Most of the citizens of the UAE are Sunni (see Glossary) Muslims who adhere to the Maliki legal tradition (see Sunni Islam , ch. 1). Some Sunnis of the ÍÍÍÍWahhabi sect (followers of a strict interpretation of the Hanbali legal school) live in the Al Buraymi Oasis, and some who follow the Shafii legal school live along the Al Batinah coast. The foreign population includes Sunni and Shia (see Glossary) Muslims, Hindus, and Christians.

Although varying from amirate to amirate, the degree of religious freedom afforded non-Muslims is greater in the UAE than in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. For example, non-Muslims are permitted to worship but not to proselytize. There are several large Christian churches and schools in the UAE, primarily in Dubayy and Abu Dhabi.

Data as of January 1993