Emirati people
Encyclopedia
Emirati people or people of the United Arab Emirates 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 BaluchisBaluchis are people inhabiting Balochistan
, not to be confused with the AlBloushi family which is part of the Bani Yas clan. 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.
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." 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.
The term Emirati comes from the Arabic
word emir
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
Another definition of "Emirati" is Arabs with origins in the UAE.
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.
of Arabic
used in the United Arab Emirates
closely related to other Gulf Arabic
dialects spoken in Persian Gulf
.
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.
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
. Emiratis are largely Muslims
, approximately 85 percent of whom are Sunni and the remaining 15 percent are Shi'a .
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.
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, Muslim
s are called to the prayer from the minaret
s of mosque
s which are scattered around the country. .
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
.
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.
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. 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. 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.
, also exist in other parts of the world, most notably in the Arabian Peninsula
, Europe
and North America
.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
who share their culture, descent and the Arabic variety
Varieties of Arabic
The Arabic language is a Semitic language characterized by a wide number of linguistic varieties within its five regional forms. The largest divisions occur between the spoken languages of different regions. The Arabic of North Africa, for example, is often incomprehensible to an Arabic speaker...
of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
(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
Emirates of the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates is composed of 7 emirates :-References:...
of Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
and Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, trace their origins to the Bani Yas
Bani Yas
Bani Yas is a tribe in the United Arab Emirates that had a coalition with many other tribes in the region. The tribal coalition which consists of tribes from Dubai to Khawr al Udayd southeast of Qatar, was called the Bani Yas Coalition. The tribe has been led by their rulers the Al Nahyan and their...
clan. However, people outside of the Bani Yas clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
, such as BaluchisBaluchis are people inhabiting Balochistan
Balochistan (region)
Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid, mountainous region in the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia; it includes part of southeastern Iran, western Pakistan, and southwestern Afghanistan. The area is named after the numerous Baloch tribes, Iranian peoples who moved into the area from the west...
, not to be confused with the AlBloushi family which is part of the Bani Yas clan. and immigrants from Iran's Bastak
Bastak
Bastak is a city in and the capital of Bastak County, Hormozgan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 8,376, in 1,765 families....
region, Oman, Yemen and Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, 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
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
, also exist in other parts of the world, most notably in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Population estimates are seen to have a very small diaspora.
History
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. 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. 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 PortuguesePortuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
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." 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.
The term Emirati comes from the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
word emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
which means commander. Each emirate is ruled by an emir, whose citizens (generally) belong to his clan. The Bani Yas
Bani Yas
Bani Yas is a tribe in the United Arab Emirates that had a coalition with many other tribes in the region. The tribal coalition which consists of tribes from Dubai to Khawr al Udayd southeast of Qatar, was called the Bani Yas Coalition. The tribe has been led by their rulers the Al Nahyan and their...
tribe forms the basis of many clans within the United Arab Emirates. Sub-clans of the Bani Yas include
- Al Bu Falah (Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi (emirate)Abu Dhabi, officially the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, , is one of seven emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates . It is the capital of UAE and is the largest emirate by area , and second-largest by population , accounting for approximately 86% of the total land area of the UAE...
) - Al Bu Falasah (DubaiDubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
) - Al Qawasim (Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah)
- Al Ali (or Al Mualla) (Umm Al Quwain)
- Al Sharqiyan (FujairahFujairahFujairah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, and the only one on the Gulf of Oman in the country's east instead of Persian Gulf .-History:...
) - Al Nu'aim (AjmanAjmanAjman , also spelt Ujman, is one of the seven emirates constituting the United Arab Emirates . With an area of just 260 square kilometres , Ajman is the smallest emirate by area...
) - Tahlak
Another definition of "Emirati" is Arabs with origins in the UAE.
Demographics
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
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(1.75 million), Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
(1.25 million) and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
(500,000). Members of other Asian communities, including China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
make up approximately one million of the total population. Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
expatriates, from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Northern Africa, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
make up 500,000 of the overall population.
The next census will be conducted in 2010.
Language
Emirati Arabic is a varietyVariety (linguistics)
In sociolinguistics a variety, also called a lect, is a specific form of a language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, accents, registers, styles or other sociolinguistic variation, as well as the standard variety itself...
of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
used in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
closely related to other Gulf Arabic
Gulf Arabic
Gulf Arabic is a variety of the Arabic language spoken around the shore of the Persian Gulf such as in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman...
dialects spoken in Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
.
Religion
IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
is largest and the official state religion
State religion
A state religion is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state...
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
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Jewish faith), while Arab men are allowed under the Islamic Suni
Suni
Suni is a very small species of antelope. It occurs in south-east Africa in dense underbrush.Suni are around 12-17 inches high at the shoulder and weigh 10-12 pounds . They are usually reddish brown, darker on their back than their sides and legs. The belly, chin, throat and insides of legs are...
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
Fornication
Fornication typically refers to consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other. For many people, the term carries a moral or religious association, but the significance of sexual acts to which the term is applied varies between religions, societies and cultures. The...
" 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.
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
Hindu temple
A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...
in the region of Bur Dubai
Bur Dubai
Bur Dubai is a historic district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, located on the western side of the Dubai Creek. The name literally translates to Mainland Dubai, a reference to the traditional separation of the Bur Dubai area from Deira by the Dubai Creek...
. Emiratis are largely Muslims
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, approximately 85 percent of whom are Sunni and the remaining 15 percent are Shi'a .
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
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
, Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, negative critiques of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, 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.
Culture
Emirati culture mainly revolves around the religion of IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and traditional Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, 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
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, attire
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
, cuisine
Cuisine
Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
and lifestyle are very prominent as well. Five times every day, Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s are called to the prayer from the minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
s of mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s which are scattered around the country. .
National symbols
FalconFalcon
A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
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
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
tribes. Other symbols are the Camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
and the Arabian Horse
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
.
Music and dance
Music of the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
is a part of the "khalijee", or Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
tradition, and is also known for Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
folk music. Distinctive dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
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
Ahlam
Ahlam Ali Al Shāmsi , commonly known as Ahlam is a leading female singer from the UAE . She has 10 albums to her name, and is popular throughout the Middle East, particularly among Arab nations of the Persian Gulf.-Biography:...
, 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.
Immigration and Human rights
UAE has a mixed record on human rights issues. Human traffickingHuman trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
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. 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
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
grain worker (Mohammad Shah Poor) by a high-ranking member of the royal family, Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Sheikh Issa bin Zayed Al Nayhan is the son of the late United Arab Emirates President Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan; the brother of the present ruler of Abu Dhabi, the Emir Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; and the brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.Issa is a prominent real estate...
, assisted by the state police. 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.
Diaspora
Emirati ancestry, the result of emigrationEmigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
, also exist in other parts of the world, most notably in the Arabian Peninsula
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.