Context: In a latest step in the United Arab Emirates -- where personal status laws on marriage and divorce had been based on Islamic sharia principles, Non-Muslims will be allowed to marry, divorce and get joint child custody under civil law in Abu Dhabi.

Key Points

• Non-Muslims will be allowed to marry, divorce and get joint child custody under civil law in Abu Dhabi according to a new decree issued by its ruler.
• It aims to “enhance the position and global competitiveness of the emirate as one of the most attractive destinations for talent and skills.
• It is the latest step in the United Arab Emirates — where personal status laws on marriage and divorce had been based on Islamic sharia principles, as in other Gulf states — to maintain its competitive edge as a regional commercial hub.
• The report described the civil law regulating non-Muslim family matters as being the first of its kind in the world "in line with international best practices".
• Moreover a new court to handle non-Muslim family matters will be set up in Abu Dhabi and will operate in both English and Arabic.

Other Positive initiatives

• The UAE last year introduced a number of legal changes at the federal level, including decriminalising premarital sexual relations and alcohol consumption, and cancelling provisions for leniency when dealing with so-called "honour killings".