Irreligion in theUnited Arab Emirates is rare, with only up to 4% of peoplereporting irreligious beliefs according to aGallup poll. It is illegal for Muslims,[1] withapostates from Islam facing a maximum sentence of thedeath penalty underthe country's anti-blasphemy law (though this has never resulted in any form of execution in the country's history).[2] As such, there have been questions regardingfreedom of religion in the United Arab Emirates.
Atheism in the region is mainly present among foreignexpatriates and a very small number of local youth.[3][4] According toSultan Sooud Al-Qassemi, due to Islam being founded in theArabian Peninsula over 1,400 years ago, thePersian Gulf region enjoys a long Islamic history and tradition, and it is strongly associated with national identity; thus, any distancing or criticism of religion "equates to distancing oneself from national identity".[5] Al-Qassemi notes that the use ofsocial media via the internet remains the strongest medium of expression for Gulf atheists, while providing anonymity; a pioneering Gulf blogger is the Emirati atheist Ahmed Ben Kerishan, who is known in theArabic blogosphere for advocating atheist and secular views.[5][6]
