cold war" against the backdrop of the Syrian conflict and Yemen.
Other religions
There are no official figures, but it is estimated that there are 1 million Christians, 70% of whom are Catholic, the rest Orthodox, Protestant and Anglican, and some 40 churches have been built since independence in 1971 to accommodate the faithful. In Dubai, the numbers are staggering: 80,000 faithful flock to weekend masses, and up to 300,000 on major feast days. The country has a bishop at Abu Dhabi Cathedral, and a total of 8 Catholic churches throughout the country. It is a church of the poor, as the vast majority of its faithful are from the Philippines, India, Pakistan and the Middle East. Hinduism and Buddhism are also present, with their own temples, and there is even a Hindu crematorium for cremating the dead, although this practice is forbidden in Islam. There is even a synagogue in Dubai.
