Earlier this week, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, issued a new law allowing non-Muslims to write their wills under the internationally recognised common law. HH Sheikh Mohammed issued a statement saying that non-Muslims could now write wills “according to their wishes.”
Under Sharia law, assets go directly to male heirs and relatives, which means that widows receive less than they would whilst following a Western inheritance system. The new law makes it possible for non-Muslims to decide how to manage their assets, money, property and possessions upon the event of their death.