Is apostasy illegal in the United Arab Emirates?
Death penalty possible
Apostasy is a hudud crime in the Penal Code, punishable by death, though no executions have been recorded.
The United Arab Emirates is one of 10 countries classified “Death penalty possible” for apostasy — 32% of the 31 with data. (Also searched as leaving a religion.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Apostasy in Islam by country
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Qatar
- Death penalty possible Apostasy is a hudud crime under Law 11 of 2004, punishable by death.
- Oman
- Criminal offense Oman lacks an explicit apostasy law, but personal status laws annul marriages and deny inheritance rights to apostates.
- Kuwait
- Criminal offense Apostasy is not explicitly criminalized but family courts can annul marriages and strip property and inheritance rights.
- Saudi Arabia
- Death penalty possible Apostasy is actively enforced with the death penalty under Sharia law in Saudi Arabia.
- Yemen
- Death penalty possible Apostasy is a crime in Yemen punishable by death under the Penal Code.
- Iraq
- Legal Apostasy is not explicitly criminalized in Iraq, though social and familial violence occurs.
Other laws in United Arab Emirates
- Blasphemy Laws
- Criminal offense
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law
- Flag Desecration
- Criminal offense
- Conversion Therapy
- No ban
Every law in the United Arab Emirates → · Where is apostasy illegal? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.