A shocking reform in the United Arab Emirates has seen the country set aside its Shariah legal code for secular laws.
The country announced that no longer would the Shariah law be binding on every resident of the city, including Muslims who may want to cohabitate even while remaining unmarried, and drink alcohol.
Daily Trust, quoting the state news agency, WAM, reports that the reforms aim to boost the country’s economic and social standing and “consolidate the UAE’s principles of tolerance.”
The report added that the changes also reflect the efforts of the Emirates’ rulers to keep pace with a rapidly changing society since expatriates outnumber citizens by nearly nine to one.
According to the report, the amendments will also permit foreigners to avoid Islamic Shariah courts on issues like marriage, divorce and inheritance.
“I could not be happier for these new laws that are progressive and proactive. 2020 has been a tough and transformative year for the UAE,” a filmmaker in the Emirate country whose whose work tackled taboo topics like homosexual love and gender identity said.