| Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan · Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum · Lubna Khalid Al Qasimi · Wasel Safwan · Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum | ||||||||||||
| Total population | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990,000 + 16.5% of the total UAE population in (2009)[1] |
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| Regions with significant populations | ||||||||||||
| UAE 990,000 (2009) [1] | ||||||||||||
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Emirati people or people of the United Arab Emirates (Arabic: إماراتي) are citizens and an ethnic group who share their culture, descent and the Arabic variety of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The largest concentration is in the UAE having a population of 990,000 being ethnic Emirati.
Many Emiratis, including those that compose the ruling dynasties of the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, trace their origins to the Bani Yas clan. However, people outside of the Bani Yas clan, such as Baluchis[note 1] and immigrants from Iran's Bastak region, Oman, Yemen and Bahrain, have been gradually integrated into Emirati society. A tiny number of South Asian, African and people from other races have intermarried with Emiratis, thereby becoming non-Emirati UAE citizens.
Populations with Emirati ancestry, the result of emigration, also exist in other parts of the world, most notably in the Middle East, Europe and North America. Population estimates are seen to have a very small diaspora.
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UAE is a recently created country with a past history that is shared by the neighbouring empires such as Persia, Rome, Ottoman empire, and foreign powers such as Portugal and England.[3] The earliest inhabitants were the Neolithic people, 5500 B.C. Significant control, and commerce was established by the successive Persian empires. During the Sassanid era, Persians controlled most of the lands around the Persian Gulf.[3] The Romans also exerted influence on the Persian Gulf. Envoys from the Islamic prophet Muhammad saw the islands convert to Islam around 630 C.E. The Portuguese would then battle the then dominant force in the Persian Gulf, the Safavid empire and control UAE for the next 150 years. During the 16th century, the Ottomans took control of the Islands and UAE was known as the "Pirate Coast." By the 19th century the British empire had taken complete control of the land then called "Trucial Sheikhdom."[3] Trucial Coasts were under the control of the British empire until the 1960s when the first crude oil was discovered. Consequentially, with weakening British contorl, the "Trucial States" became the United Arab Emirates (UAE) around 1972.[3]
The term Emirati comes from the Arabic word emir (Arabic: أمير) which means commander. Each emirate is ruled by an emir, whose citizens (generally) belong to his clan. The Bani Yas tribe forms the basis of many clans within the United Arab Emirates. Sub-clans of the Bani Yas include[4]
Another definition of "Emirati" is Arabs with origins in the UAE.
The population of the UAE as of 2009 stands at six million, of which 16.5% are native Emiratis.
The rest of the population of the United Arab Emirates (83.5%) is composed of expatriates, with the largest groups hailing from South Asian countries such as India (1.75 million), Pakistan (1.25 million) and Bangladesh (500,000). Members of other Asian communities, including China, the Philippines, Thailand, Korea, Afghanistan and Iran make up approximately one million of the total population. Western expatriates, from Europe, Australia, Northern Africa, Africa and Latin America make up 500,000 of the overall population. The next census will be conducted in 2010.
Emirati Arabic is a variety of Arabic used in the United Arab Emirates closely related to other Gulf Arabic dialects spoken in Arab countries of the Persian Gulf.
Islam is largest and the official state religion of the UAE, and although the government follows a policy of tolerating existence of other religions, it favors Islam and conversion from other religions to Islam. The government also imposes restrictions on marriage and social mobility for its inhabitants. In UAE for instnace, Muslim women are fobidden by law from marrying men of "the book" (referring to the people of Christian and Jewish faith), while Arab men are allowed under the Islamic Suni law ("Shari'a") to marry women of "the book." A union between a Muslim woman in UAE a man of "the book" can carry punishments since it is considered a form of "fornication" and punishable by law. Even though the government allows construction of churches and other religious facilities, display of the cross on the churches is forbidden. There are also no synagogues in UAE.[5]
However, it is illegal in the UAE to spread the ideas of any religion apart from Islam through any form of media as it is a form of proselytizing. There are approximately 31 churches throughout the country and one Hindu temple in the region of Bur Dubai.[6] Emiratis are largely Muslims, approximately 85 percent of whom are Sunni and the remaining 15 percent are Shi'a .[7]
The Emirates government and its royal oligarchy maintain strict access to foreign resources and ideologies, including the internet. Emirates censors open access to the internet. The country's two main internet providers Etisalat and DU block access from certain content. One particular instance of censorship, include websites that included information on the Baha'i Faith, Judaism, atheism, negative critiques of Islam, and testimonies of former Muslims who converted to Christianity. The Government's "Cyber Crime Law" provides penalties for using the Internet to preach against Islam, inciting someone to commit sin, and using the Internet to promote a breach of public decency.[5]
Emirati culture mainly revolves around the religion of Islam and traditional Arab, and Bedouin culture. Being a highly cosmopolitan society, the UAE has a diverse and vibrant culture. The influence of Islamic and Arab culture on its architecture, music, attire, cuisine and lifestyle are very prominent as well. Five times every day, Muslims are called to the prayer from the minarets of mosques which are scattered around the country.[8] The weekend begins on Friday due to Friday being the holiest day for Muslims. All Muslim majority countries have a Friday-Saturday or Thursday-Friday weekend.
Falcon training is one of the national symbols which can be seen on the Coat of arms of the United Arab Emirates and were used as hunters, trained by the Bedouin tribes. Other symbols are the Camel and the Arabian Horse.
Music of the United Arab Emirates is a part of the "khalijee", or Persian Gulf tradition, and is also known for Bedouin folk music. Distinctive dance songs from the area's fishermen exist, but the country's most famous performers are Mehad Hamad who is considered an icon to the Emirati Musics as he is known for his tradition style songs writing by many royal families. Ahlam, the first female pop star in the Persian Gulf, Abdel Moniem Al Saleh or Moniem, who is famous for his exceptional talent in songs' writing, music producing and singing, and he was the first musician to mix Indian, Spanish and Arabic music together. Aithah Al-Menhali, and Al Wasmi. Other singers from the United Arab Emirates include Samar, Reem, Rouwaida, and Abdallah Belkhair among others.
UAE has a mixed record on human rights issues. Human trafficking is an issue in UAE mostly because the UAE government is lax in enforcement of laws to prevent it. Human trafficking has been mostly from Asia and the former Soviet union in form of "sex trafficking" but also includes trafficking young boys as camel jockeys. Recent years have seen UAE taking steps to curb human trafficking and taking initiatives to stop this illegal activity.[9] The US State Department human rights report of 2009, also asserted that "there are unverified reports of torture, government restriction of freedom of speech, and lack of judicial independence." One instance of human right violation was the video-taped prosecution and torture of an Afghan grain worker (Mohammad Shah Poor) by a high-ranking member of the royal family, Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, assisted by the state police.[9][10] The UAE government did not find the royal family member guilty and in a letter to the Human rights group asserted that the issue was resolved "privately" and was not torture.[9][10]
Emirati ancestry, the result of emigration, also exist in other parts of the world, most notably in the Arabian Peninsula, Europe and North America.
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