Most of the citizens of the UAE are Sunni Muslims who adhere to the Maliki legal tradition. Some Sunnis of the Wahhabi 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 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.

change is apparent in the nation's cultural life. Changes in attitudes toward marriage and employment of women are discernible. Some women are now given more opportunity for choice in a marriage partner, and education and some types of professional work have become more available to women. New forms of entertainment, ranging from football (soccer) matches to videotape recorders, have affected taste and behaviour.