Why decriminalising alcohol and ending unmarried couples ban makes economic sense for the UAE

  • Date: 10-Nov-2020
  • Source: The Independent
  • Sector:Economy
  • Country:UAE
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Why decriminalising alcohol and ending unmarried couples ban makes economic sense for the UAE

T

he headlines may have been about morality but the reason the United Arab Emirates has decriminalised alcohol and scrapped a ban on unmarried couples living together might be more to do with economics.

At the weekend, the oil-rich Arab nation announced a major overhaul of its Islamic personal laws relating to the protection of women, cohabitation, alcohol, suicide, divorce and wills.

While authorities in the UAE had long turned a blind eye to the behaviour of many expats - who account for almost 90 per cent of the population - the reforms signal a commitment by the country to market itself as a beacon of moderate Islam in the Middle East as it seeks out foreign investment in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.