Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed issues a personal status law for non Muslims
His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, may God protect him, in his capacity as Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, issued a law regulating personal status matters for non-Muslims in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
This law aims to provide a flexible and advanced judicial mechanism for settling personal status disputes involving non-Muslims, thus enhancing the emirate's position and its global competitiveness, as it is one of the most attractive destinations for talents and competencies.
The law also aims to achieve the emirate’s leadership in issuing the first civil law to regulate family matters for non-Muslims in accordance with the best international practices, and to ensure the right of non-Muslims to be subject to an internationally recognized law that is close to them in terms of culture, customs and language, as well as achieving and protecting the best interests of the child, especially in the event of Parental separation.
His Excellency Counselor Yousef Saeed Al Abri, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, stressed that the new law is the first of its kind in the world because it is exposed to the smallest details regarding the family life of non-Muslims, and reflects the legislative leadership of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and its global status, in light of the wise vision of the owner His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, and the wise directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, to keep pace with all developments and developments to enhance leadership in various fields.
The second chapter defines the divorce procedures, the rights of the spouses after signing it, and the judge's discretion in calculating the financial rights of the wife based on several criteria, such as the number of years of marriage, the age of the wife, the economic status of each of the spouses and other matters that the judge considers when assessing the financial rights of the wife. The third chapter introduced a new concept in the custody of children after divorce, which is the participation of the father and mother in the custody equally between them, or what is known in Western laws as joint custody, in order to preserve the cohesion of the family after the divorce and the psychological health of the children.
The fourth chapter also dealt with the inheritance, the registration of wills, and the foreigner’s right to leave a will with all his possessions for whomever he wants, while the fifth chapter of the law regulates the proof of the lineage of non-Muslim foreigners, by stipulating the proof of the lineage of the newborn through marriage or confession.
