The UAE is a federation of seven absolute monarchies in the Arabian Gulf, known for glittering cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It’s prosperous, modern, tolerant of expats, and firmly secular in governance—vigorously suppressing political Islamism while embracing Islam as personal faith.
The UAE effectively counters political Islamism by sharply distinguishing it from Islamic faith: viewing the former as a power-seeking ideology that undermines the nation-state and citizenship, while the latter remains the nation’s spiritual foundation. Through pre-emptive security measures, early dismantling of networks, robust state legitimacy via widespread prosperity and services, nationally controlled religious institutions, and unwavering promotion of social cohesion, the UAE deprives Islamist movements of grievances, legitimacy, and space to operate—ensuring their consistent failure without seeking external validation.
In the UAE, we keep Islamists at bay because we understand political Islam as a system of power, not a question of belief.
— أحمد شريف العامري (@ahhmedshh) December 24, 2025
Islam is our faith.
Islamism is an ideology that seeks to capture institutions, bypass the nation-state, and replace citizenship with transnational loyalty.…